daily health tips

See the world through rose coloured glasses. There are two methods of treating diseases by colour: by the application of light through different coloured glasses, and By external or internal use of colour-charged water. In the first method, sheets of glass, 30 cm x 36 cm of the required colours 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 colour 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 colours and the required colour can be focussed on the patient or the affected parts. You can also add colour your health with colour-charged water. For this technique, coloured 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 colour-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 colour-charged water as a single dose. The dose can be repeated as required.

Any treatment for pyorrhoea, 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 toxaemia. 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 pyorrhoea. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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, colouring 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.

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 faeces 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.

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.

To prevent constipation, consume fibre. Fibre 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 fibre. A high fibre 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.

To prevent diarrhoea, consume fibre. Recent studies suggest that increasing the dietary fibre intake may be beneficial for patients with irritated bowel syndrome who have diarrhoea and rapid colonic transit, as well as to those who have constipation and slow transit. The high fibre diet, like bran, thus regulates the condition inside the colon so as to avoid both extremes- constipation and diarrhoea. Investigations have shown that several potential carcinogens are produced in the faeces. 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 fibre by bacteria renders the faeces more acidic. This reduces the amount of possible carcinogenic substances. Fibre also reduces the possibility of formation of harmful toxins in the large intestine by reducing the intestinal transit time of the food contents.