daily health tips

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.

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.

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 aluminium 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 anaemia 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.

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.

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 pyorrhoea 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.

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 faecal matter. Though generally used to check diarrhoea, 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.