daily health tips

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.

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.

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.

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 fibre 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.

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.

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.

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.