Initial state:

Lying down on the stomach

Asana state

i) Keep the legs together. Make the to feet touch each other with two big toes touching eath other.

ii) keep the palms two sides of the chest, besides the bottom ribs, with palm fingers put forward.

iii) Keep the elbows closer to the body.

iv) Taking breath, as the snakes lifts its hood, lift the head up as far as possible. But, ensure that the navel part should be touching the earth.

v) Stay in this state, taking normal breathing and try to stay in this position for a longer time.

vi) Exhaling air, come to the normal state.

vii) Finally, relax in the makarana, i.e., keep the legs apart, keep the hands parallel to the head in both the sides, bend the head to one convenient side and give rest to each cell.

Initial state:

Lie down on the stomach

Asana state

i) Keep the tow inside and make a fist. Put the fist under the thighs. Keep the back side of the hand touching to the ground.

ii) While taking breath, lift both the legs into the air. When you lift the legs up, don't bend knees.

iii) Take normal breathing and keep the legs upward as far as possible.

iv) Releasing ari, come to the normal state.

v) At the end, take rest in the makarasan.

Note: Pull the knee caps, pull the buttocks, if you lift the legs, they will be lifted well.

State: Lying down on the stomach

Asana state:

i) Bend the legs backward and hold the heels with hands.

ii) While taking air, lift the chest and head. Pushing the legs back, bend the backbone as a bow.

Asana state: Stay on the stomach in a relaxed way

Rest: Releasing air, come back to the makarasan and take rest.

Note: While doing this asana, do not bend elbows

i) Keep looking upwards

ii) Keep both the legs together

iii) Try to stay in the asana as long as possible.

iv) In the initial state, keep the legs apart, bring the two legs closer gradually and do the practice.

Pawana muktasan

Initial state

Lie down on the back, bring the two legs closer and keep the hands away from the body

Asana state

i) Lift the two legs up and bend the two knees

ii) Pull the knees towards the stomach with two hands

iii) Lift the head up so that your face touching the knees

iv) Try to stay in this asana as long as possible

v) Again to come to the normal state in the reverse order. It means, keep the head on the ground first and leave the hands.

vi) Lift the legs straight and keep them on the ground slowly.

vii) Now, keep the legs apart a feet, and also keep the hands a feet apart to the body and stay in a relaxed way in the shavasana.

Note: While holding the knees with hands and pulling them towards the chest, if there is severe pain in the knees, don't pull forcefully. In this asana, the neck, knees, hip part get benefits. If you feel difficult to do this asana with two legs, start with one leg and and then do with both the legs.

Initial state

Lie down on the back, keep the two legs apart, keep the hands apart beside the body and lie down in a relaxed way.

Asana state

i) Take deep breathing, focussing on the leg fingers, exhalig, relax the fingers.

ii) Take deep breathing, focussing on the knees, exhaling, relax the knees.

iii) Take deep breath, focussing on the stomach, exhaling, relax the stomach part.

iv) Take deep breath, focussing on the chest, exhaling, relax the chest part.

v) Take deep breath, focussing from fingers to the shoulders, exhaling, relax the chest part.

vi) Take deep breath, focussing on the neck, exhaling, relax the neck part.

vii) Take deep breath, focussing on the head, exhaling, relax the head part.

viii) Inhaling and exhaling through two nostrils, focus on the breath.

ix) Like this, 2 to 3 times, give rest to all the body parts.

Note: As all people think, this is not an easy asana. One must stay as a corpse without any movement. After completing all asanas, if we do shavasana, the tiredness that we get due to other asanas will come down and each part of the body gets relaxed. The pain that you get after doing these asanas will be reduced by doing shavasana. Do it with focus on it.

In today's life style, due to many reasons, we are not taking air into full of of our lungs. Though the capacity is to take 3-5 litres of air at a time, we are taking only 500 milli litres of air. It means, we are taking only one fifth of our capacity. Reasons?

Increased fat which pushes the lungs, addictions such as smoking, air pollusion and lack of physical exercise.

That's why, it is better to do deep pranayama. Read the book, 'Pranayama', written by Dr. Manthena Styanarayana Raju. Do 15-30 minutes deergha pranayama. Especially, Bhastrika pranayama, Kapalbhathi pranayama and nadi shuddhi pranayama.

Best time: After getting up, after attending nature calls or in the evening half an hour before the meals or 4 hours after the meals, you can do the sadhana.

Doing Method: Sit on the blanket spread on the floor, sit straight either in vajrasan or sukhasan or padmasan. For some minutes, forget the world completely and focus on the breathing. Then, do deep breathing. (Either read Dr. Raju books or watch the CDs).

Note: People who cannot sit down, due to joint pains, can sit on the chair straight and do pranayama. Though one is not able to sit properly, one can lie down and bend the legs and pranayama.

My expereince : In 2004, when I was doing post graduation in yoga in Vivekananda yoga kendra, a 22 year old man was brought there. All his joints, are painful and swollen.

He is suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. He is born in a very rich family. Gold business family. At home, four people have four cars. But, he cannot even get into a car. They consulted all known doctors and got treatment. But, no result. As a last attempt, they brought him to the yoga centre in a car. He was not able to move. How can he do yoga when he is not able to do legs or joints. I didn’t understand anything. He is very thin, like AIDS patient. That case was given to me. They said, ‘do whatever, but he has to walk’. I was fearful about his health – at any moment he may die, that was the situation. I took the case as a challenge. I decided to make him walk. I started making him do pranayama in the morning, afternoon and in the evening. But, he is not able to take breath. I made him lie down on the back, put my hand on his stomach, pushed and asked him to exhale. I took out the hand and asked him to take air in. This way, I taught him to do proper breathing. Also, gave movements to the fingers. Every day, in a systematic way, I gave him soft food and fruit juices. Similarly, I made him sit for Bhagavat Gita classes in the morning. In the evening, he is made to sit the interesting group bhajan program. Because of all these things, all the mental problem stored in him have disappeared. He started talking freely, and greeting all. Due to the soft food that he was given, there were a lot of changes in his body. Due to the regular daily life style, pranayama, the pain and swelling were reduced in the joints and there were movements in the body. After a month, he was able to sit. In 3 months, he was able to do some small asanas. In his perception, he is recovered 50%. The case was left by the arthopaedicians, but because of the pranayama, the life energy has increased. The nadis have been cleansed. The pain was reduced. In fact, in pranayama, there is so much power. It is understood by the people who practice it. Try it and be healthy.

Now, we will learn how to do three types of pranayama.

Kapalabhathi means, to exhale effortfully and forcefully and inhale effortlessly.

Doing method

Sit in vajrasana. Place the hands on the thighs keep the head, neck, backbone straight. In this pranayama, effortful exhalation and effortless inhalation to happen. Not to open eyes in between.

2. Close the mouth, hold the mouth and nose, pushing the stomach inside, to exhale forcefully to push all the air from the lungs. Immediately, inhale with two nostrils, leaving the stomach normally (this happens without any effort, naturally)

3. As stated above, pressing and releasing the stomach, without stopping in between, starting slowly, to do it for some time, as fast as possible. When you feel tired, decrease the speed and stop gradually.

4. In the beginning, do 20-25 times per minutes and by increasing the speed gradually, do 60 times per minute. All the carbon dioxide is completely exhaled, and pure oxygen is filled up into the lungs and enters into the blood, after kapalbhathi is completed, for some time, the breathing stops automatically, After some time, the breathing stops for itself, thought-less state happens and it will be peaceful and pleasant. With eyes closed, enjoying this pleasantness, and then observing the breath with mind, sit in the meditative state, tiredness is reduced, take rest till the normal breathing comes, and be prepared to do the pranayama next.

Note:

1. While doing kapalabhathi, the head, neck and the backbone will be straight, and to ensure not to move either side.

2. On the very day you start pranayama, you should not do excess. In the first 3 to 4 days, to do 10 to 20 times and then give a break and then start again. As we get habituated and do the practice, we can increase the speed. No need to stop in between.

Taking air through right nostril, and exhaling through right nostril, is known as surya nadi pranayama.

Doing method

1. Sit in vajrasana, keep the left hand on the left thigh, with right hand ring finger, close the left nostril completely. Keep the pointing finger and the middle finger together pressed between the two eye brows. The index finger and the little finger will be free. Either through mouth or left nostril, you should not inhale or exhale.

2. With right nostril, inhale with loud sound to completely fill the lungs. Keep the left nostril closed, exhale through right nostril. Similarly, through right nostril, multiple time, inhale and exhale.

3. Gradually, reduce the speed and then stopping, keeps the eyes closed and observe the changes happened in the body, you will clearly notice that the right side lung is much activated. Till the breathing comes natural, take rest and be ready for chandra nadi pranayama.

Inhaling through the left nostril and exhaling through the left nostril is known as chandra nadi pranayama.

Doing method:

1. With the right hand index finger, close the right nostril completely, as in surya nadi, keep the middle finger and pointing finger together between the eye brows. Keep the right finger and the little finger free.

2. Inhale storongly through left nostril, and exhale through the left nostril again. Similarly, do just as you have done for surya nadi.

3. After stopping pranayama, close the eyes for some time, take rest for some time, then start doing pranayama. (This time, you will notice that the left side lung is fully activated).

Note:

1. In the above two pranayamas, more than inhaling, do exhaling more. If we inhale air 4 seconds forcefully, exhale 5-6 seconds with force. But, don't count the seconds. It should happen naturally.

2. Sometimes, the right nostril and left nostril get closed up. We feel inconvenient to inhale and exhale. The sound doesn't come. Inside, when the musus obstruct or for other reasons, it happens like this. In that case, boil the water the use the steam to reduce cold. The closed nostrils become free. Then, do pranayama. Do to the extent you are capable of doing. In 2 to 3 days, the nostrils will be free.

In surya nadi and Chandra nadi pranayama (like fingers pressed and exhaled as in squeezing), the water matter (mucus and phlegm etc) in both the nostrils, sinus and breathing vessels move out and the nose becomes free. Oxygen enters inside, without any obstruction. The body will be more ready to take life energy. The respiration happens very well in a balanced way. In this pranayama, to inhale through two nostrils, one after the other. The difference between other pranayamas and this is in this pranayama, we don’t inhale forcefully and strongly. We inhale slowly and naturally. Similarly, we exhale. By doing like this, there will be equilibrium between ida and pingala and the body takes more life energy and stores it and uses effectively.

Doiing Method

1. Sit straight in vajrasan, keep the right hand index finger and middle finger together in between the eye brows. Keep the mouth closed. All your focus should be on the breath you intake.

2. Close the left nostril completely with ring finger, through right nostril, slowly, without noise coming out, naturally, inhale lungful of air.

3. Now, close the right nostril with index finger, take out the ring finger on the left nostril. Exhale the air, through left nostril gradually and naturally.

4. We exhaled through left nostril. With the same nostril, in the same way, inhale and then, with ring finger, close the left nostril, and exhale through right nostril. (This is one amrutha). Now, inhale with right nostril and exhale with left nostril. Inhale With the same nostril with which you have first exhaled. LIke this, do multiple times. While doing, our focus should be on breathing.

As we do slowly, the more time we do, the better.

Omkara meditation

For people who have joint pains, Omkara meditation helps a lot. Because, the sound waves that come from Omkara, spread throughout the body, and reduce all pains. If we think scientifically, in this creation, in every things, the cells are vibrating at some level. Every vibration creates some energy. For example, light, sound, magnetism all such things are energy forms. Our body is also formed with the combination of cells. In every cell, there is energy stored. When there is change in the vibrations of the cell, there will be change in thier energy. When there is change in the energy, the cell experiences disease. In such a case, Omkara sound waves are useful in healing the disease. According to Katopanishad, Omkara is formed with (A+U+M) sounds. So, when we are reciting akaara, ukaara and makaara, in a special way, in every cell of the body, energy will be filled. Moreover, the energy in the sound waves, energizes the mind. We will forget the world we recite omkara. Our mind and body merge with the sound. That's why we call it Omkara meditation. With Omkara, the mind becomes energized and becomes peaceful. So, with any kind of joint pains, the peaceful mind gets the energy to bear the pains. That's why, people who meditate daily, the body pains will come down gradually. They will go to the extent where they are not troubled with the pains. Ramana Maharshi and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa are proof for this. Make the Omkara as part of your daily and get many benefits. After doing asanas, pranayama, we will very peaceful. To meditate, the mind and the body will be ready. Do meditation by sitting in vajrasan.

Recite akaara, ukaara, makaara and om kara separately by taking enough time. By doing like this, the mind becomes more focussed and the meditation can be done well.

With eyes closed, take lungs-full of air and open mouth and recite (A+U+M) and AUM sound. Recite each sound separately 10 times. The effect will be good. While reciting these sounds, increase the voice as far as possible and at the end, decrease the sound gradually, and then to stop slowly. After it is stopped like that, take deep breath and continue like that again. At last, when you are reciting ‘A’ sound, from leg fingers to the navel, when reciting the ‘U’ sound, from navel to the throat, when reciting the ‘M’ sound, in the head part, then recite AUM (A+U+M) and then stop. We know that Omkara is the combination of A, U, M. When we are reciting Omkara, first navel, stomach, then in the middle part (lungs and neck) and when we are reciting Mmm sound, in the head, there will be resonance of vibration happens. This comes clearly into our experience. As long you you do Omkara, during that time, the vibrations get generated and create wellness in us. It creates energy. That is the proof and power of mantra.

While reciting Omkara, the main thing we need to remember is that: while uttering Omkara, we have to listen to it. While listening, we have to recite it. Listening to it is very important. Then only, we will have complete results. This is called ‘pranavopasana’. Let us do ‘pranavopasana’ daily and get infinite energy incessantly.

Note:

When we are doing Omkara, naturally, pranayama happens. So, those who do not have time, can stop pranayama and do Omkara for some more time.

• We will avoid bad food - Let us eat natural food
• Grain food with a lot of nutrients such as calcium - Good for bone strength
• In grains, strength for bones and muscle power - Completeness with good health
• Eat every day a sesame sweet - Get calcium bone-full
• Acid-base ratio is important in food - Then only, the body will be healthy
• Have fruit and go to bed - You will have free motion in the morning!
• Fibre will wash away pollution - Saves you from body smells
• If you eat natural food, life energy will be saved - If you eat unnatural food, existing energy will be spoiled
• Be pleasant by eating natural food - Know its importance at least now
• Know what is in what - Don't say, anything will do
• Don't stop eating fruit because they are expensive - Choose fruit which you get at less price
• Drink vegetable juice in the morning - Gives nutrients to dispel fatigue
• After free motion in the morning - Eating sprouts gives good results
• Life energy in sprouts - Fills the body with creative energy
• Grains have all qualities - The human race will survive with it
• Never stop eating sprouts - Don't swallo without chewing
• No need to take additional salt - The natural salt is enough
• Food without salt and oils - Good for everybody's health
• Sugar is not poisonous to the body - Honey is elixir to life
• Stop eating tastes - Don't get addicted to them

As part of the chapter ‘Causes for joint diseases’, we have learnt clearly, by eating what food our joints are getting damaged. Especially, the food that increases acidic nature in our blood, damages all the body parts. Even, joints and bones are getting damaged in that way. In our current life style, the food that we eat is completely acidic in nature.

For example, fully polished or refined or processed grams, rice, suji, sugar, oils, pickles etc. trouble our digestive system and increasing the acidity in the body. Apart from that, distorted food timings, alcohol, smoking etc. all such things are damaging our joints. That’s why, while having meals, we have to keep some things in mind, and eat accordingly. Let us stop eating food that caused damage to the body. If as elders, we change, the children will also change automatically and get habituated. As parents, if we give our children good habits, along with us, they can live life without the need for a physicians.

Food that is compatible to joints:

So, we need to have certain kind of food every day, so that all our body parts should never get damaged as long as we live, we should eat such kind of food.

---

page 108

---

We need to eat such food – which can make us do our tasks ourselves, not depending on other in old ag; which makes our body and mind peaceful; which makes our enzymes and hormones are oozed well; which makes us energetic, illuminated, knowledgeable and get engaged with others’ service; which makes us live happily and make others happy, that kind of food, we need to eat. There has been a great research has happened on this. It is still happening. In the previous chapters, we have learnt that acidic food makes the joints and muscles melt and weakens them. The same thing is found out in researches. Our food scientists, after doing so much research, found out that, base food is good for life. Are you thinking which food can give the base nature instead of acidity. It is the food that our ancestors have eaten. That is, the food that has come from nature – without the need for salt and boiling. If the more we eat such food, the base nature percentage increases in the blood.

The calcium food which can make our bones strong

As we are polishing our food, we are losing nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus. Our vital food is grains. In the husk of the grains, there is so many nutrients. Especially the calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron which are useful for bones and joints. By polishing food items, the vitamins and minerals that are available in the top layer will be destroyed. Apart from that our cooking style i.e., boiling etc. That’s why, we are eating food which doesn’t contain any minerals such as calcium. Moreover, the polished food and non-vegetarian food cause acidity. As a result, the pH balance will be damaged in the blood. It loses the capability to absorb calcium from food. Apart from htat, as we are eating cooked food, there won’t be any life energy in the food, our body also doesn’t get any life energy, the stomach muscles cannot absorb calcium and won’t be useful to the cells, the muscles and bones are losing energy and capability at an young age.

That's why, while taking food, we need to consider all these problems and to focus on taking more calcium-rich food.

Calcium is available abundantly in our daily food items. We are lucky because, it is more in less expensive food items. But, we assume that only costly food items are good for health and so, we spend more money to buy food items. What is the use? If you look at the grains, more than anything, in finger millet, we get more calcium. In some areas, they are called ‘chollu’. In 100 grams of finger millet, 344 milli grams of calcium is available. But, in rice, it is 10 grams. See, how much difference is there! That’s why in South India, where rice is the staple food, we see more joint pains. In Andra Pradesh, the Rayalaseema people use more finger millets. They are very less expensive. If rice is 15-25 rupees per kilo, finger millet are available between 5-10 rupees. In Rayalaseema, many people eat ‘ragi sankati’, a dish made with finger millet. Riksha pullers and labourers get this dish cooked specially. For ragi sankati, the combination is Amaranth dal or groundnut pickle. This ragi sankati is healthier for bones, due to the higher levels of calcium available. Similarly, in all leafy vegetables, amananth leaves have more calcium as 800 milli grams. Look at the secret. The poor people of Rayalaseema have been taking this food for some generations. They do not know that in this food, there is so much calcium or nutrients. They did not know it by doing research. They never calculated nutrient levels. But, as the food is helping their work and their strength of their bones, we can understand how much intelligent the ancestors are. Unfortunately, these habits are dying away. Now, ragi sankati is marked as poor people’s food. They are gradually losing the habit of eating ragi sankati. Now, you know the inner thing. At least from now onwards, let us understand the significance of finger millet.

---

page 110

---

Eat at least 3-4 times a week. In leafy vegetables, use amananth leaves, drumstick leaves, methi leaves, coriander leaves, and curry leaves abundantly. Because, there is more calcium in these leaves. Moreover, leafy vegetables are available in towns, villages and cities everywhere, throughout the year, which are less expensive. With ragi sankati, use leafy vegetable dal as combination.

Finger millet sprouts: Soak the finger millets in water at night. In the morning, tie them in a thin cloth. Keep in a place where air flows well. By next day morning, an inch sprouts will come. Though they are a bit harder, they will be tasty. We can eat them along with green gram, black eyed peas, ground nuts, dates and sesame.

Ragi laddu: Make finger millet sprouts, dry them in shade, and fry them slightly. Then, grind them in a mixi and make powder. Similarly, prepare sesame powder. In raw dates, remove the seeds and keep them ready. Similarly, keep the honey ready.

Preparing method: Raw dates, Finger millet powder, sesame powder, are to be grinded all together and to be made as ‘laddus’ mixing honey.

Benefits: In all these three things, there is a lot of calcium. So, give these finger millet balls to growing kids, growing girls daily. They will get good amount of calcium and their bones and chest will grow. Muscles will be stronger. Blood level increases. Give these laddus the matured girls. In olden days, that was quite well done. In olden days, that was mandatory for growing girls to eat them. Though our ancestors didn’t know much science, they knew what to be given to the body at what time. Today, we know so much of science, yet we are getting habituated to sweets. If we ask, they will say, no time. Similarly, for a pregnant lady also, more calcium is needed. In fact, they need 4-5 tiems more calcium than normal days. Because, both the mother and the baby need it. If calcium is not sufficient, the calcium from mother’s bones will go to the baby.

---

page 111

---

Finally, the mother’s bones become weaker. To ensure not to happen like this, taking calcium-rich food helps mother and the baby.

Ragi Malt: The finger millet sprouts to be dried up in shade, grinded and then slightly fried and to stored in a glash container. For school children, when they drink milk, mix 2 spoons of this powder in the milk. The milk will become thick. Taste and strength. A lot of benfit! If mothers has some patience, it will all be health. Children won’t get tired. Fatigue will be reduced. More glucose will be supplied to the body. The mind will work sharp. It can be given to 1-year babies as well, by boiling the powder in hot water and then mixing it with honey, by feeding with spoon. The elderly people can drink it as ambali mixing it with buttermilk. In summer, it gives coolness to the body. People who has heat body, finger millet and buttermilk, both will give coolness to the body.

Food that increases the base nature

We have learnt that acidic food causes damage to the joints. That’s why, we need to eat – as antidote – base food. Then, what is the food which increases base nature? No need to worry where it is available. If you eat what nature gives as it is, it increases the base nature. It is that easy. In the nature, all living beings are eating the natural food as given by nature, without changing anything. That’s why, even after 100 years, the legs of the elephants work efficiently. That’s their health secret. But, as human beings are changing the food, he is undergoing ill health.

As humans have discriminating ability, they have to understand, at least now, and should change their food. The food that is naturally available – vegetables and grains work very well for joint diseases. If people want to learn more about this, they can read the book, “Paripurna Arogyaniki Sampurna Aharam” (Complete food for perfect health”) written by Dr. Manthena Satyanarayana garu

If we have joint pains, how do to use fresh fruit how and when?

Use the fresh fruit, especially sweet fruit, very much. The tree takes the sun’s energy, and the flower becomes a bud, the bud becomes a ripened fruit, and then it ripens. In the fully-ripened fruit, there will be many nutrients. The sun’s rays have the life energy. That’s why, tree stores sun’s energy in the fruit as life energy. Moreover, in every fruit, there are enzymes for the fruit to get digested. That’s why, any fruit can be digested easily. That’s why, our elders when we are unwell or when we have fever, they used to give us fruit as food. Because, when we are unwell, we are not able to digest food and we feel nausea and we see indigestion symptoms. A fruits gets digested easily. Moreover, the sun’s energy is hidden in it. So, if we use fruit during ill health, its life energy will take us from ill health to good health. When life energy increases in our body, all the cells in the body will do powerful repairing. So, even in chronic joint pains, for those who take fruit as food, the cells will become powerful. Similarly, in the cell, the repairing program can be done well. In people who have rheumatoid arthritis, if they eat uncooked food, we have observed a lot of changes. Because, it is scientifically proved that the enzymes of the fruit have the tendency to reduce the inflammation of the joints and pain. For example, in pine apple, there is an enzyme called bromelain. In papaya, there is an enzyme called Pepanin, which can reduce inflammation in joints. In each enzyme, there is a special enzyme. All these fruit help in reduce joint pains, or in repairing process or to help the calcium, taken from food, to be taken by the cells. For example, in lemon, there is citric acid. This citric acid can fix the damage done to the cell. Similarly, it creates something called collagen and helps in healing the wound.

Fibre: In fruit, vegetables, leafy vegetables, sprouts, there is very much fibre. This fibre will clean the dirt which is formed in the cells. In rheumatoid arthritis, if you take fruit and raw vegetables, two times a day, the fibre in the food, as part of digestion, helps in sending out the waster matter formed in the joints. And, in people who are obese, this fibre is useful in reducing cholesterol in them. In fact, fibre is of two types – melting fibre, which enters the blood directly, and cleans up the cell inner part. Just as the unclean dishes, if washed well, how they would sparkle, similarly, this fibre, cleans up the blood vessels, by ensuring that the harmful cholesterol doesn’t stick to the walls of the blood vessels. The second type of fibre is unmalting fibre. This cleans the cell outside and gives health. People who have osteoarthritis, if they eat in the afternoon, brown rice, or eat pulkas, made with unprocessed wheat flour, eaten with salt-less curry, they will get more fibre. In the evening also, if you eat before 7 pm, pulkas with raw vegetable salad, joint pains will be cured quickly. We need to identify that of all, fibre is more important. In the top layer of the wheat grains, and in brown rice, there is an amino acid called, ‘histidine’. This primarily helps that the excess metals such as iron, copper and excess salt won’t get stored up in the joints.

If you are not able to digest fruit as it is, you can take the fruit juices, especially, the sour tasted fruit will be good for juices – orange, mosambi, sweet orange, pine apple, pomegranate fruits. Sometimes, you can also use water melon and musk melon fruit juices. You should not use ice, sugar and milk in juices. If you want, you can add 2-4 spoons of honey. It will be tasty. It won’t affect health.

Vegetable juice in the morning for people who have joint pains

Without vegetables, there is not cooking. Without cooking, no meals. But, you may only know cooking vegetables but you may not know how to eat without cooking vegetables. If we cook, some percentage of nutrients will die away in the vegetables. Especially, the water-soluble B-complex and c vitamins will be lost. For the joints to work better, we need to eat vegetables uncooked, so that the required A, C, E vitamins, copper, selenium, zinc etc. nutrients to get. So, let us see how we can take it. Generally, people who have joint pains, their liver also will have some problem.

The body needs nutrients for the joints to work effectively. So, we will classify available vegetables into 3 groups. If ensure we take vegetables from these three groups, it would be fine.

First group:- As a protective measure, we should take liver-protective vitamin A food such as, carrot, beetroot, tomato, raddish, coriander, curry leaves, drumstick leaves etc. to be used in juice.

Second group: - Similarly, for B complex vitamins, use cucumber, bottle gourd, ridge gourd, snake gourd etc.

Third group: It is good to use calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous rich drumstick leaves, pumpkin, Ashgourd, amaranth leaves in juices. We need not think that all types should take at once. In our daily life, we can check what vegetables are less expensive and accordingly, we can choose from each group – one or two vegetables. In this way, we are able to supply nutrients to the body.

The table given below shows in what food items what nutrients are available. These values are taken from National Institute of Nutrients (NIN, Hyderabad).

1. Cereals - Nutrients

2. Grams - Nutrients

3. Leafy vegetables - Nutrients

4. Meat - Nutrients

5. Vegetables - Nutrients

6. Fruit - Nutrients

Method of preparing fresh vegetable juices: First, keep the tomato, carrot, beetroot from the first group separately. Take one type of vegetable – bottle gourd or cucumber or ridge gourd. From the third group, take drumstick leaves, pumpkin or amaranth leaves from our backyard. For smell, take curry leaves and coriander leaves. Cut all the above into small pieces. Keep all of them in grinder. In the mixture, don’t pour water. The water in the vegetable will be served as juice. Ensure that tomato or cucumber or bottle gourd is there which are full of water. Keep the grinded mixture in a thinner cloth and squeeze it. For taste, you can mix 4 spoons of honey. In case of diabetic patients, take 1 spoon of honey. Have lemon gives sour taste and also provides vitamin ‘c’. After drinking 2-3 litres of water in the morning, in two stages, give a gap of 1 hour and drink 300-500 ml of juice. Initially, you can start with a small amount of juice and increase the quantity gradually. Similarly, while drinking the juice, focus on it while sipping it and enjoy the taste. As we drink it when the intestines are empty, the intestines absorb it well. As this juice has base nature, the intestine layer doesn’t get damaged, and a good atmosphere is formed and give good strength to the body. In the intestines, the acidity and indigestion will be reduced. If you drink like this for more than 3 months, the acidity in the blood will be reduced, and the joints won’t wear away due to the acidity and the synovial layer in the joints won’t get damaged. Moreover, as calcium will be available in it, the joints, bones and muscles will become strong. As we are drinking only filtered juice, without the fibre, in half an hour, the stomach will be emptied. So, people who don’t have a good appetite or who don’t have good digestion, this juice will help. If we set the digestion power first, all the rest life processes will be taken care automatically. That’s why, people who are affected by joint diseases also, first strength the digestion system. There is one more benefit if you drink vegetable juice in the morning.

---

page 119

---

The different chemicals, vitamins and diluted fibre in it have the quality of improving the intestine movements. That’s why, it helps to clean up the faeces in the intestines. That’s why, we see that for some people, by drinking juice, motions happen. That’s why, I call this juice an elixir, which has so many benefits. Elixir doesn’t have death. It increases the life energy. In life, in future, it saves you from every disease. Not only that, if you are habituated to it, the taste will also be good. That’s why, all your family members, when enjoying the sun’s tender rays on your body, drink this elixir and make your body immortal.

Best breakfast for people who have joint pains

Nowadays, when we say breakfast, we won’t feel satisfied unless we eat in combinations idli-wada, upma-pesarattu, puri-dosha. But, if we think of nutrients in this food, they don’t have B-complex or minerals. We are eating only for energy. Moreover, as explained earlier, we are eating only refined, so there is no fibre in it. As a result, we will face constipation. Those who have constipation problem, they will have double pains. With constipation, the mind gets lazy. The body feels uneasy. Appetite decreases. We will eat something, just to avoid fatigue. But, there is no appetite. That’s why, with salt, oil, chilli and spices, we are creating new artificial tastes and eating. And then, we suffer more. That’s why, unable to bear the joint pains, we go to the doctor, and take medicine – one tablet for appetite improvement, one tablet for digestion, one tablet or syrup for free motion. Every day, this is the scene. Once life loses its track, we need to walk limping. People who suffer from joint pains, should take extreme care about breakfast. The previous day, they have to close the evening meal before 7 pm, only with fruit. Then, we give 12 hours rest for stomach till 7-8 am in the morning. It means, the stomach is in fasting mode. That’s why, we call in English, ‘break-fast’.

---

page 120

---

It means, as we have fasted the whole night, now we are breaking it. Generally, if a political leader is concluding his ‘diksha’, his fasting will be closed with honey and lemon juice. Then, they will be given very light food. Similarly, every morning, we have to close the fasting with raw vegetables and to give the body the best breakfast. People who suffer from joint pains should take care regarding their breakfast. The morning food should be in such a way that it should not cause inconvenience to the stomach. If the food has the life energy with is suitable to the stomach, then, it can digest it well. Moreover, the food should not damage the mucus layer which is attached to the stomach inner walls. In many ways, the best breakfast to be eaten is ‘sprouts’. They have all the above-said qualities. It has good fibre. As said in the Bhagavad Gita, it is totally ‘satvika food’.

Benefits: By taking these sprouts in the morning, the mind will be peaceful. It won’t cause uneasiness just as oil food. In grains, sesame, almond, ground nuts etc. will increase the synovial oil in the joints. If you eat sprouts mixed with onion, green raw chilli, and lemon, there are so many benefits. In onion, there is sulphur, which helps in repairing joints. It also works as catalyst to send calcium from the blood into bones, cartilage, and connective tissues. Those who have spiritual bent of mind, need not eat them. In grains, there are all types of vitamins and minerals. If we eat grains, the nutritious deficiency problem will be solved and joints and muscles will work efficiently.

What grains should we eat? All the grains that we will be eating are better native ones. Now, there are so many hybrid types. They do have a few benefits. We better don’t go for them.

Green gram (yellow and black ones), small Bengal gram, jowar, millet, wheat, finger millet, black eyed beans, black gram, horse gram, pilli pesara, alpha alpha, soya beans, ground nuts, coconut etc.

If you bring these grains, clean up well and dry them for 2-3 days, they make good sprouts. You need not eat all these grains daily. Any 3-4 types of grains can be eaten daily. There will differences in the nutritious values in the grains, so you better eat them in a way that all are well covered in your diet. Ground nuts can be eaten just by soaked. Coconut can be eaten raw. The remaining grains to be made as sprouts and taken.

The method of making sprouts: Take each kind of grains handful. Take them 3-4 types – handful of them – separately. Clean the grains well to clean sand etc. At this stage, spoiled grains can be identified and thrown away. In the morning, take the grains separately like this and soak them in different dishes with a good amount of water. Let them soak from morning to night. Jowar, millet and finger millet are a bit harder. They better to be soaked for 24 hours to make good sprouts. Grains are like old and new types. You generally don’t know whether they are new or old. So, first soak them from morning to night. If all grains get sprouted well, every day, follow the same timing. If they are not sprouted well and if the grains are hard, then soak them till the next morning. They won’t smell. Accordingly, soak which ever variety is good.

There are different methods to get them sprouted.

1) Tying them up in a thin cloth:- Take pieces of thin cloth, tie them with different types of grains separately, and keep some weight on the packs. Keep them for 24 hours like that and you can find 1 inch of sprouts. If any type of grain doesn’t give sprouts well, sprinkle water on the pack and keep it like that for 24 hours more to get sprouts.

---

page 122

---

Place the soaked grains on paper or cloth till they lose wetness so that there won’t be smell. In summer, you can sprinkle water during at noon.

2) Sprouting grains in the holes box:- Boxes with holes are sold in shops (mint boxes). In these boxes, keep the grains separately, in different boxes and keep the lid on. In 24 hours, you will get sprouts. If required, keep for one more day and the sprouts will be longer. If the sprout is 1-2 inches, it is very good. These boxes are sold as a set of three boxes in different sizes piled up one in the other. If you keep the set of three boxes, you can prepared three types of sprouts. This is an easy way than sprouting them in wet cloth.

3) Making sprouts in a sprout maker:- There is a specially-designed plastic box with 3-4 shelves. This is called sprout maker. It is a very easy method and sprouts also grow well. It is clearly mentioned on it, how to make sprouts. As it is transparent, we can see the status of sprouts. To sprout more varieties, and keep them day by day separately, this method is good. People who have this facility, they can utilize. It doesn’t matter what method we are using for sprouting. But, what is important is that the sprouting should happen well. the sprouts should not smell and there shouldn’t be any stickiness. If you get habituated in 7-10 days, it is not a problem.

How to eat?: As part of breakfast, you can have some grains, stated above. Need not eat all the types – 2 to 3 types are enough. You have to eat stomach full. Coconut, dates, sesame, finger millet, you must eat. You will get enough calcium. If you want to lose weight, reduce coconut and eat more sprouts. You should not eat in 2 minutes, just as you eat other tiffins.

---

page 123

---

If you eat hurriedly like that, you don’t get digested and you will have gas trouble. Moreover, you will have stomach ache. Generally, people who have joint pains, have digestion problems. That’s why, take enema regularly for 4-5 days and then start breakfast with fruit and then slowly get habituated to sprouts to eat them as breakfast. Sesame, green gram, alpha alpha get digested easily. That’s why, better to start with them.

How should be the lunch for people with joint pains?

People with joint pains, eat brown rice in the noon. Those who want to reduce weight, should eat pulkas made of grinded wheat, with salt-less curries (no salt). In people who eat salt less curries daily, it is observed that rheumatoid arthritis is reduced. To eat without salt, as Raju garu told, we need to make some changes in cooking. To replace salt, you can add sesame powder, finger millet powder, ground nut powder, milk, curd, raw coconut etc. so that it will be tasty. It may not be as tasty as with salt, but still, it will be tasty enough. If something is not tasty, it is difficult to eat for anyone. In afternoon meals, ensure there is 50% leafy vegetables. We can get leafy vegetables anywhere, less expensive. As we use 50% of leafy vegetables, in a curry, they can be mixed easily with other vegetables such as ridge gourd, bottle gourd, snake gourd, brinjal etc. the salt from leafy vegetable will be useful. Even if we don’t use salt, it fulfils the requirement. In leafy vegetables, such as spinach, amananth, fenugreek leaves, drumstick leaves, mint etc., there are lot of calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, reboflovin, folic acid, B complex vitamins. If people with joint pains use like this, they will get calcium so that they won’t face any liver-related problems.

Similarly, Similarly, potato, sweet potato, topaika, suran/yam, colacasia, and carat have calcium and vitamin C, so you can use such roots as well. Many people think that if we eat roots, they will cause joint pains and back pain, but it is not true.

---

page 124

---

If you change cooking style, you won’t face this problem, because, when we cook roots, we use tamarind. For that, we need to add more salt for taste. This is the problem we face. Many people do not know that it is because of tamarind that we use more salt. Not just once, try 10 times, you will know. Just by changing the cooking style, it will help. That too, to convince the tongue, which is habituated for so many tastes, it is very difficult (Read Dr. Raju’s book, ‘Rogalu rani ruchulu’ or watch the cooking video cd which is about cooking that can reduce diseases. If you use slight salt, we won’t have taste. Also, the pains won’t reduce. We will get good results, only when we completely stop using salt – especially, in people who face more damage. Only some percentage of results will be seen. But, still, continue your journey. When you are cooking curries without salt, the 2-3 grams of salt that your body needs, you should ensure that you get it from vegetable juice or grains or from curry. Otherwise, you will have fatigue. Every day, cook one curry. Use a lot of butter milk. It is good. All these years, the body is damaged because of the salt we have used in the food items. Now, it is a good opportunity to get the damage solved. The sodium that is stored around the cells should be discarded out. The salt that has been eaten for all these years, is formed as sodium bi carbonate crystals, so that those minerals will come out. Not only that, when we eat salt-less food, we can prevent the more damage to the joints, that is going to happen. If we reduce salt, the inflammation, pain and redness that happen in rheumatoid arthritis will be reduced a lot. Even in osteoarthritis, after eating like this, we can see some change. Don’t expect results, from day 1 and don’t stop in dissatisfaction in less time. You need patience a lot. Now, you know the conditions, you can go ahead with confidence.

The Night meals of people who have joint pains

Instead of saying night meals, it is good to say evening meals. If I say night meals, it would mean a meal which starts at 9 pm and eating till mid night. Most of the people will be eating 9-10 pm. This habit is not good. Especially people who have the joints pains. Night meals in English is called dinner. Dinner means alcohol, feast, non-vegetarian food. To enjoy all these things, night meals is chosen as the appropriate one and is called dinner. Because, after completing all tasks of the day, people reach home. No more responsibility for the day. So, peacefully, they sit along with friends and chitchatting, they eat late at night. When you eat late at night, the body gets damaged. Because, nature decided for us to take rest at night. Rest means, it is not only for us, our stomach should also take rest. The stomach would be engaged in repairing tasks for whatever damages and heals itself, after all the food in the body is digested. When we are asleep, the body cleans itself and repairs itself. These are the two programs the body does in rest at night. It needs 6-8 hours of time. But, if we eat at mid-night, it needs at least 4 hours to digest the food. So, it will digest at around 3-4 am, and then completes the two activities discussed above. Then, we get up at 7 am, and spoil that activity with bed coffee again. We are not giving even 3 hours for cleansing the body. That’s why, this habit is not good. The body is already in a sad situation. Do you know what it means inflammation in joints? In that area, the body is reacting extremely. There are hundreds of chemical reactions are happening. For example, look at the honey bees. There is one queen bee and with its instructions, the worker bees will be working. It is amazing to look at their work. They do their tasks, very fast.

---

page 126

---

They have a method. They expand the honey comb in a systematic planning. They do it with wonderfully. They increase wax and store honey. In our body also, the blood vessels, work as honey bees and reduce inflammation. This is not a small thing. Some thousands of chemical reactions would be happening. How would it be if we disturb the honey bees, which are working well. Whoever disturbs them, they will punish him, leaving their task. Till they punish him, they won’t come back to their task. Similarly, before the repair work is completed in the body, if we drink tea and had tiffin, they postpone the repairing activity and start digesting the food we have just eaten. The energy of the body will be diverted towards that direction. Ultimately, who will suffer? The repairing activity will be stopped. The joint pains will be like that. So, if we complete our evening dinner as early as possible, the body can get engaged in the activities of reducing pain and inflammation.

People with rheumatoid arthritis should have pulka with raw vegetables salad in their evening meals. Salad can be easily prepared. Cut carat, raw coconut, bottle gourd, cucumber etc. into thin pieces. If you add green chilli, onion pieces, and lemon juice, the vegetable salad is ready. It reduces tiredness. You will get energy, and it will be tasty. Preparing it is also very easy. People who have joint pains, sugar, can eat them.

Those people who have less weight, can eat brown rice, with salt-less curry, before 7 pm.

If people want to get the joint pains cured without any inconvenience, better eat only fruit. Especially papaya, pine apple. The enzymes in these fruit reduce the inflammation. There won’t be any gas problem. People who are suffering from joints pains, those who want to reduce joint pains without any inconvenience, can eat sprouts in the evening also along with any seasonal fruit. If you follow like this, you can get good results soon.

• Your fasting for health - An opportunity you are giving for your body
• Implement fasting - Discharge waster matter
• Weekly fasting - Very much protective for health
• Use enema to clean up faeces - Destroy the disease completely
• Fasting is two-sided knife - It's a great opportunity for health
• If you give an opporunity with fasting - The body cleanses itself with its inner power
• Be ready with fasting - The life energy will fight with the disease
• Use enema to clean up faeces - Destroy the disease completely
• If you drink honey and lemon juice in fasting - It will help your digestion
• Have faith in nature - Have trust in fasting dharma
• Understand the fasting dharma - Get rid of the waste
• Fruit have natural taste - Understand their values and take them
• The body dharma is taking natural food - The secret of fasting is curing the disease
• Fasting with fruit is fruitful - In every way, good for health and happiness
• Drinking sour fruit as juices - You will get vitamin C in plenty
• Start fasting for health - Conclude fasting very carefully
• Have fait in fasting dharma and practice it - You will be successfully healthy

You may think, ‘we are already suffering with joints worn away and with extreme pain, and are suffering as we walk. As we are suffering with fatigue, you are giving speech’. You may also thing, ‘this fasting cannot be done by us. We may get fainted. No one to take care of us. If we are bed ridden, we will suffer a lot’. There is nothing strange in thinking like this, because only if you eat, you get energy, otherwise, you will have fatigue. That is what we have understood. But, many people do not know that joint pains, back pains, from cold to cancer, whatever is the disease, fasting helps a lot. As people do not know the secret of fasting, they fear fasting. If you know, what fasting is, how should it be done, how should we be before and after fasting, you can do fasting in a simple way. You will take out your disease easily. This may be surprising to this generation but, fasting dharma is an age old process. Our ancestors would implement ‘lankanam’ if anyone has any problems and they would suggest fasting.

---

page 128

---

If the leg is hurt, if the joints are paining, if the back is not bending properly, if any body part troubles, even if it is cold or fever, first they would suggest fasting and then only they would give medicine. In that way, they would become healthy again. After fasting, they would get some special dish. It means, they have identified the importance of fasting long ago. They would understand how to do fasting, what food to give after fasting, and then would implement. Because they know, humans who have come from nature, should go according to nature, if needed the five elements to be used – they had this understanding long back. All these things are given in the Ayurveda books. But, now, we are habituated to medicine. For every small and big problem, we are using medicine. Ultimately, if the power is not sufficient, we increase the power and cause the body a lot of inconvenience. The reason for all this is that we don’t have enough understanding about fasting. That’s why, not the people with joint pains, people who don’t want to get affected by joint pains in the future, should resort to fasting and can live healthily. Some people do not know about fasting and they fear about it. Once they know the benefits, despite we don’t suggest them long fasting, but they would prefer to do. So, what we suggest it, if you want to stay at home and do fasting, in a month, do it from 1 to 3 days. You won’t have any problems. You can do the fasting with honey, lemon and water. Then, the next three days, fast on vegetables and fruit juices and then take only fruit (uncooked food) and can do for one more week. It means, you are almost doing 2 weeks of fasting. Anyone can do like this. Those who want to do for one day in a week, they can do fasting on honey, lemon and water. But, don’t do long fasting at home. It is better to do long fasting only in naturopathic ashrams.

---

page 129

---

Because, in naturopathic ashrams, they check B.P and Pulse. If you face any problems in between, the doctor will help you with the staff with required treatment. Moreover, along with you, there will be other people who are doing fasting. You all can share your opinions and have good time. If you do it in a group, the effect will be different. In a naturopathic ashram, the atmosphere would be good. The trees, plants and birds cause pleasantness along with doctor’s advice and consultations. They will give good speeches about health related things. You can solve your doubts and you can solve these problems. Along with them, you can do meditation and bhajan etc. As you have so many benefits, that’s why, it is advised to do long standing fasting in naturopathic ashram.

Fasting for one day in a week

Those who don’t want to get affected with joint pains in life, or who is in the initial stage of joint pains, it is good to do fasting for one day in a week. (To get more understanding about fasting, please read the book, “Upavasa Dharmam” written by Dr. Raju garu. You can also watch CDs). We are providing here, what kind of fasting we need to do for the joint pains.

Without eating any food, giving intestines and stomach. Fasting reduces the thought streams and keeps us closed to God. Bhishma himself said that. ‘there is no greater tapasya than fasting’ and we can understand the sacredness of fasting. From physical ill health such as diseases, pains, to mental problems, fasting eradicates all problems. That is why, fasting is called ‘Fasting is the supreme medicine’. All medicine are beneficial, once we fall ill. But, fasting is the only thing that prevents diseases to affect us. Moreover, it helps to reduce the mental problems, tensions and helps us overcome the indriyas and improves our concentration and peacefulness.

The most important secret behind fasting is:

Every day, through sleep, the five sense organs (ears, eyes, skin, nose, tongue) and the five organs of action (speech, hands, feet, anus, genitals) take complete rest and again by the next day, they gain energy. The heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, blood vessels etc. work continuously. But, they take rest while working. For example, the heart beats 72 times per minute. While the heart is beating, it takes rest in between for some moments. It means, it takes rest while working. Similarly, our digestion system, intestines, liver, pancreas organs work for some time and take rest during the whole night. During rest, they regain the energy that they have lost. If rest is not given to intestines, indigestion starts. Indigestion is the basis of many diseases. That’s why, we need to make the digestive system powerful. If the foundation is strong, we can build the building of health. Fasting is needed to protect the digestive system to make it powerful again. Giving rest to the digestive system is fasting. Animals and other living being which are following nature’s law, in case of any ill health, they protect themselves by giving rest to the digestive system and protecting themselves from the diseases.

If you give rest to the digestive system and the joint pains, diseases would be cured because, only during the rest period, the waste stored up in the joints, there is a chance to clean up the joint. As we clean up the house in the leisure time, the body also conducts this activity. Inflammation of joints means, there is some damage happened in the otherwise efficient joint. It is indicating us to protect the joints from further damage. That’s why, inflammation is not a disease. It is the reaction of the body so that it doesn’t get hurt. That’s why, inflammation is not a disease. It is reaction gives to protect the body. This is in fact, a good indicator. .

---

page 131

---

If the body doesn’t indicate like this, it is the joints that get damaged. In another way, this inflammation tells us that some important joint is getting damaged, before it gets completely damaged, do save it. Once it tells us like that, if we can give rest to the stomach and all the body’s energy can be turned to joint recovery, it will be cured fast.

When we eat food, it gets digested in 4-5 hours. A lot of energy gets spent to digest food. When we fast, 12-15 hours of energy gets saves. The procured energy will be used for body repair. That’s why, once in every week for 24 hours, we should give rest to the body.

By doing fasting for one day in a week, the energy in the body is used to clean up and healing for 24 hours. The waste matter that is accumulated in one week, the body cleans up in 24 hours. Like this, the repair activity gets easier. Working women, though they clean the house daily, on a Sunday, they take more time to clean the upper walls, beeruvas, tables, cots etc. They sweep home every day. But, still sand comes. Though the home is cleaned up every day, on a Sunday, more sand comes. Because, as Sunday is a holiday, as they get more time, they clean up more thoroughly. Similarly, we have given a holiday to the stomach on a fasting day. So, on the fasting day, the body gives more time for cleaning up and repair.

Among the five elements, fasting belongs to the element ‘space’. Space is what gives chance for everything. Space means emptiness. If there is empty space in the bag, we can put some things in it. If there is no empty space in the bag, it means, there is no space. Similarly, when the disease particles occupy the emptiness in the body and the emptiness in the cells, we face diseases.

---

page 132

---

When we move out the diseased particles from those body parts, gets them discharged out and creating the space again, is the purpose of fasting. Fasting is moving the body from narrowness to openness.

As we eat every day, to digest the food, a lot of life energy gets spent. In our body, all the activities are conducted by the life energy. When we do fasting (as there is no food), all our life energy will be saved. The life energy that is saved, will help in discharging the diseased matter and the poisonous things from the joints. That’s why, in fasting, joint pains, back pains and other diseases are generally healed.

Significance of three-day fasting

When the body becomes diseased, though we may be suffering with pains, if we give a chance to the body, it will repair itself. Because, the naturopathic medical science has long back identified that the body internally has marvellous energy. That’s why, it suggested fasting dharma. Swami Vivekananda, who understood it well, "Friend! Strength is life, weakness is death. You do not know the internal energy that is within. There is more energy than you imagine”. It means, we need to awake the sleeping giant’. For this, the fasting process can help us a lot. Similarly, it is told in the naturopathic science. There is so much wonderful energy is stored inside. If you give it a chance, it will repair itself. The body has remarkable recuperative power when it is left alone. We just need to give a chance through fasting. This three-day fasting will help a lot in increasing the vital energy and to remove the cause of the disease from the roots. If you know how to do the 3-day fasting, their principles, and the scientific approach behind it, you will have the true disease-curing power – the sanjeevani. You can dispel any kind of disease. Then, you will become the physician of your body. You will know better, your body problems. So, you can become a guiding force to the protection of your body. You can build your health path on your own.

In naturopathic treatment, in three states, we clean up the disease. Now, let us think how this 3-day fasting is useful in cell health.

1. Discharging out the waste from the body (Elimination stage)

In the first three days, as we do fasting with honey and lemon juice, during this time, the waste from the body will be sent out. The body will be cleaned up.

2. State of soothing the cells (Soothening stage)

The next three days, fasting only on vegetable juices and fruit juices. This can be called as juice fasting. During this time, the diseased particles will try to come to the normal stage. This stage is related to the repairing state.

3. State of rebuilding the cell health (Constructive stage)

Then, the next four days, taking sprouts and uncooked food. This is called fruit fasting. During this time, The diseased limb or organ, rejuvenates, builds the cell and becomes healthy.

Taking oath in the heart just before the previous day of fasting (Mental preparation for Fasting)

When we want to do 3-days of complete fasting, we have to take a definite decision. It means, you should have an oath in the mind. Do the strong thought that the fating that you are going to do is for your mental and physical health. When we take the strong decision to safeguard our health, the mind then co-operates. Here, improving the mental state before fasting is more important. Otherwise, if the doubt starts that what may happen if we won’t eat for three days, then all the agitation, hunger, fatigue will start. Just on the previous day, before you are going to start fasting, make up the mind. Complete the meals early, on the previous day. Before 9 pm, go to bed. Have a peaceful sleep.

While doing fasting

Enima: In the morning, drink 1-1.5 litres of water and go to the latrine. Wait for half an hour and take enema with warm water. You can do it yourself or you can take somebody’s help. Once you complete enema, roll on the ground on your stomach. The water will enter the large intestine. Spend 5 minutes’ time in the latrine. Along with the enema water, faeces comes out. Like this, all the fasting days, do enema mandatorily. If you do enema, it will be more beneficial. The large intestine is 1.5 metres long. Whenever motions happens, only the faeces of the last 25 cm (1/4 metre) of the large intestine will be discharged out. With enema, faeces will move out from ½ metre length. The stored faeces in the large intestine, will still be there in the metre length. That’s why, all this faeces will be cleaned in the enema that you take on the 2nd day. All the remaining faeces, stored in different placed in the large intestine will come out on the 3rd day, through enema. In fasting, we stop eating food. So, there won’t be pressure from top on the intestines. There won’t be any movements either. When there are no movements, the amount of faeces will be stored in it. That’s why, enema should be taken. Then only the waste would go out. If enema is not taken, the faeces will remain in the intestines. Day by day, the faeces gets spoiled and gas is produced. That gas and other poisonous things are again absorbed into the blood through intestines. As from faeces, the water is absorbed, it becomes very hard. So, if we want to fast for more than one day, you must take enema every day. After taking enema, keep the soaked and dried turkey towel under the navel for 5 minutes. In this way, the large intestine will become cool. After enema is taken, the peristaltic movement increased in the intestines will be cooled off.

Yoga in fasting: As there won’t be movements during the night, in the morning, the joints will be painful. So, some general exercise (sukshma vyayama) and normal yoga are to be done. The tightened joints will move. Blood circulation increases and the muscles get activated.

---

page 135

---

Finally, take some rest. When the stomach is at rest, it is good to do yoga. People say, not to do yoga in fasting. It is true. But, by doing some exercise, you will get some benefit.

In a big steel glass, take warm water and squeeze a lemon in it. Mix 4 spoons of honey in it. Honey, lemon water is ready. In the morning, as first food, take this liquid. It will be a bit sweet, a bit sour and with warmness, if you sip slowly, it will be good. As you sip slowly, the warm liquid, with ascorbic acid of the lemon which contains medicinal values, will be absorbed by the intestine layer. There is nothing that needs to be digested in it. So, no juice will be formed in the digestive system. It means, the intestines will be taking rest. The sucrose in honey, ascorbic acid in the lemon, enter the blood, get into the liver, get converted there, and then gives glucose as required by all the cells. Similarly, the ascorbic acid joins the energy which is engaged in cleaning the body and as a result, the cleaning process gets better.

How much honey to be taken in fasting?

The honey bees bring the sweetness of flowers and give us as honey. That’s why, in honey, there are so many medicinal values. The honey bees collect the sweetness from lakhs of trees. That’s why, the medicinal values of all those flowers will be in honey. That’s why, honey is the panacea for every problem. As all kinds of nutrients are mixed in it, honey is known as the complete food. Such high quality honey should be taken at least 250 ml, when we get the required energy for the whole day. Moreover, we will get the nutrients. That’s why, in fasting, if we use honey, we don’t get fatigue. No deficiency of nutrients will happen.

Method of drinking honey, lemon juice

Like this, if we start drinking honey, lemon, water in the morning, after one hour, drink normal water. Then, after one hour, drink honey and lemon water again. Like this drink till 9 pm, at night. It means, for every 2 hours, take honey and lemon water an then for every 2 hours, drink normal water. Those who are fasting to reduce the joint pain problems, should drink with warm water. Because, as the warm water temperature and the stomach temperature are equal, the honey water directly absorbed by the blood.

Rest in fasting

As far as possible, these three days, give rest to the body. It doesn’t mean, you need to stay in the bed completely. You can do your tasks provided the body doesn’t undergo pressure.

You can read, have pleasant conversations with people, listen to some good things from the tape recorder, do meditation. Do activities that control the mind. If we do like this, the mind becomes peaceful. In a way, both mind and body will be cleansed.

Problems in fasting

During fasting, the first day, it will be very inconvenient. At the time of your meal time, you will be hungry. But, you need to control the mind. The honey and lemon water that you drink every hour, reduces your hunger. If you need, you can add a bit more honey. The bile juice from liver to the stomach create some vomiting and nausea in the beginning. You may feel like vomiting. By 2nd and 3rd day, things will become normal. You feel nausea more, drink 2-3 litres of warm water in the morning. If you keep your fingers in the mouth with wide open, all the water will be vomited. Immediately, for 5 minutes, take rest either under the fan or in a place where you feel fresh air. Sometimes, you may feel like having fever. But, you should not be afraid. In fasting, it will be cured in 1 or 2 days. Keep a wet cloth on the stomach.

---

page 137

---

The joint pains may look increased. Because, we stopped eating food. The energy gets reduced. We may feel fatigue. When we have fatigue, we will have pains. This problem will be changed day by day. You may also feel headache.

Like this, there may be different problems in fasting. But, don’t worry. I am not writing these things to frighten you. If you know about all these problems a bit earlier, you will take measures. Also, not all problems will be faced by all people. Some people may not have any problem at all.

How to take vegetable juices and fruit juices?

After completing fasting for 3 days, we are entering the 2nd phase. These three days will also be like doing fasting. But, you will be taking juices. That’s why it is called juice fasting. We have seen that, in people who have joint pains, when they do fasting with honey water, as some minerals dissolve in water and come out through water, the joints will be cleaned up. The juice fasting that we are going to do, encourages the cleaning process of the joints, and at the same time, supplies the nutrients that the joints need. These nutrients will fulfil the damage that happens due to the chemical reactions in the joints. Especially, calcium, magnesium, selenium, phosphorous and vitamins A and C which we get for the juices will be co-operating in this process. Moreover, as we drink the juices, the energy will be boosting up in the body and we don’t feel fatigue. The body need not spend much energy to get these liquids digested. They are easily digested. That’s why energy won’t get wasted. Ten percent of the energy that we got is used for digestion and 90% will be used for cleaning the cells and for the repairing activity.

It is found in research that more nutrients are needed to repair the joints. For example, when we are mending the scooter, the mechanic takes out the petrol used to drive the scooter, opens the engine and cleans up every part with petrol, similarly, the cells in the body take more fuel and nutrients. Considering this, in foreign countries, the doctors get good results by treating only with vitamins and minerals. That’s why, we use nutricious vegetables and fruit for these juices. Let us now see, how to make these juices.

It is good to take vegetable juices in the morning.

---

page 139

---

As explained in the previous chapter, prepare the juice and drink it. In this juice, we use all kinds of vegetables. Moreover, as we haven’t boiled them, we will get more nutrients in it. Give four hours of gap and then drink sour taste fruit juice such as mosambi, pomegranate, orange or pine apple. In these juices, you will get vitamins A and C in good quantity. These vitamins will be useful in cell cleaning and reducing the inflammation in the joints. Again in four hours’ gap, drink vegetable juice. Similarly, as the 3rd time, in four hours of time, drink fruit juice. It means, in a day, two times, vegetable juice and 2 times fruit juice. In between, for once in every 2 hours, drink normal water. After drinking water, in an hour’s time, drink honey, lemon water, coconut water, barley water. Like this, for 3 days, do fasting with juices.

How to do fruit fasting?

After completing the fasting– 3 days with honey and lemon water and 3 days with vegetables and fruit juices, for the next four days, continue fasting only with fruit. It helps a lot to people who suffer joint pains. We have learnt how with water fasting and juice fasting, we get benefits. Let us now understand how to do fruit fasting and its benefits. In the first two stages, cleaning the cells and repairing the joints will happen. In the third stage, the cell repairs itself and tries to get its original state. That’s why, this stage is called cell constructive stage. More than the above two, this third stage is important. That’s why, fasting is treated as a great task. In this great task, we are in the last stage. Unless this stage is complete, our huge tasks is not fully complete. That’s why, have strong will and continue in the process. Once you enter juice fasting, from the second day, you will feel hunger. Once you reach the fruit fasting, obviously, the natural hunger will be generated.

In the morning, as usual, drink 1 to 1.5 litres of water. After 1 hour of gap, drink 1 – 1.5 litres of water again. In the gap of one hour, in the morning, drink one glass of vegetable juice. Then, after one hour, drink 1 glass of water. In one hour of time, take fruit or salad.

---

page 141

---

In the next hour, drink water, after the next hour, drink honey water or coconut water or barley water. After eating fruit in the morning, in four hours of time, at noon, and again in the evening, have fruit or salad again.

In the fruit fasting, from the second day, apart from fruit, start eating sprouts. Gradually, day by day, increase the quantity of fruit and sprouts. Estimating the level of hunger and digestion, increase the quantity. But, don’t increase all at once. Especially, with this fruit and sprouts combination, we will et enough vitamins for cell repair. From fruit, we will get the inflammation controlling enzymes from fruit. We can say, that an important process happens with this food. Because, the proteins and amino acids that are useful for cell building are available from sprouts. Moreover, grains are useful in releasing synovial fluid which helps cartilage not to wear away. Sesame, finger millet, dates, coconut, almond etc. help in producing oil in the joints. You will get benefits more than you get from any cooked food or the vitamin tablets that you take from outside. As we discussed already, the grains that can be used for sprouts, you can use them.

Like this, in the third stage, just as we build a collapsed wall with bricks, cement, in the similar way, with this foo, the damaged joints build themselves.

How to conclude fasting?

Once fasting is completed for 10 days like this, don’t start the dishes with slat, chilli, spices etc. With this fasting, our intestines and stomach will become so fresh and tender, like that of a baby, who is feeded on milk. Do we give spicy non vegetarian food to children? The similar damage will happen to us as well. That’s why, concluding fasting has that level of importance. Let us see how we need to conclude fasting.

In the morning, as usual, take water vegetable juice, in two steps and as breakfast, have fruit, raw vegetables and sprouts. At noon, cook brown rice and salt less curries. In the evening, have pulka or jowar rote, along with vegetable salad. Like this, we need to eat daily. If we follow like this, we can recover from rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis quickly.

People who have neck and back pains, can also implement like this. Like this, you can do fasting for 10 days at home. This is called ‘body servicing’. According to the intensity of the disease, for every 3 months, do fasting, and continue fasting once in a week. If you want to do long time fasting, consult in the ashram. When you are doing at home, if you face any problems, consult a nearby naturopathic doctor or discuss with us over phone. Whenever you want to conclude fasting, as we mentioned, drink juices, fruit and then only cooked food. Do not forget this.

• According to diagnosis, we need to give treatment – Nature is the health-giving diving power
• Body is a vehicle – Food is the fuel
• Follow principles and forget about old age – For the mind, there is no old age
• Don’t argue – Don’t get frustrated – Don’t forget your goal – Don’t stop your practice

In the previous chapter, in detail, we have discussed what to eat in the morning, afternoon and evening, what kind of yogasanas to be done, and about the relaxation techniques to make the mind peaceful. Now, all these things are given here in short. This daily routine is given for the people who are suffering with joint pains and also for people who want avoid joint pains in the future. Especially, according to the body needs, this daily routine is given here.

Get up before sun rise, i.e. before 6 am. With peace of mind, think of your favourite god, ‘God! You have given me an opportunity to enjoy one more day. You have given me the chance to see one more sun rise. I am grateful for that’. As we keep the joints unmoved throughout the night, as we get up in the morning, we may feel extreme joint pain. IN winter and in rainy season, these pains will be more because, with cold, the muscles get contracted. So, as soon as we get up, you can keep hot water in the rubber bag and heat up the body. You will be relieved a bit.

As you get up, start drinking water from 6 am.

Drink warm water – 1 to 1.5 litre - in stages. Focus on the stomach. Walk here and there. Think of the intestine movement. Once you feel urgent, then only go for bowel movement.

From morning 6.30 am to 7.30 am, to do yoga

Once motions is done, do joints-related ‘sukshma vyayama’, asanas and pranayama. In the last 5-10 minutes, take rest or do relaxation techniques. Feel the blissful state of peacefulness. Do the sukshma vyayama and asanas, daily, without leaving any day. You can do pranayama by sitting in chair as well. dheergha pranayama, bhastrika pranayama, kapalbhati give a lot of benefits.

Between 7 am to 8 am, drink water.

As second phase, drink warm water. For the second time, uou will have free motions. It’s okay even if it doesn’t happen the second time. In the beginning, it may be a problem. In some days, you will get habituated.

At 8 am, drink vegetable juice.

As discussed earlier about juices, the vitamin and minerals- rich, carat, beetroot, tomato, bottle gourd, cucumber, ridge gourd, snake gourd, coriander, curry leaves, drumstick leaves etc. It will work as vitamin treatment.

Note: You need to drink vegetable juice within one hour so that the nutrients will not be lost.

At 9 am, have fruit and sprouts.

From 30 minutes after drinking vegetable juice, eat sprouts as breakfast. As sprouts, take greengram, finger millet, jowar, millet, Bengal gram, wheat, alpha alpha, black eyed beans etc. You don’t need to eat all varieties. Eat everyday 2-3 types of sprouts. In the steroid medicine used for rheumatoid arthritis, there is a chance for osteoporosis (calcium deficiency in bones so that there will be holes in the bones or bones becoming weak.

---

page 146

---

Those people should eat 4 spoons of calcium-rich sesame by soaking them for 4-6 hours and can eat with dates, and finger millet sprouts. They can get more calcium. If you take sprouts for a long time, then they can reduce the side effects of medicine. The nutrients-rick sprouts benefit people with joint pains. Selenium type of antioxidants are also available in them. If you eat the layer in cucumber, free radicals can be controlled.

Between 1 pm to 2 pm, take meal.

As we suggested, with brown rice, eat salt-less curries. In the curry, mix milk or raw coconut or sesame powder or ground nut powder. As suggested by Dr. Raju garu, prepare the dishes. If only you stop eating salt and oils, then only the joint pains will reduce. The salt-less curries, with brown rice, will be tasty. Eat when it is hot. Use green chilli a bit more so that you won’t feel the absence of salt. In the curry, squeeze lemon. And eat onion piece along with it. Do not drink water while having meals. Give a gap of 1.5 hours.

At 5 pm, drink fruit juice.

Drink seasonal fruit juices especially sour fruit such as mosambi, apple, orange, pomegranate. You will not only get nutrients, it will improve your appetite for the evening meal. If not possible, you can drink coconut water or sugarcane water or honey water.

Complete the meal at 6 pm.

In this meal, eat pulkas made with unprocessed wheat flour, along with salt-less curries just as you had in the afternoon. To reduce joint pains, along with sugar and overweight, eat pulkas with vegetable salad. Add green chilli, onion, and lemon to it. We have observed that people who had eaten like this, got cured with body pains.

Or those who have severe joint pains or those who want them to be cured faster

In the evening, eat completely fruit / raw vegetables / vegetable salad / sprouts. Eat in a bit larger quantity.

At 9 pm, if you freel hungry, mix honey in one glass of warm water and go to bed. It gives energy easily and you will get good sleep.

To achieve anything, we need good discipline in life. This discipline is being followed by all living beings. In their daily routine, they get up along with the sun god and with him at night, they go to sleep. They roam around for food and getting good exercise. As determined by the nature, they are sleeping at night and taking complete rest. Similarly, if we have joint pains or back pain, we should lead a discipline life. If you do any task with discipline, you can achieve it. Starting the task will be difficult. As yogi vemana has said, ‘all tasks can be done in the world, with practice’. For that, we need to be committed and with complete focus on the goal, without being a slave to appetite, we need to do the practice with discipline. We will become completely healthy.

To reduce joint pains, we can use water in two ways 1) By drinking water 2) Using water externally

We drink water every day. But, we need to drink in a systematic way – how much water, when to drink, how to drink, what to drink etc. Otherwise, we may face some problems. If we drink water in a systematic way, all the diseases will be reduced. Water is panacea for every problem and health-giver. Especially, in our body, there is 3 parts of water. In the body, water goes out, through faeces, urine, sweat and breath. That’s why, we need to give water to replace the water that has gone out. By giving sufficient water to the body in a systematic way, the waste matter produced in the body will be discharged out by moved with water.

Water drinking method: Dr. Raju garu has given it in an easy way. Drinking water is divided into two types – drinking water on empty stomach and drinking water in the morning.

Just after you get up, drink 1 to 1.5 litres of water, and give a gap of one hour and drink 1 to 1,5 litres of water, so that the water requirement to the body will be fulfilled. Even in Ayurveda, it is told to drink like that. They have called this as ‘usha paana’.

---

page 149

---

By drinking like this (1) the waste from the blood will be sent out through urine and the blood will be cleansed. (2) The water we drink in the morning, creates pressure in the large intestine, cleans up the waste, and prevents constipation.

Morning drinking water for the second time: It means, drinking water from breakfast till night meals. It is better to drink at least 2-3 litres of water. The water we drink in the morning prevents the body from getting heated up. Only when the body gets heated up, the waste will become hardened. If you give water to the body, the blood will be cooled. It oozes so that the joints don’t get cooled and frozen. The synovial oil that is to be oozed will be successfully oozed. Oil works as greese and it helps the joints not to wear away. But, half an hour before the meal, stop drinking water, and after 2 hours, start drinking water. Otherwise, more acids will be produced. We have discussed that such released-acid contains the property to eat away. After 9 pm, no need to drink water.

Note: People who are suffering from joint pains, must drink more than 5 litres of water. Sooner, the joint pains will be controlled. Most people don’t drink water. Because, if you drink more water, more urine will be produced. So, more times, you need to go for toilet. Moreover, as the joints are painful, you don’t want to move and that’s why, you don’t drink more water. But, by not drinking water, there is more damage. Do remember always. You will know if the water you drink is sufficient or not by this: if your urine doesn’t smell bad, without any pain, itching, and like water in white color. Even your sweat with bad smells gives you an idea that your drinking water is not sufficient. Immediately, drink one glass of water.

As stated above, taking water inside is one method. We can also do external treatment with water so that we can get relief. More than that, the joint pain problem will be solved faster. Let us see some naturopathic water treatment methods, which you can use at home. For water, the following qualities are there naturally.

1. Water is one of the five elements God has given us as life force. Water has some special properties. Water gives us energy. When we come to home after roaming in the sun, if we drink one glass of water, fatigue will be reduced and we feel energetic.

2. Water works against constipation. It cleanses the waste in the body by moving them out.

3. Water cures mental tensions. When we are angry or agitated, if we drink one glass of water, all the anger, frustration will get evaporated.

4. Water reduces pain. In the pain area, if you apply heat through water, you will get immediate relief.

5. Water controls temperature. Water cools the heat generated due to the chemical reaction that happen in the body.

6. Water provides nerves the soothness. It controls the nervous fluctuation levels.

7. Water saves the body from poisons. When we rink poisons like alcohol, it dilutes them and saves the liver from them.

8. Water is safe. When water is used as treatment, it won’t have any side effects.

9. Water increases energy. Through water, we know, we can produce electricity. Flowing water has so much energy. Similarly, the water in the body goes to each cell, and increases energy to the cell. That’s why, if water is taken sufficiently into the body, we get unknown, happiness, enthusiasm etc.

As there are so many special properties, water is profusely used in naturopathic treatments. Let us look at some treatments which you can do yourself at home.

1. Enema

It is very important to send out the wastage day by day from the body. In our present life style, food and habits have changed. The physical toil is reduced.

---

page 151

---

As mental stress is increased, motions is not free and people are getting addicted to different medicines and tonics. Especially, if we feel constipation, unknowingly, we will physically feel very incomfortable. The mind will be irritable. For people who have joint pains, when free motions don’t happen, the pain will be more on that day. In such a case, as medicines are poisons, they need not be used. The easiest, sensitive and natural way is ‘enema’, which give relief.

2. Applying heat (kaapadam)

People who have been suffering from long time joint pains, can massage oil and then apply heat, then it will have a good effect.

Massaging method: Take 250 grams of sesame oil and 20 grams of eucalyptus oil. Pain killing oil will be ready. Store in a bottle and ou can use it for any number of days. Take some oil and apply it to the joints. For the inflamed joints, apply lightly. If possible, get the exposed to sun for 15-30 minutes or apply heat.

Method of applying heat: Take a thin cotton cloth, soak in water and then spread it on the joints. It will be cool. The blood vessels will be contracted immediately. Now in the rubber bag, pour hot water and close the lid and apply heat from above the cloth. Don’t keep on the same area for a longer time. To apply in all the area for 2-5 minutes. Due to this heat, the blood vessels expand and blood is flowed more. With the blood flow, there will be change in the area. Good blood reaches the area. That’s why, there is a possibility that it gets cured fast.

Another method: in a dish, boil water and keep it beside. After massaging the paining joints, soak a towel in the hot water and squeeze it till all water is removed. Now, place it on the joints. This is an age-old treatment way which has been used by our grandparents.

Though we have such an easy and simple method at home, we have forgotten this treatment. People say, we don’t have time or we don’t have such patience. And the latest generation people treat it as a useless method. For every small pain, people are using a tablet. As a result, they have been suffering from side effects. They are using those medicines and are getting habituated to them. Finally, however powerful medicine we may use, the situation won’t be under control. As long as we use pain killers, we have the feeling that the pain is reduced, but in fact, it is not so. People who suffer from pains, use a lot of medicine and additionally suffer from ulcers, stomach pains, kidney problems, skin diseases, asthma problems etc. They are even affected with cancer. Why to go in wrong ways. If the pain is so severe, consult a doctor and use tablets under doctor’s supervision. But, don’t use medicine as you take food. When the medicine is not able to cure it, if you use these treatment methods, it will give temporary relief and it won’t have any harmful effects to the body.

Spinal bath

If the pain is in spine, in the vertebrae, in the upper part of the spine, it is advised to take hot water spinal bath. People who have back bone problems – either recently started or long lasting, this tub bath will be much useful to them. Similarly, it gives good results to people who suffer from Ankylosing spondylitis. Hot water has the property to reduce pain. Moreover, in back pain, along with the backbone, the attached muscles and nerves will be tensed and will undergo pain. That’s why, the hot water bath, gives muscles and nerves smoothness and reduces tension. While entering the tub and coming out of it, you must take enough care. If required, it is better to take somebody’s help.

Method of doing: For spine bath, there is one long tub. Fill it 6 inches with hot water. Take off the clothes. Keep only the underwear. With the help of others, in the water lie down dipping the back bone in the water. keep only the bearable heat for the water. In some time, the body gets adjusted. In between, move the back bone. The hot water touches the back and gives good pleasure. For 30 minutes, lie down like that. Wear rubber slippers or keep the feet on the wooden support. It is better not to touch the water. It is meant only for the spine. Because, while doing spine bath, more blood circulation should be directed to the skin on the back bone and to the muscles. The results will be more.

Note: While lying down in the tub and coming out of it, take enough care. If required, take somebody’s help.

Hot foot bath

In knee pains, sometimes, the muscles will be paining till the feet or the fingers in the feet, or in the heal or in the ankles. In such case, you can take hot foot bath. This is also good for gout and arthritis. For people who have been suffering from osteoarthritis or in ankle bends, this hot foot bath will give good results.

Doing method: Take a plastic bucket. In it, 3 parts, i.e., till one feet, pour hot water (with bearable temperature). Drink 1 o2 glasses of water before taking the treatment. Despite taking any kind of hot water treatment, don’t forget to drink water. Clean the feet with cool water first. The skin, nerves in the legs will become sensitive. Now, keep both the feet in the hot water bucket. As long as hot foot bath is being taken, as some part of the blood that enters the head part, gets diverted towards feet, the blood circulation to the head reduces and we may feel dizzy.

That’s why, keep cool cloth on the head. For the heat of the bucket water not to reduce, and for the body to get the water effect more, use a woollen blanket from under the head, covering the bucket. It is okay to do it for 15-20 minutes.

Note: For anyone, while taking these hot water treatments, if they feel nausea or vomiting sensation, dizziness, stop the treatment and do a cool head bath, you will come to the normal state.

Cold foot bath

People who have inflammation and pain in the knees, and they are not able to move, and when rheumatoid arthritis is severe, this cold feet bath can be taken or you can rub with an ice cube.

Method of doing: Fill a bucket , ¾ with cool water. These days, in almost all families, there is fridge. In deep fridge, in the plastic tray, if you keep water, then it becomes ice cubes. Put them in cool water. Ensure that they are bearably cool. Now, slowly, dip the feet in water. The body will react to the coolness of the water, for a moment. If you control your mind, your feet will be adjusted. You can keep like that for 15-20 minutes.

As you have dipped water in the cool water, the blood vessels in the foot get contracted and the blood will rise upward. Then, the swollen part will be healed. With this cool water treatment, it gets mixed with the heat which is combined with inflation and cools it. That’s why, the redness will be reduced and the pain gradually comes down.

Alternate hot and cold foot bath

When the muscles, joints, bones are painful, and the joints are painful with inflammation, heat and redness, and especially, if people are suffering with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoartitiritis or gout problem moderately, we can take this treatment.

---

page 155

---

This is quite an easy treatment. You can do it at home. It gives good results to people suffering from joint pains.

Method of doing: Take two buckets. Fill one bucket with ¾ of water. In the second bucket, pour cool water. As said above, drink 1-2 glasses of water. Initially, for 3 minutes, put your foot in the hot water. Because, the blood vessels in the leg will expand due to the heat. That’s why, more blood will flow towards the feet. After 3 minutes, by keeping both the feet in cool water, for the coolness, the blood vessels get contracted. Immediately, the blood will ooze. Like this, keep for 2 minutes and then put in hot water. Keep them like that for 3 minutes and again, keep in cool water. Like this shift your feet form cool and hot water for 4-5 times. With this treatment, the blood flows up and down to the feet area. Of all, in this treatment, good results will be displayed. It gives good nutrition for the inside cells to get repaired. It gives strength to the white blood cells and helps in curing fast. If required, this treatment can be taken 2-3 times a day.

Steam bath

For any kind of pains, and similarly for any type of joint pains, this steam bath can be used. By taking this steam bath, the sweat glands in the skin, get activated and more sweat will be sent out. Through sweat, the waste matter from the skin, some minerals, and some poisonous things like uric acid in the joints will come out. That’s why, after taking this steam bath, the patient will feel like flying. They will feel pleasant and the body feels lighter. It also reduces the pain to a great extent. Every week, for 2-3 times, steam bath can be taken. You can also use steam locally on the paining area for the joints. Let us now see how to take steam bath at home.

Method of taking steam bath: Take a chair woven with wire. Keep a wide open dish under it, with fully boiled water with lid closed.

---

page 156

---

Drink 1-2 glasses of water. Remove clothes. With drawer, sit on the chair. Leave the head part, move the lid of the dish to side. Hot steam will be coming out. Those steams from all sides, will spread to the body. In the blanket, the body will be boiling. With the blanket, from under, due to the steam, the sweat pores will open. The sweat glands excrete skin. Once you are in this state for 5-10 minutes, take off the blanket and take a cool water bath. By doing like this, the muscles inside the skin and the sweat glands will become strong. The cool water improves the elasticity of the muscles. The skin gets a glow. The pains will be reduced and the body becomes lighter.

In a nature cure ashram: For the steam bath, there is a special box. Outside, on the gas stove, they will keep a cooker and keep water in it and cover the lid. To the top hole, they attach a rubber tube and the steam is arranged into the cabin. Once the water in the cooker get boiled, the steam flows through the rubber tube and spread into the cabin. As said above, after drinking water, if you take off clothes and sit inside, in a few minutes, you will sweat a lot. Then, you have to take a cool water shower.

Note: In case, there are inflammations in joints or feet, it will be painful due to the heat. In such case, you can cover those areas with woollen cloth and take the steam bath.

Taking steam locally (for certain areas of the body: Take the rice cooker. Pour water in it and boil it. To the top hole, attach a rubber tube of three feet length. Once the water is fully boiled, steam will come out. Ensure that the tube is not burnt and hold the tube at the end with a dry cloth. On the area where you want to apply heat, massage it with sesame oil and eucalyptus oil and then keep in safe distance and put steam. If you are not alert or if you move to the sides, the skin may get burnt. If you want to apply on the area where there is more inflammation, redness and pain, wratp it with wet cloth, and then steaming it will help by reducing the pain.

This treatment can also be done for sores, in the pus area.

Tip: People who have been suffering from osteoarthiritis, can use this tip at home. From the market, get mint oil, menthal and camphor.

Method of doing: Take some mint oil, in it, mix 1/4 menthal, 1/2 camphor and apply it in the painful area slowly and smoothly. Then, apply heat or castor oil method. it will show good results.

My congrats to all the readers who have read it with focus. understood it well and completed it. It has become very common that people are suffering from joint pains or back pain at some point in life. Now, our life style has changed a lot. Our food, travel, habits are completely unhealthy. In our daily life, since morning to till night, we are doing so many mistakes. From one side, we are away from the life style, which can help us to keep our bones, joints and muscles effectively. From the second angle, we are inviting unnecessary stress from outside. Because of these two, today, we are suffering mentally and physically. This book is written to explain to you the fact that unless we rectify our mistakes, there is no point in consulting a number of doctors. These things may not be digestible to us, but they are naked truths. Truth is always tough to digest. As long as we are far, we think like that. But, when we come closer and start the practice, all the tough things will become easier. When we know that the reason for our joint pains is ourselves, we can prevent them in future. If you already have the problem, our life style and natural yoga treatment ways will be helpful. For all this information to be passed to you, the primary reason is the naturopathic life style mentor Dr. Raju garu. My heartfelt thanks to him once again. I wish this book will serve as a compass to help you out of the joint pains problems.

Yours Sincerely