Among the precious sons bestowed by Nature, he is the most blessed. A Rajarshi (A king elevated to the stature of a sage) who offers a daily oblation to the philosophy of Nature itself. Like a sage walking beside us, he is the fragrant jewel that spreads the perfume of human evolution, blossoming under Nature’s grace. He is the gardener who tends to the way of natural living, sowing its seeds and nurturing it with care.
Under his guidance, the “Natural Way of Life” is growing as Nature’s beloved child on the banks of the Krishna River. He is the chief architect of the Ashram, envisioned so that all people may follow Nature’s laws and live in good health under the watchful gaze of Goddess Kanaka Durga of Vijayawada.
With affection and reverence, I dedicate this garland of books, Your Health is in Your Hands, to the virtuous couple — our spiritual companions, pure-hearted and gracious — Sri Gokaraju Gangaraju and Smt. Laila Gangaraju.
Your loving well-wisher
Manthena Satyanarayana Raju
Today, medical science has advanced tremendously — and it needs to advance even further. It is extremely necessary for society. With the welfare of humanity in mind, many great thinkers have developed various systems of medicine such as Ayurveda, Allopathy, Homeopathy, Unani, and others. All of these have benefited humankind greatly. They provide relief and comfort to people who approach them in pain.
For a given problem, whichever medical system we follow, it may give complete relief, partial relief, or sometimes no relief at all. In some cases, instead of improvement, side effects may also occur. Whatever benefit these systems provide, they become necessary only after a disease appears. People who are not ill do not approach any medical system. These systems are not able to help us before a disease occurs.
For example, if one takes a tablet after stomach pain begins, the pain may subside. But if a healthy person takes the same tablet in advance to prevent stomach pain, it will not work and may even cause harm. While most medical systems work in this way, natural therapy works very differently.
For instance, to relieve stomach pain, natural treatment involves giving an enema, cleansing the intestines, and providing proper food. If a person who does not have stomach pain practices the same method as a preventive measure, the intestines remain clean and the problem does not arise in the future. In other words, every treatment that helps a sick person recover also helps a healthy person remain disease-free. It works like a double-edged sword.
A truly correct treatment is like repairing a hole in a copper vessel with copper itself. Just as that is the most appropriate repair, natural treatments perfectly suit this naturally created body. Treatment and body merge seamlessly — like milk mixing with milk — without conflict. This means there are no side effects.
By using such natural methods to manage common problems, the body benefits greatly. Whenever the body faces a problem, we should first attempt to resolve it naturally. If, despite this effort, the problem persists or worsens, turning to other medical systems is not wrong. However, what we usually do is the opposite — we rely on medicines first and act against the body’s natural processes.
From now on, if we begin attempting to resolve bodily problems naturally, we will gain far greater benefits. This is the reason these treatment methods are being written about. There is no need to stop natural therapy after practicing for a short time. This is not medicine in the conventional sense. Whether one is sick or healthy, the entire family can adopt these good habits and improve their health. With this intention, these two volumes have been written, and it is hoped they will be accepted with an open and positive mind.
Whenever animals face any problem, they immediately try to resolve it naturally. If they feel uncomfortable, they eat something unsuitable and promptly vomit to relieve themselves. If they do not feel hunger, they fast until hunger returns. Treating themselves in this way is simply a part of their life. They do not learn this from books, nor does anyone teach them.
We too are born with the same kind of body and the same natural intelligence. In addition, we possess greater awareness and knowledge. Because of this, we should behave even more intelligently than animals and make sincere efforts to resolve our problems easily. If we know the natural ways to heal our body but fail to use them, the loss is entirely ours.
By using what is available in our own homes, everyone can take advantage of this opportunity to heal themselves. It is hoped that all will use this approach to live with long life, good health, peace, happiness, and joy.
Everyone wants their feet to look beautiful, but only a few actually achieve it. In the quest for smooth, attractive feet, many people apply various creams after seeing them advertised on television. Since the feet are the farthest part of the body, proper blood circulation often does not reach them. As a result, the skin on the feet becomes hard and rough. This problem becomes more severe in winter, especially for overweight people and those with poor blood circulation.
Cracks mainly occur because the feet are not cleaned properly. Dirt accumulates inside the cracks, preventing new skin from forming. The existing skin becomes harder and keeps splitting further. However, feet can be made very smooth and attractive within 10–15 days.
Remedies:
For those who do not have cracks but want to prevent them — apply coconut oil before bathing twice a week, scrub the feet lightly with a brush while bathing to remove dirt, and after the bath, apply a light layer of coconut oil. This will keep the feet clean, soft, and crack-free.
For some people, gas gets trapped tightly in the abdomen and does not pass out. This creates a very uncomfortable and helpless situation, where one keeps wishing that passing gas would bring relief. But even after waiting and trying repeatedly, it sometimes does not come out. When it finally does, the sense of relief is immense.
The main reasons for gas getting trapped include holding urine for a long time (until the bladder is full), wearing very tight clothing around the waist, and stool reaching the rectum but getting stuck there. Similarly, gas can get trapped in the chest or abdominal area without coming out as a burp. Even when one tries to burp, it does not happen.
When gas gets trapped like this and needs to be released freely, the following remedies can help.
Remedies:
At that moment, try whichever of the above remedies is most convenient and available to you.
When we move about in the sun, the body protects the skin from heat by evaporating the water within it and thereby cooling the skin. For the body to carry out this process, there must be an adequate amount of water inside. If people go out into the sun without sufficient water in the body, some of the internal water gets used up for cooling the skin, resulting in an overall shortage of water in the body.
When body water decreases, blood circulation to the head is affected, and the water content in the blood also reduces. Since the head is a sensitive part of the body, this can lead to symptoms such as dizziness, loss of balance, and light-headedness. If one wishes to move about in the scorching summer heat as comfortably as walking under moonlight — even during peak summer days — the following precautions are essential.
Remedies:
These days, the stamina seen in elderly people aged 70 or 80 is often not found in those aged 40 or 50. Compared to people in their forties and fifties, even young adults of marriageable age seem to have less endurance. Compared to them, children of a younger age appear even weaker. If this trend continues, the future may bring days when people will not even have the strength to eat on their own and will need to be fed.
The reason for this is that people are consuming foods that lack real strength. They eat mainly for taste, not for strength or health. If one wishes to work 15–18 hours a day without losing stamina, the following should be practiced.
Remedies:
Joint pains are appearing even before people reach the age of 40 or 50. The common explanation given is that the lubricating fluid in the joints has reduced and that the bones have worn out due to age. Instead of thinking about what mistakes we are making that cause this lubrication to disappear, we simply blame age.
If the human body is designed to function for 100 years, why should the joints fail at 40 or 50? Even an elephant has a lifespan of about 100 years. Despite carrying such enormous weight, why does an elephant not suffer from joint pain, swelling, cartilage wear, or loss of lubrication? The elephant knows exactly what it should eat. We, on the other hand, know only how to eat everything indiscriminately.
Because we eat only cooked foods, the body gradually loses its natural ability to produce joint lubrication and to prevent wear and tear. On top of that, eating cooked food with salt causes excess salt to accumulate in the joints. This salt slowly damages the joints and destroys the cartilage. As long as one continues to consume salt, joints do not truly recover. Many people undergo various treatments without giving up salt; the result is only loss of money, while the pain does not completely go away and normal walking does not return.
Whether one wants to prevent joint pain or completely eliminate it, giving up salt is unavoidable.
Remedies:
If practiced as described, relief is seen within 2–3 months. For those who have been suffering from joint pain for 5–6 years, it will take much longer. If the condition has become chronic, even these methods may not give complete results. Therefore, if one becomes alert at the very beginning, joint pain can be completely eliminated.
After going to bed, people keep tossing from side to side for one or two hours, and sleep comes only much later. Nowadays, hardly anyone goes to sleep before 11 or 12 at night. Even small children who drink milk do not go to bed until 11:30 p.m., only after all the TV serials are over.
Sleep means complete rest. For the body to truly rest, all its work must be finished. If you complete all bodily activities and then lie down, sleep comes immediately. But that is not what we are doing. We eat at 10 or 11 at night and then go to bed. Externally, we may be lying down, but internally all the organs are busy digesting that food. Even though you lie down, the body is still working, so sleep does not come quickly. It does not come because the body itself is not ready to rest.
If, instead, you eat early in the evening and go to bed after digestion is complete, both the body and the mind slip into sleep effortlessly. Many people may not immediately agree with what I am saying. Practice it for 10 days and then decide.
Remedies:
Menstrual periods may arrive regularly every month, but the bleeding can continue for 8 to 10 days. This problem is commonly seen in women who have anemia, or who are under high mental stress. In some cases, excessive bleeding occurs due to uterine growths (fibroids). In others, it may be caused by improper functioning of the endocrine glands.
Remedies:
If the problem does not reduce even after trying these methods for 2–3 months, it is advisable to consult a doctor.
One might think, “Isn’t it enough if I just eat lightly?” But many people say that once they sit down with a full plate, they are unable to get up that easily. While eating, they not only eat to fullness but also drink plenty of water along with the meal. As a result, the stomach becomes completely full, and this heaviness presses against the lower portions of the lungs, compressing them by about 25–30 percent.
To digest food, the body requires more oxygen. When, at the same time, the lungs are partially compressed, the body does not receive enough air. Because of this lack of oxygen, breathlessness after eating begins soon after the meal.
Remedies:
Some people start sneezing, experience nasal congestion, or feel an itching or irritation in the throat as soon as they step out of the house and come in contact with smoke or dust. In some cases, itching in the eyes and redness of the face also occur. Such people try to protect themselves by avoiding dust and smoke as much as possible. But how long can one stay away from them? Avoidance is not the real solution. Instead, the body should be strengthened so that it can cleanse itself naturally.
People who regularly work in dusty environments often remain healthy. It is usually those who rarely step out of sheltered, indoor environments who suffer more from such problems. Those who do physically active work every day rarely face these issues.
Remedies:
This problem occurs frequently in people who suffer from constipation. It is more common among those who drink very little water and consume a lot of pickles and non-vegetarian food. In people who eat food lacking fiber, the stool becomes hard like stones. To expel this hard stool, many people strain excessively while using the toilet. During such straining, the hard stool scrapes and tears the edges of the intestines and blood vessels. As the stool comes out, harmful bacteria and disease-causing germs multiply in large numbers. These germs damage the intestinal environment. Due to this infection, the blood vessels in the intestines rupture, leading to frequent bleeding.
Remedies:
From the neck down to the hip region, the vertebrae of the spine are stacked one over the other. Just as there is a layer of cement between bricks, there is a soft, cushion-like structure between each vertebra. This is called a disc. When we lift or carry weight, these discs act like springs, absorbing pressure and preventing the load from falling directly on the vertebrae. Just as springs in a vehicle protect passengers from jerks while driving over potholes, the discs protect our spine in a similar manner.
People who sit bent forward for long hours in offices, those who sit in awkward postures, those who sleep on very soft mattresses, and those who travel frequently on scooters are more likely to put continuous pressure on these discs. As a result, problems such as lower back pain and pain radiating to the legs may develop. In addition, heavy physical work can strain the muscles of the lower back. This leads to pain in the middle of the lower back, which worsens on bending forward and improves with rest.
Remedies:
Earlier, when eyesight weakened, people felt it was a sign of old age. These days, eyesight is deteriorating even before childhood is fully over. There are living beings that live for 400 to 1,000 years, and despite such long lifespans, none of them ever need spectacles. When we cook, strain, over-process, and dry our food, and then add salt and oils, the nutritional needs of the eyes are no longer met through food. Instead of resting the eyes by looking at natural greenery, we strain them by constantly viewing bright, flashy, and colorful images, which gradually damages vision. The solution to this problem lies in returning to a more natural way of living.
Remedies:
When stomach pain occurs, people usually take a painkiller to suppress the pain and then ignore the abdomen. As a result, the pain keeps recurring. This problem is seen more often in children and in people who suffer from severe constipation.
If we look at the causes, after eating a heavy, full meal, the weight of the food presses on the intestines, and in some people this pressure causes pain after eating. Sometimes pain occurs even after passing stools, especially when evacuation is incomplete. When there is a lot of mucus accumulated in the intestines, its movement can also cause pain. Trapped gas in the intestines may lead to abdominal pain as well. Whatever the cause, the goal should be not only to relieve the pain but also to remove the accumulated waste that is the root cause of the pain.
Remedies:
In people who suffer from constipation, waste is not eliminated properly. Instead of leaving the body, it gets reabsorbed and eventually tries to exit through the skin. In those who do not sweat adequately, this waste remains trapped in the skin and leads to various kinds of allergies. Some people experience itching, others develop rashes, and in some cases it appears as boils or eruptions. Whatever the form, itching will not subside unless both the body internally and the skin externally are properly cleansed.
Remedies:
For some people, snoring becomes so troublesome that husband and wife are forced to sleep in separate rooms. Snoring is more common in people who are overweight, those with a protruding abdomen, and those who eat and go straight to bed.
In overweight individuals, because the body has become bulky, millions of additional cells are formed. To keep all these cells alive, the amount of air they breathe is often insufficient. During the day, because there is movement and activity, the lungs are able to supply more oxygen. But during sleep, the lungs function at a reduced level. On top of that, when such people eat a heavy meal and lie down, the weight of the stomach presses against the lungs, closing them by about 25–30 percent and further restricting airflow.
As a result, the air entering through the nose alone is not enough, so the body tries to draw in air through the mouth as well. When large amounts of air rush in through the mouth, various sounds are produced — this is what we hear as snoring.
Remedies:
This condition is commonly called acidity. For some people, the burning sensation comes when it is time to eat; for others, it occurs on an empty stomach. In some, it appears after the food is digested, while in others it persists almost 24 hours a day. Taking medicines gives temporary relief — like pouring water over boiling milk — but the problem keeps returning.
Many people assume that spicy and sour foods are the main culprits and stop them completely. This is a mistake. These two are not the real culprits. Unless the true causes are identified and corrected, simply avoiding spicy or sour foods will not make the burning sensation go away, nor will it prevent future episodes.
When the burning is intense, people often consume sugar water, milk, cold drinks, biscuits, and similar items. These may reduce the burning for about half an hour, but afterward the problem returns with double intensity. In fact, these increase acidity. Such foods are called acidic foods. The goal should be to prevent excess acid production in the stomach, not to keep neutralizing it temporarily.
Common Mistakes That Cause Burning Sensation:
With so many causes at work, what benefit is there in avoiding only spices and sour foods? No matter how much money is spent, the problem remains.
Remedies:
Just as you would feel irritated if guests kept arriving at your home every hour without warning, the stomach too has been under constant strain all these years. Understand this, treat your stomach with care, and it will keep you comfortable. Within 2–3 days, the burning sensation will reduce significantly and you will feel relief.
Some people blame a change of water or a change of place for these problems, but they never look at themselves as the cause. As long as the mistake lies within us, amoebiasis will not go away — even if we drink boiled water. Animals drink whatever water is available, even greenish or muddy water, yet they do not suffer from amoebiasis or intestinal worms. This is because their intestines have strong protective and killing power against such organisms. We seem to have everything except this strength.
This problem occurs more often in people who suffer from constipation. When stool remains retained in the intestines, many types of harmful organisms multiply and damage intestinal health. As these harmful microbes increase, the beneficial bacteria in the intestines decrease. When protective microorganisms are reduced, amoebae stick to the intestinal walls and begin to multiply.
Remedies:
Following this method carefully helps restore intestinal health and eliminates amoebiasis and intestinal worms naturally.
In some people, even when boils appear, cuts occur, or injuries happen, healing takes a long time. Those with low immunity and those who are deficient in vitamin C tend to heal more slowly.
Remedies:
Neck pain commonly affects those who constantly keep the neck bent forward, those who use a high pillow while sleeping, people who ride motorcycles for long hours in a hunched posture, those who do not exercise at all, and women who, even at home, sit for long periods bending the waist and neck forward. Because the neck remains bent forward for long durations, the cervical vertebrae put pressure on the discs between them. This pressure leads to neck pain.
At times, the nerves that run from the neck into the arms get compressed, resulting in symptoms such as pain radiating into the arms, numbness, tingling, loss of grip in the fingers, or a pulling sensation in the nerves of the arms. Although the pain appears in the arms, the root cause lies in the neck. In some people, neck pain can also cause dizziness, headaches, and in severe cases, even fainting.
Remedies:
If these practices are followed for 20–25 days, neck pain reduces significantly. Those who do not currently have neck pain can prevent it altogether by following these precautions from the beginning.
Pimples form when sebum, the oily substance secreted by the sweat glands in the skin, reacts chemically with bacteria that accumulate on the skin surface. As a result, the hair follicles become affected by a kind of infection. The sebaceous ducts that produce sebum get blocked, and this leads to the formation of hard eruptions from within, often with black or white tips. These are what we commonly call pimples.
People who suffer from severe constipation tend to accumulate more waste matter in the body, which in turn collects in the skin and worsens acne. Those who drink very little water are also more prone to pimples, as the skin does not get cleaned properly from within.
Remedies:
Travel itself is meant to be enjoyable. When you add more fun to it — carrying snacks, chatting, observing people coming and going, and looking around — you hardly feel that you are traveling at all. Before you realize it, you feel like you have already reached your destination.
But many people avoid drinking water during travel, fearing that it will make them want to urinate, and instead keep eating continuously. By the time they reach home, their face looks sunken, the eyes appear hollow, the skin turns dull and dark, and the body feels exhausted. Then they complain, “The weather didn’t suit me,” “The bus or car ride affected me,” or “I had to urinate on the train, and since then I’ve had an infection and burning during urination.”
Without realizing their own mistakes, they blame everything else.
During bus, train, or car journeys, air rushes toward the body at high speed through windows and vents. Because of this airflow, the water inside the body evaporates more rapidly — just like how the floor dries quickly under a fan. Roughly half a glass of water is lost every hour. On top of that, people do not drink water at all, and instead eat foods that further increase the body’s water requirement. Due to continuous evaporation and lack of intake, the body’s water level drops. This leads to headaches, body aches, a feeling of internal heat, dryness of the throat, and frequent throat infections.
If you want to avoid these problems during long journeys:
Remedies:
When a bone breaks, people commonly advise eating plenty of meat, eggs, keema, and bone soup, believing that these help the bone join faster and build muscle quickly. When someone in the house is confined to bed, family members — especially women — keep cooking different rich dishes and serving them continuously.
But when a person lies idle and eats all this heavy food, most of the body’s energy gets constantly diverted to the digestive system just to process that food. Very little energy is left for repairing and joining the broken bone. As a result, bone healing becomes slow, swelling remains at the fracture site, body weight increases by 10–15 kilos, and complete healing can take more than 3–4 months.
Animals, on the other hand, behave very differently. When they suffer a fracture, they often remain almost fasting for 8–10 days, using all their internal energy solely for healing. That is why their bones join much faster.
Remedies:
Many people suffer from frequent headaches. Most simply take a painkiller to suppress the pain, without addressing the real underlying causes. That is why, even after many years, the headache does not truly go away. There are 10–12 possible causes for headaches, and not everyone gets them for the same reason. In some people, multiple causes together may lead to headaches.
Common causes include excessive consumption of tea and coffee, drinking too little water, constipation, severe gas trouble, poor digestion, persistent nasal congestion or runny nose, neck pain, low blood levels (anemia), narrowing of blood vessels in the head, poor eyesight, and similar factors. If treatment focuses on removing these root causes, headaches can be completely eliminated.
Remedies:
During winter, many people notice their skin turning pale or looking as if excessive powder has been applied, and they start using cold creams. To prevent the skin from becoming like this or from cracking during winter, soaps should be avoided. In winter, the skin is already naturally dry. Using soap makes it even drier and rougher. The chemicals present in soaps damage the outer layer of the skin. When the old layer gets damaged and a new layer does not form properly, the skin becomes pale, cracked, and unhealthy.
Remedies:
Shobhi occurs in two forms — black patches and white patches — and both spoil the appearance of the skin. It mainly develops in areas where sweat accumulates and remains for long periods. Due to this sweat, fungal organisms settle in those areas, cause infection, and the skin develops patchy discoloration. This problem is more common in people who do not bathe properly.
Remedies:
Some people who have everything in life still do not have good hair, while beggars who have nothing else may have plenty of hair. In earlier generations, people had thick, dense, and long hair. Our present-day habits are the main reason for hair fall.
Remedies:
This problem occurs more commonly in women due to drinking insufficient water. When urine is concentrated or yellow in color, and when it is held in for many hours, the increased concentration causes a burning sensation while passing urine. Urine should always appear clear to the eye and flow in a steady stream whenever passed. It should never be thick or have a foul smell.
Remedies:
This problem is commonly seen in people who are overweight, those with diabetes, those who have low hemoglobin, or those whose blood vessels are partially blocked. The primary cause is poor blood circulation. In addition, deficiency of B-vitamins — especially Vitamin B1 — can lead to burning sensations in the legs, numbness, and swelling of the feet.
Remedies:
Headache and scalp (crown) pain are different. This pain occurs only at the crown of the head. It is commonly experienced during bus travel, shopping, walking in the sun, or during periods of stress. People who drink very little water often suffer from this problem — due to insufficient water in the body, proper blood circulation does not reach the head, the water content in the blood reduces, and the crown area overheats, leading to scalp pain.
Just as an engine overheats when the radiator runs low on water, the crown of the head overheats when the body lacks water. In the situations mentioned above, avoiding water intake for fear of needing to urinate leads directly to scalp pain.
Remedies:
Most people try to lose weight by cutting down food, become weak and exhausted, yet do not actually lose weight. To reduce weight properly, junk food must be completely avoided and good, wholesome food should be increased. When this is done, weight reduces and health also improves.
Remedies:
Our elders hardly knew a problem called dandruff. Nowadays, there is hardly anyone who has not heard of dandruff. Naturally, the skin releases a greasy, oil-like substance to protect itself from the environment. This keeps the skin soft and supple. On the scalp, when this greasy secretion does not get proper air exposure, it hardens, dries up, and sheds in flakes.
Many people bathe daily only up to the body and neglect the head, as if the head does not belong to them. Because of this, the scalp does not get cleaned properly and dandruff develops. Those who frequently use shampoos also face this problem — the chemicals in shampoos damage the outer layer of the skin and cause excessive flaking. On the day you use shampoo, the scalp may feel fine, but from the next day onward, the damage begins to show. We get misled by advertisements claiming “anti-dandruff shampoo.” How much money is being wasted on medicines to treat a problem that actually arises simply from not washing the head properly. No medicines are needed for this.
Remedies:
Calf pain most commonly occurs due to weakness. People who do a lot of physical work without eating properly first experience strain in the calf muscles when fatigue sets in. Those who walk excessively may also develop calf pain because the muscles are unable to tolerate the strain. Calf cramps can also occur when the body is deficient in salts such as sodium and magnesium. In those who completely stop consuming salt, calf cramps may occur during the first week or ten days and then gradually subside. The solution is simple — eat nourishing food that enables the body to withstand the work it performs.
Remedies:
Nausea mostly occurs due to disturbances in digestion. It can happen when there is excess mucus in the intestines immediately after waking up, when food is not digested properly, when one travels by bus or car soon after eating, or when the food consumed contains unsuitable or toxic substances. When nausea occurs, one often feels that vomiting would bring relief. During this time, dizziness may also occur and the body feels unsettled. It feels like vomiting will happen, but it doesn’t. Although everyone feels that vomiting would help, the urge to induce it does not come easily. Unless the nausea becomes severe, vomiting does not occur — and without vomiting, the discomfort does not subside.
Remedies:
Sneezing itself is actually good for health, but sneezing 50–60 times a day is a sign of illness. Excess mucus accumulates in the nose and in the nasal side cavities (sinuses), creating a major obstruction to the flow of air. To loosen this mucus and allow it to drain out, so that airflow becomes smooth again, the body induces sneezing and tries to expel the mucus. While the body is trying to remove this impurity for our benefit, we, lacking patience or time, take medicines to suppress sneezing. As a result, sneezing stops temporarily, but the mucus continues to accumulate, leading to various infections. Eventually, sneezing becomes a lifelong problem, and dependence on medicines never ends.
For some people, sneezing occurs when exposed to cold; for others, it happens due to dust. In some cases, incense smoke, strong odors, or other triggers cause sneezing in different ways. This condition can be completely eliminated within 20–30 days.
Remedies:
While the sun gives life to everything, for humans it seems to cause allergies instead of health. In some people, the skin on areas exposed to the sun becomes dark, rough, and burnt-looking, while the parts covered by clothing remain normal. Such people only try to avoid going into the sun, but do not attempt to correct the underlying mistake. Everyone who drinks less water tends to develop sun allergy. Especially in women, this problem is more common simply because they do not drink enough water.
When a tree does not get sufficient water, its leaves cannot withstand the sun and get scorched. What happens in our body is exactly the same. To withstand the heat of the sun, the water present in the skin evaporates and cools the skin. If the body does not have enough water, the skin cannot protect itself from the heat and gets burnt. As long as there is oil in a lamp, the flame does not burn the wick; similarly, as long as there is sufficient water in our body, no matter how strong the sun is, it cannot harm our skin.
Remedies:
This is one of the problems troubling the largest population in the world. Producing about one liter of gas in the intestines every day is a sign of good health. Even if more gas is produced, as long as it passes out freely, it should not be called a problem. When the gas that is produced does not come out freely — either from below or from above — and gets trapped, it is called gas trouble. In some people, the gas gets so severe that they feel as if they are having heart pain. Gas formation occurs in everyone, without any difference between men and women. The only difference is that some people release it with sound, while others release it silently — but for everyone, passing gas is normal.
There are five main causes of gas trouble.
Remedies:
This condition is commonly known as sciatic pain. From the spine, a large nerve passes through the hip, runs along the back of the thigh, goes through the calf, and reaches all the way down to the foot. This sciatic nerve exists in both legs. When this nerve gets compressed between the vertebrae in the lower back, it causes sensations such as tingling in the leg, pulling of the nerve, numbness, cramping, and stiffness. The pain is usually felt along the back side of the leg.
Remedies:
In the throat, on either side, tonsils (adenoids) stand guard — much like security personnel stationed on both sides of a minister’s doorway. If any germs, bacteria, toxins, or poisonous substances enter our body through food or water, the tonsils try to block them from going further inside and protect the body. When harmful bacteria are present in what we eat or drink, the tonsils stop them, and as a result they themselves get infected — leading to swelling, pain, narrowing of the throat, and difficulty in swallowing. When this infection occurs frequently, unable to bear the discomfort, many people opt for surgery to remove the tonsils completely. Just as removing guards causes harm to a house, removing tonsils leads to more problems for the body. This condition is commonly seen in children who consume a lot of cold items such as sweets, ice creams, cool drinks, chocolates, and similar foods.
Remedies:
If followed as above for 6–7 days, the swelling and infection subside completely without the need for any medicines.
Every day, several crores of red blood cells in our body naturally die. If the number of red blood cells becomes low, or if hemoglobin — the substance that gives blood its red color — becomes low, the condition is called anemia. People with anemia often experience weakness, palpitations, shortness of breath, and a pale appearance of the face. In our country, anemia is seen more commonly in women than in men. This is because women lose some blood every month through menstruation. Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers also require more blood. Generally, women do not pay as much attention to their own food intake as they do to feeding others, and that is why this problem is more common among them.
Anemia is most often caused by a deficiency of iron. Hemoglobin is formed only with the help of iron. For the body to absorb iron properly, vitamin C is also required. Therefore, if we regularly take both iron and vitamin C through food, the body can build good-quality blood. Instead of buying iron tablets from the market, naturally obtained iron through food is far more beneficial to the body. Since crores of red blood cells die every day, good food is essential for new ones to be formed in their place.
Remedies:
This problem is commonly seen in people who stay in water for long periods and in those whose toes are very close together without enough space between them. Moisture gets trapped in the gaps between the toes, allowing fungus to grow. This leads to infection, bad odor, irritation, and discomfort.
Remedies:
This is a common problem that women frequently face during menstruation. In many cases, pain starts in the lower back and lower abdomen 2–3 days before the periods. If the pain reduces once the bleeding begins and flows smoothly, it usually indicates the presence of an infection related to the uterus.
In some women, severe pain starts on one side of the lower back (waist/hip area) and spreads upward toward the lower abdomen. Such women generally also suffer from constipation, abdominal bloating, and gas-related problems. During menstruation, the uterus becomes very sensitive. Pressure from problems in the intestines can aggravate the uterus, causing pain.
In some cases, pain may be due to fibroids in the uterus or ovaries. In a few women, the pain may be accompanied by dizziness or even fainting.
Remedies:
As age increases, many people have to wake up at night to urinate 2–3 times, and some even 5–6 times. This disturbs sleep significantly. Some people drink a lot of water along with dinner and go to bed. Others believe that drinking water before sleeping is good for health and make it a habit. Cold weather and air conditioners also increase urine production. Apart from these, in men, enlargement of the prostate gland with age can also cause frequent urination at night.
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At times, the fingers of the hands or the toes may suddenly stiffen, curl inward, and overlap one another. They may remain locked in that position for a while, causing intense pain. If this happens frequently to someone, it should be understood as a sign of significant calcium deficiency in the body.
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Many people experience swollen gums that appear puffed up over the teeth, as if they might burst and bleed when pressed. The teeth may feel loose, and the gums may bleed frequently — especially while brushing. This condition occurs purely due to a deficiency of Vitamin C. Those who eat only cooked food every day tend to develop this deficiency, because more than three-fourths of the Vitamin C present in food gets destroyed during cooking. Hence, it is important to include natural, uncooked foods daily.
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Small sores or ulcer-like patches often appear on the tongue and on the inner walls of the mouth. In some people, as soon as an ulcer heals in one place, another appears elsewhere — they seem to have mouth ulcers all the time. This problem commonly occurs in people who are under a lot of stress and in those who have certain intestinal disorders.
In some cases, instead of ulcers, people develop a coating in the mouth. The tongue and the inner side of the lips look reddish and coated, and cracks or sore patches appear at the corners of the mouth, as if they are chafed. A deficiency of Vitamin B in the body is the main reason for this condition.
Because most foods are polished and refined before consumption, the Vitamin B present in them gets removed along with the outer layers. This problem became more common after people started eating white rice regularly. During polishing, rice mills remove the first and second outer layers of the grain. These layers (bran) contain all types of Vitamin B. Once polished, white rice is left without them. The same happens with other grains and pulses such as toor dal, urad dal, and chickpeas. Even commonly used foods like Bombay rava, wheat rava, wheat flour, and refined flour (maida) are eaten without their outer layers, leading to this deficiency. Continuously swallowing Vitamin B-complex tablets for a lifetime is not a proper solution.
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Many people eat simply because it is time to eat, not because they actually feel hungry. Poor appetite is especially common in young children. The main cause of this condition is constipation. In anyone who has constipation, appetite is the first thing to reduce. When bowel movements are not smooth, the intestines remain filled with retained stool. Even though waste is not passing out properly, food intake from above continues. What goes out determines what should come in. When the intestinal environment becomes unhealthy, appetite slows down. Even without hunger, people eat thinking that not eating will cause weakness, and this only makes the problem worse.
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An allergy is essentially a conflict between what is good and what is bad. If both husband and wife are good, their life runs smoothly without conflicts. In the same way, if food on one side and the body on the other are both natural — that is, if the food is natural and the body is also in a natural state — there will be no conflict (allergy) between them. Even if both are bad, there is no conflict; they adjust to each other well. Problems arise only when one is good and the other is bad.
These days, people are developing allergies to honey, coconut, lemon, other sour foods, sunlight, cold, dust, vegetables, seeds — all of which are natural. If allergies are occurring to such things, it means unnatural substances have accumulated inside the body, producing allergy-causing factors. When the body has become internally unnatural, exposure to these natural things results in itching, rashes, swelling, throat irritation, and similar symptoms.
Since these things “do not suit” the body, people stop consuming them, thinking that avoiding them will solve the problem. But as internal imbalance keeps increasing, allergies gradually develop even to other natural foods. Has anyone ever gone to a doctor saying, “Meat doesn’t suit me,” or “Pickles don’t suit me,” or “Chocolates and biscuits don’t suit me”? These usually suit the body very well. Because the body has already become unhealthy, unhealthy foods merge with it easily — as if saying, “Come, come, we are friends.”
To get rid of allergies, avoiding natural foods is not the solution. The real solution is to wash away the root cause of allergy within the body and restore it to a natural state — then everything will start suiting you again.
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Some people say, “Whatever I eat causes heat in my body, so I don’t eat.” Heat is not a disease; it is a change occurring within the body. People often say honey causes heat, papaya causes heat, buttermilk causes heat, dates cause heat, mango causes heat, and so on. For such people, buttermilk, coconut water, sugar water, and gruels feel cooling. Whenever they feel heat, they use these as remedies.
In reality, what they refer to as “heat” includes symptoms such as burning sensation in the eyes, burning while passing urine, blood in stools, internal burning sensation, burning feeling on the skin, and similar complaints. All these are signs that water in the body has reduced or is insufficient for the body’s needs. That is why coconut water, buttermilk, and sugar water seem to reduce heat — people assume these have some cooling property. In truth, more than 90 percent of all these liquids is water. It is the water that provides the cooling effect. When water reduces heat, people misinterpret it as something else.
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Many people talk while eating. Because of talking, the food is swallowed without being chewed properly. When the mouthful is not crushed well, it cannot pass smoothly through the narrow food pipe and gets stuck in the throat. Some people eat in great haste, finishing their meal within five minutes. For them, the amount of food going in is more than what can smoothly pass down, so it gets stuck in the throat.
It is also a misconception that eating chutneys causes food to stick in the throat. When one eats raw vegetables, fruits, or natural seeds, food does not get stuck for anyone. There is also no need to drink water then. Some people, even when food gets stuck, continue to push more food down. This causes hiccups. Then they remember their mother saying, “Drink seven sips of water,” and when they drink water, the food slides down into the stomach easily and the hiccups stop. Instead of correcting the mistake we make, we try to correct it by drinking water. That water, however, harms the stomach and digestion.
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People say that once BP comes, it never goes away in a lifetime. BP has become a disease that affects everyone in the household. Once it starts, they say you must keep swallowing medicines for as long as you live. If you eat a lot of salt, BP keeps increasing even if you take medicines. If you reduce salt by half and eat, BP stays under control with medicines and does not rise further. But then the disease does not completely worsen, nor does BP completely go away. It stays with you like a family member.
If you feel that this much control is enough, then avoid salt in curd rice and reduce it in curries. But if you truly want it to go away completely, think a little more. When BP increases if you eat salt, and BP decreases when you reduce salt, then why should BP not go away completely if you stop salt altogether? If you strongly desire to get rid of BP completely without medicines and want to live comfortably, then try to give up salt completely.
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People who are overweight commonly suffer from heel pain. When body weight is more than what is ideal, the heels have to bear this extra load every day. Because of this continuous burden, excessive pressure falls on the heel bones and muscles, resulting in pain. When overweight people try to lose weight by walking, the additional strain from walking often increases the heel pain further. Women who wear high-heeled footwear also commonly experience heel pain.
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Up until 40–50 years ago, women did not face this problem. Today, more than 80% of women of reproductive age are experiencing it. The commonly cited reason is “hormonal imbalance.” When medicines are taken, periods come; when the medicines are stopped, the problem returns. Since these medicines should not be used for long periods, stopping them leaves the issue unresolved.
Hormones are produced by the endocrine glands. These glands are like factories. For example, to produce sugar in a sugar factory, we supply sugarcane as the raw material. How can sugar be produced without supplying sugarcane? In the same way, the glands can produce hormones properly only based on the food we eat. What is their raw material? Without identifying the real mistake, how can the problem be solved? With good food habits, periods become regular for everyone within 3–4 months.
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In earlier days, hair was only of two kinds — black or white. These days, just like a chameleon changing colors, human hair is turning into many different shades. On a single head, you can see four or five different colors of hair. Our ancestors applied coconut oil generously to their hair every day. Because of this, no matter how much they moved around in the sun, the heat did not change the color of their hair. In fact, it remained black.
When there is oil on the hair, the sun’s rays cannot damage the hair color; instead, the oil slowly evaporates and protects the hair. But today, people avoid applying oil every day thinking it will look greasy, spoil facial beauty, or make the hair flat. Because of not applying oil at all, hair is turning reddish and losing its natural color.
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This problem is more common in children. Those who consume a lot of sweets, ice creams, and chocolates tend to damage their teeth quickly. When teeth decay and cavities form, food particles get trapped inside these holes. Harmful microorganisms then grow there and cause infection and pain. Once a tooth decays, no matter what we do, it cannot return to its original healthy state. However, it is in our hands to protect the remaining teeth from decaying further through proper food habits.
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It is commonly said that bones become weak with age, and that in women, especially around the time of menopause, bones become brittle and prone to fractures. To prevent this, many people take calcium tablets and drink milk. However, using calcium tablets for a long time can lead to the formation of stones inside the body, and milk is not very beneficial for adults (it is mainly useful for children).
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Some people look fine externally, but unpleasant smells come from within the body. If there is a strong smell from phlegm, saliva, sweat, urine, and stool, it means that a lot of internal waste has accumulated. Instead of constantly changing toothpastes and soaps, or cleaning bathrooms with phenyl, try to clean the dirt inside your body. The stronger these five smells are, the higher the chance of diseases developing inside, or of long-term illnesses setting in.
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Every day, impurities released from the skin accumulate on the scalp and remain there. As they build up, harmful germs grow in that area and cause itching. Some people wash their hair only once every 7–8 days, thinking that daily head baths will cause hair fall or that the hair will not dry properly. Such people often suffer from scalp itching. Lice also breed only when the scalp is dirty. Especially in women, lice tend to remain continuously when the scalp is not kept clean.
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In people who drink very little water, nasal congestion occurs frequently when mucus accumulates in the nose. This problem is more common in small children. Because air cannot pass freely through the nose, they are forced to breathe through the mouth.
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Even though we eat mainly for taste, we usually experience only about 50–60% of the actual flavor of food. It is not the tongue alone that perceives taste. When the mind supports the tongue, the taste can be experienced fully.
After cooking, women often taste the food by placing a small amount on the hand, licking it, and immediately closing their eyes for a moment to assess it. At that moment, they clearly sense what is lacking or excessive. Many people unknowingly close their eyes so that the mind does not wander and can focus entirely on the tongue.
When you eat while keeping your mind on the TV, newspapers, or conversations with others, you cannot truly experience the taste that is present. As a result, no matter how much you eat, you end up feeling dissatisfied rather than satisfied.
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Ideally, the abdomen should be such that when you pinch the sides of the navel with two fingers, the flesh fits between them and measures about one inch in thickness. Also, if you place a plumb line (the type used by masons to check straightness) at the center of the chest, the abdomen should form a straight vertical line downwards like a wall.
But in many of us, when we try to use such a line, it veers outward. The belly has grown so large that it cannot be grasped even with all the fingers, let alone just two. That is the extent to which it needs to be reduced.
When bathing without clothes, everyone clearly sees the true shape of their belly and feels embarrassed at that moment — but once dressed again, it is quickly forgotten. Many believe that belly fat comes from eating and sleeping during the day, but that is not really the case.
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