Nature’s prescription for wellness

In my last but one column, I wrote about fear of germs and viruses, immunity and learning to keep well naturally. Looking at disease and wellness from an alternate point of view was promised. From the time I first became aware that the medical fraternity doesn’t have all the answers, I began experimenting wellness with myself and my baby son almost 25 years ago. Instead of asking a doctor what to do (i.e asking for medication), I decided to put my faith in nature’s plan for perfection. Soon enough I realised that nature has its own prescription for healthy living. Way back then I decided to apply simple common sense rules to health and well-being issues instead of blindly following the quick but temporary relief offered by modern medicine. I remember when my son was two years old, a dear aunt of mine begged me to get a doctor to treat his diarrhoea and dehydration. From my study of nutrition and understanding of the disease process, it had become clear that diarrhoea and vomiting were a result of the body rejecting food. If the body is deprived of food for some time, it will heal naturally and get back to normal. But if stuffed with medicines and more food, the body rebels, which aggravates diarrhoea. The only thing to watch out for is dehydration. This can be prevented by ensuring that children sip nimbu-pani (lemon juice) with sugar and salt (raw sugar and rock salt preferably) at regular intervals. Later, the patient can be fed other liquids like fresh juices, coconut water and soups (without milk/cream/ butter). The mistake most people make is to panic if a child stops eating which is natural in the circumstances. Needless to say, because I followed this logic my son recovered soon. However, those who want to follow nature’s way must first understand their bodies, believe in nature’s wisdom, and learn about natural healing processes. My son, having experienced natural healing first-hand, has so much faith in nature that he refuses even natural medicine including home remedies. He has immense faith that his body will heal itself if he allows it to without hindrance. Certainly the tradition of fasting (cessation of food intake for a specified time and subsistence on water) is not new to Indians. When we fast the body’s reserves are used as energy and the body is allowed to rest and heal without interruption — digestion, assimilation, etc. In naturopathy fasting is trusted to cure many ailments and to detoxify the body. Although I’m not recommending fasting as a cure-all, its usefulness is well documented. It’s ideal when the body needs a break from food ingestion. Besides diarrhoea and vomiting, when we suffer from stomach aches or gas, instead of eating more, skipping a meal or two works wonders. One doesn’t need a doctor to understand this simple logic. Another circumstance in which a short fast of a day or so is essential is during pregnancy. Some pregnant women suffer terrible morning sickness, which simply…