Tip 11. (Basic Healing Principles) Fasting Is a Time of Rest
Fasting is a
time of rest.
A lot of energy is spent
during the f
a
st in the pr
o
cess of
e
liminating acc
u
mulated poisons and toxic waste materials. It
is, therefore,
of utmost importance that the pati
e
nts gets as
much physical rest
and mental relaxation as possi
b
le
d
uring the fast.
In cases of
f
asts in which fruit juices are taken,
e
s
pecially when fresh gr
a
pes, orang
e
s or grapefruit a
r
e used exclusively, the toxic wastes
enter the bl
o
od -stream rapidly, resulting in an overload of toxic matter, which affec
t
s normal bodily functio
n
s. This often results in dizzy
spells,
f
oll
o
wed by diarrhoea and vomiting. If this physical r
e
action persists, it
is advisable to discontin
u
e
the fast and
take cooked
vegetables containing
a
dequate roughage such
as spinach and beets until
t
he body functioning ret
u
rns to normal.
The overwe
i
ght person finds it much
easier to go
without food. Loss of weight causes
no fear and the patient's attitu
d
e makes fasting almost
a pleasure.
The first day's hunger p
a
ngs are perhaps the
most difficult
to bear.
The craving for food will,
however, gradually dec
r
ease as the
fast progresses. Seriously sick persons have no desire
f
or food and
fasting co
m
es naturally
to them. The simplest
r
ule is to stop eating
until the ap
p
etite returns
or until one
f
eels compl
e
tely well.
Tip 12. H
y
d
rothera
p
y
, the treatment of disease
w
ith the
b
ath, is one of the most useful nature cures.
The hipbath
is one of the most useful forms of hydrotherapy. As the name suggests,
this mode
of treatment involves only the hips and the abd
o
minal region below the navel. A special type of tub is used
f
or the purpose. The tub
i
s
filled with
water in such a way that it covers t
h
e hips and reaches up
t
o the navel when the patient si
t
s
in i
t
. Generally, four to six gallons of wa
t
er are required. If
t
he special
t
ub is not available, a
c
o
mmon tub
may be used. A support may be
placed und
e
r one edge
t
o elevate it by two or three inches.
H
ipbath is
g
iven in cold,
h
ot, neutral
or alternate
temperatures. IM
P
ORT
AN
T PRECAUTIONS:
Certain precautions are
necessary while taking
t
hese thera
p
eutic baths.
Full baths
should be avoided within three ho
u
rs after a meal and one
hour before it. Local ba
t
hs like
t
he hipbath and footbath may, however,
be taken two hours aft
e
r a meal. Clean and pure water must be used
for baths a
n
d water once used sho
u
ld not be used again.
W
hile taking
b
aths, temperature and duration sh
o
uld be strictly observed
t
o obtain the
desired eff
e
cts. A thermometer should always
be used to
measure the temperature of the bo
d
y. Women
s
hould not t
a
ke any of the baths
during menstruation. T
h
ey can take only hipbaths during pr
e
gnancy till t
h
e completi
o
n of the third month.
Tip 13. A simple nature cure for inflammatory
conditio
n
s is the cold footbath.
Three to four inches of
cold water at a temperature of 7.2 ºC to 12.7º C should be pl
a
c
ed in a small tub or
bucket. The
feet should
be completely immersed
in the water for one to five minutes. Friction sho
u
ld be continu
o
usly applied
to the feet
d
uring the ba
t
h, either by an attendant or
by the patient by rubbing one foot
a
gainst the o
t
her.
A cold foot
b
ath, taken f
o
r one or two minutes, relieves cerebral conges
t
i
o
n and uteri
n
e haemorrha
g
e. It also helps in the tr
e
atment of sprains, strai
n
s and infla
m
ed bunions
when
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