Nature Cure – An alternative healthcare approach (Naturopathy)
Naturopathy, is an interesting alternative health-care approach. I want to give an introduction on Naturopathy, in this article using some information I have.
Disclaimer: I am no expert in Naturopathy and I don’t advocate people to move to this method discarding all other forms of medicine. This article is to just explore certain concepts in Nature Care & Naturopathy to get a better knowledge of medicine and health in general.
It seems our bodies have self regulated mechanisms of healing. Nature Cure, uses natural methods and products to prevent and cure ailments.
The prevention part is important. Often, this is neglected by the people and the medical systems we follow. Naturopathy goes very deep as to the best form of diet we ought to follow, exercises we need to do, and even best practices – like eating fruits while we are sick/ not having water half an hour before or after having food, etc.
Nature Cure focuses on the causes of ailments, than the symptoms. Many of us would be surprised to know that fever, cold, body-pain etc are all symptoms and not ailments! So, suppressing of symptoms using brute force methods (like instant relief tablets/ drugs) etc, is not recommended. Prolonged suppression of symptoms might even lead to some bigger ailment!
Naturopathy suggests that most of the ailments are caused due to the accumulation of waste materials in our bodies. The excretory organs, which normally function to excrete the waste materials from our body on a regular basis, doesn’t work as it must during ailments. That’s why we are not able to eat much food when we are sick. It is not recommended to eat food during those times either. Naturopathy suggests that we could remain on a diet of fruits/ fruit juices or ‘light food’ like raw vegetables, sprouts, little bread etc, so that the excretory organs finish the job of excreting the accumulated waste materials.
In fact, for bigger ailments Naturopathy suggests prolonged fasting for a few days, only taking water, juices etc, during that time. This suggestions come from the basic principle that most of the diseases are caused because of the accumulation of waste materials in our body. And the symptoms (like cold, fever, etc) are self-initiated methods followed by our body to throw away those accumulated waste materials.
So when a doctor gives medicine to treat fever or cold or body pain for example, he is suppressing the symptom without analyzing the real cause and trying to find a cure for that. Worse, every tablet/tonic/drug has side effects. They might harm the body if taken frequently. These are claims no doubt, but they could have some semblance of truth in them.
So, how does Naturopathy cure? One common method is Fasting. (So, this ritual discarded by our scientific people of today as ‘religious practice’ might not be so bad after all!). Naturopathy uses water in various forms (Water Fasting, Hot/Cold/Warm Water baths, etc) to increase the vitality of the functioning of human organs. Nature Cure, advocates exposure to fresh air and sunlight along with regular exercises/ Yoga, etc.
Naturopathy believes that even the earth has some curing powers. So, application of mud packs, clay etc on direct skin (for certain ailments) is suggested. In fact, there is a ritual of burying people in the mud (except their face) in some places – which is based on this ability of the earth to cure.
Colour-therapy is another method which uses exposure to certain coloured lights to cure certain ailments. The patient is examined and the colours he lacks is identified, and those colours are applied on to him. Sunlight is considered to be an important source of light to which the body must be exposed regularly. So, all you AC-Car/AC-House/AC-Workplaces type of people – you might be missing exposure to adequate sunlight!
Even proper and adequate sleep is considered an important element in healthy living. While the amount of (duration of) sleep required might vary from person to person, it seems, that duration is automatically determined and self regulated by the body. So, waking up after a short sleep or frequently waking up from sleep for taking those cell phone calls might harm you on the long run.
Nutrition and the kind (and quantity) of food to be taken is dealt with exhaustively by Nature Cure. Naturopathy goes to the extant of mentioning which form of diet is better for each ailment. For example, did you know that Cataract could be controlled by taking almonds with pepper in water mixed with slight quantity of sugar? Along with fasting with orange juice and water? And that potatoes are not recommended to be eaten for people with cataract? Such information might be known to our grandmothers and their grandmothers, but this generation is too ‘Scientific’ to be bothered about ‘Prevention as Cure’ as there are so many 5-Star hospitals/ Medical Insurances and Super-Specialty Medicines!
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PS: Whether you follow Nature-Cure methods or not – don’t ignore your health in the mad rush.
DI, I firmly believe that nature has a cure for every ailment that the human kind faces!
There isn’t a greater remedy than nature and its valuable offerings!
I read somewhere that ‘The job of the Doctor is to amuse the patient while nature takes care of the disease’ 🙂
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Hmm there are so many alternatives these days end of the day i feel what helps you the most is the best ..
I beleive in nature care too and i dont take any medicines especially the pain killers till i can bear the pain.. etc but then medicines are also coming from nature and so on
What i have recently experienced is going to a CharoPractor … (maybe wrong spellings) , I had hurt my bottom back.. so i had 3 sessions with them and it has come out trumps and i feel so goood , and its all in her/his hands.
Bikram’s
The medicines coming from nature is an interesting point! And yeah, the effectiveness of any form of medicine and cure is in the hands of the person who is advocating it. No doubt.
Destination Infinity
Nothing like naturopathy…… but who follows it these days?
People dont even have the time or patience to follow a healthy lifestyle in the first place!
That’s the point of my whole post, to remind people (including myself) to follow a healthier lifestyle.
Destination Infinity
yes prevention is better than cure
But sadly, we do not concentrate much on that part in our compulsively high paced life…
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Powdered almonds and peper, is it? This is a good tip!
Even when my children were very small, if they had fever, I used to wait for 3 days for it to subside by itself and on the fourth day I was thinking of giving them paracetamal. If it didn’t come down even after having the tablets for 2 days, I used to take them to the doctor. My sons are following it even now, they never take pain killers and wait for more symptoms to go to the doctor.
For me, ayurveda seems to work for my chronic problems. But it takes long time, unlike alopathy medicines.
Interesting post, D.I.
That was brave enough. The problem is health is too sensitive and people feel guilty if they don’t go to the doctor and get a couple of injections or medicines immediately! I too don’t go to doctors unless the pain/effect is unbearable. Good rest/ sleep and right food generally is enough.
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In our house, fever cure is pepper rasam with garlic! My husband mashes rice and adds lots of rasam and feeds the sick. His rasam rice (he takes the credit though I am the one who makes rasam!) is famous among our friends and relatives and mostly it works!
Interesting to know that – Thanks, I will try it too 🙂
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I am a firm believer in nature therapy and rarely take medicines. I think a natural diet is the best for the health, but ofcourse do not always follow that. Temptations are too great! If I get a viral fever I never try and suppress the fever or headache with a pill. Best to let it all come out.
Also better to find out the cause of the viral fever. It happens because of something you might have done recently, and hence better not to do it again. But as you said, temptations are too much and too great indeed 🙂
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Awesome. I never heard about color therapy. First time from your post. Very informative.
Initially, I thought it was a bit strange. But looks like every bit of nature can heal!
Destination Infinity
informative post!
Thanks Reema. In one day, you seem to have covered so many posts!!! 🙂
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