Importance of Nature Cure

ORGANS - NATURE CURE TREATMENTS

Our body has occult physiology - has awesome attributes of our miraculous self-repairing, self replenishing, self sustaining physique. Nature cure alone acts as an aid to support this natural mechanism of the human body.

Nature Cure treatments are based on the 5 great elements of nature that have immense healing properties. There is no role of internal medications or drugs in the nature cure system.

The Five great elements of nature and the treatments based on them are:

Earth – Mud baths, Mud packs, Mud Wraps

Water – Hydrotherapy methods - Baths, Jets, Douches, Packs, Immersions, Compresses/Fomentations

Air – Breathing exercises, Outdoor walking, Open air baths

Fire – Sun baths, Thermoleum baths, Magnetised water

Ether – Fasting therapy

MUD - EARTH THERAPY

Mud represents Earth, one of the five elements of nature and has tremendous impact on the maintenance of health and prevention of diseases. Minerals and trace elements present in the mud are known for its tremendous effects and healing properties. Mud also has the remarkable property of holding moisture for a long time, which has a cooling effect on the part of the body applied.

- Helps improve circulation and relax the muscles

- Helps in eliminating the toxins from the body

- Improves the digestive activity and balances the metabolism

- Local application helps to relieve inflammations, swellings and also greatly reduces pain

- Excellent in certain skin problems

- Helps to bring down the blood pressure

- Nourishes the skin

- Conditions the hair

- Specific kind of application relieves the stiffness of joints and increases flexibility and mobility

WATER – HYDROTHERAPY

Hydrotherapy uses the therapeutic properties of water. Water has been used for therapeutic purposes since hundreds of years. Water has great healing properties and exhibits different properties at different temperatures. The temperature of the water for any treatment depends on the effect desired.

Water is used internally and externally in all its forms - steam, liquid or ice, to cleanse and restore health. It is used in the form of Baths, Jets/Douches, Packs, Compresses and Immersions to name a few.

HYDRO WASHES

This helps cleanse and detoxify the internal cavities.

ENEMA

- Is a process of treatment in which water and other specific fluids are inserted into the rectum for the purpose of cleansing the intestines and removing the foreign toxic matter out

- Is the basis of nature cure treatments

- It is a very effective cleansing method because the intestines are the first home to a large amount of morbid toxic matter produced in the body as a result of wrong eating, living and thinking.

- It helps to eliminate Constipation which is the root cause of most of the diseases

- It remarkably hastens the natural healing process of the body

HYDRO BATHS

Arm and Foot Bath

- Relieves localized pain, swelling and inflammations

- Relieves headaches

- Facilitates easy breathing as in asthma and bronchitis

- Excellent for relieving the numbness and tingling in the extremities

Hip Bath

- Stimulates the circulation towards the pelvic and digestive organs and relieves constipation, flatulence and indigestion

- Helps set right the menstrual disorders and pelvic pain

- Helps strengthen the hips and lumbar sacral spine and the coccyx and relieves back pain

Beneficial in piles

Spinal Bath / Anti-Stress Bath

- Stimulates the spinal nerves

- Relaxes the paraspinal muscles

- Helps maintain the blood pressure

- Helps in regulating the moods like anxiety or depression

- Relaxes irritable nerves and mood

Steam Bath

- The entire body with the exception of the head is exposed to a superheated atmosphere which helps in many ways. Steam inhalation helps decongest the respiratory tract.

Medicated ayurvedic or herbal steam helps rejuvenate the body.

- Helps open up the skin pores

- Helps remove the toxins through the skin by sweating

- Helps the skin maintain its natural moisture and softness

- Local steam helps relieve pain in the local area and also eliminates inflammation

Wet packs

- Wet packs allow an in-depth detoxification of the areas which are swollen, blocked or sensitive and help to restore the vitality of the skin and the body. There are several packs like chest, abdomen, knee, trunk, shoulder, face, ankle and neck packs.

- Relieves inflammation and swelling

- Improves circulation

- Relieves the stiffness and spasms of muscles and joints

- Relieves pain

Hydro Jets / Douches

These treatments help refresh, stimulate and boost vitality of the body. They improve the peripheral blood circulation and stimulate the nervous system.

Wet Compresses / Fomentation

- This is the application of water in the form of a pack wrung out in water of different temperatures (Normal, Hot, Cold or Alternate hot and cold).

- Helps in detoxification of areas which are swollen, blocked or sensitive

- Excellent for pain, sore muscles, swelling, edema

- Stimulates the blood and lymph stream

- Gives soothing, refreshing, calming and decongesting qualities

Immersions

- It is one of the hydrotherapy treatments wherein the body locally or wholly is immersed in water of different temperatures ( Normal, Hot or Cold).

- Helps improve the circulation of the part immersed and also the peripheral circulation

- Helps relieve pain and edema

- Useful in treating certain skin disorders

- Helps to relieve congestion of the reflex regions thereby relieving symptoms of asthma, migraine, insomnia, etc.

Colonic Hydrotherapy / Irrigation

- The colon is the seat of all toxins in the body. This detoxifying treatment involves an assisted soothing gentle flow of filtered, temperature-controlled water throughout the colon to flush out accumulated waste and toxins.

- Helps bring about efficient elimination of waste products

- Helps restore tissue and organ function

- Rebalances body chemistry

- Stimulates the Autonomic Nervous System

SUN BATH – HELIOTHERAPY

The Romans known for their splendid robust physique and muscle tone, used to regularly take sun baths on their terraces in sun houses known as 'SOLARIA'. Even the ancient Hindus, Chinese and the Egyptians used sunlight for curative purposes (along with water and fasting).

Sunbathing means exposure of whole or part of the body to sunrays. Sunlight is absorbed by the nervous system and distributed by it and the bloodstream to the different parts of our body.

- It benefits the muscles in our body

- It promotes proper formation of teeth,

- It brings down the blood pressure

- It makes the kidneys function more efficiently

- Blisters and wounds heal faster as it maintains the alkali in the blood

- Pregnant ladies can avoid the normal discomfiture as well as improve their lactation in the post-natal period

- Sunlight aids the all around development of a child,

- It helps to nourish and strengthen the body and helps in fast recovery of the sick during convalescence period

- Rheumatic patients benefit from sunbaths and steam baths

FASTING - ETHER THERAPY

Fasting, one of the oldest natural therapies is nothing but an extension of the Golden Rule "To keep healthy, one must always keep a little hungry." Unfortunately, today we live in a culture of excess, of fast junk food, instant food, we gorge ourselves till we can eat no more.

The mechanism of the therapeutic effect of fasting is very easy to understand. The food that we eat provides our body with the necessary energy and enables it to produce new cells. Both these processes give rise to numerous toxins, which inhibit the efficacy of the cells of the body. Usually, whatever we consume is first assimilated. This digested mass reaches the liver, which, like the lungs and kidneys, extracts all the toxin or waste elements.

At the end of the first extended period of fasting, with fewer toxins to hinder cell functioning, the natural resistance power of the body increases manifold. The blood becomes purer and the skin begins to clear up and acquire a new glow.

In other words, when one stops eating, the disease and not the person dies of starvation. 

Fasting of 3-4 days each month serves wonderfully for toning up the system and for increasing the body's natural resistance to disease. Regular weekly fasting, or half-day fasting (skipping an occasional meal), or juice fasting or fruit fasting - all result in a tremendous improvement in the digestive process and utilization of nutrients. Fasting therapy has also been shown to increase stamina, accelerate weight loss and reverse ageing considerably.

Unless you are accustomed to fasting, it is advisable that you start the fasting regimen with a fruit or juice fast, or only a weekend fast. In any case, it is advisable to consult a qualified naturopath before you commence a long fast. Most healthy young adults can easily tolerate fasts lasting up to a week provided water and salts are replenished. Fasts of longer duration should be undertaken as a matter of therapy only when prescribed by a qualified Naturopath and strictly under supervision only.

HEALTH AND DISEASE

Health is an important treasure of life. The joy, prosperity and activities of human being depend on health to a great extent. The definition of health given by WHO - "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely absence of disease or infirmity." This has already been mentioned in Ayurveda and other systems of Indian Medicine directly or indirectly. In Ayurveda, the equality of Dosha, Dhatu, Agni and Mala and being happy with soul, senses and mind is described as a definition of a healthy individual.

Actually health cannot be measured by numbers or data. Health is a thing of feeling and really healthy individual may experience its pleasure. A healthy person may be that whose appetite is normal, feels satisfaction with natural diet, all physical activities are normal, whose thinking is healthy, skin is moist, soft and light, sleep is sound and adequate, mind is cheerful and body feels light while awakening. Health is a stage of balance in physical activities.

Nature cure has its own concepts regarding health and disease. According to this disobedience of Nature's laws produces the disease and by adopting the Natural laws health may be regained.

Virtually the manifestation of the symptom of disease means body is loaded with morbid toxic matter. If that matter could be removed from body by means of the natural methods of cleansing of body then the body regains health. Here morbid toxic matter means the substances which are not required by body and which develop due to the result of our faulty habits of eating, living and thinking. These faulty habits create sluggishness in eliminative organs due to which the morbid matter accumulates in the body instead of coming out from the body. At last this accumulation becomes a cause of disease. The specific part, system or organ of body wherein the morbid matter accumulates accordingly produces the symptom of disease.

"Vikrutaavikruta ghnanti tae vartayanticha"

In an undisturbed state the tridoshas contribute to the health of the person, when disturbed they lead to disease and decay. 
In other words normalcy of the tridoshas corresponds to the physiological states, and their imbalance leads to the pathological states.