Easy mantra and it is done

As a young girl, I had much tension in school – having no interest in studies. In the middle of stress, eating junk food (Panipuri) was the most comforting. Munching throughout the day kept me relaxed.

I skipped breakfast due to anxiety about reaching the school on time. The lunch box quickly finished. After school, it was fun to eat chips with my friends, and again Panipuri in the evening. Not hungry at dinner due to fear of going to school the next day. This went on for 8 years. The body started showing signs – skin dryness, bloating, constipation, skin allergies, etc. I was ignorant of its cause.

A few years later, the problem became worse, visible, and ugly. I had to visit the skin specialist. The doctor gave me some ointments and medicines. In one week, the problem disappeared. I stopped the treatment thinking it was gone. Also, the cost of the medicine was too high and visiting charges took all my pocket money. A few days later the same problem reappeared. It looked like an endless process. No one knew the root cause of my problem?

The doctors suggested that I should drink more water. I thought, “How can I drink water if I am not thirsty?”

Seeing my condition, my aunt took me to a naturopathy center nearby. My very first visit to the center was quite depressing. Whatever the doctors explained about my problem and its treatment, it went all above my head.

I said to my aunt, “How can they treat my problem with simple things like water, mud, fasting, and food’

Once again, for quick results, I went back to the hospital, long queues and medicines. One day while waiting for my turn at the hospital I thought, “I wish I could get married to a doctor”. A few years later, I got married to a doctor. In each department, I was given priority. Still, I could not find a permanent solution to my skin problems. After the birth of my baby girl, my condition became even worse due to low immunity and various deficiencies- iron, calcium, B12, and other vitamins.

I thought, despite eating good food ‘according to me’ why am I not healthy? In the morning-toast and tea. Lunch-dal, vegetables, roti,curd, salad. Evening-tea and snacks. Dinner- rice and dal”. Also, I was not aware that stress made my physical health worse. Whenever I could not deal with inner discomfort, I preferred to munch and watch movies.

A few years later, I got constant pain in the chest, chronic cold, and cough. My daughter insisted that I should visit a doctor but I was reluctant for two reasons. Firstly, I did not want to take any strong medicines. Secondly, I did not know which specialist to approach. I googled my symptoms and discovered that it was hyperacidity. I needed to see a gastroenterologist. The doctor told me to take an endoscopy test. The test involved a hollow tube passed through the mouth to the stomach, through which a needle goes in to take the sample from the stomach. This procedure is done without sedation. I had to take it because doctors were suspecting cancer.

The next day, I asked my sister to accompany me. I surprised myself at how well I managed the procedure. Rather my sister almost fainted on seeing me go through it. The test reports were negative, but we ended up laughing at my sister’s plight.

It was a stomach ulcer. The doctor suggested antacids and antibiotics. After taking the antibiotics course, I decided not to be dependent on antacids and other medicines, and to resolve the root cause of my problem. Suddenly, I remembered the naturopathy center. I was more receptive. I heard the doctor carefully and could relate my problems with the five natural elements.

The doctor told me that my body is more acidic.What is that? Too much cooked food, more intake of carbohydrates, and all kinds of junk food, fried food, packed food, non-vegetarian food, tea, coffee, etc. All are acidic in nature (in simple words the body becomes more poisonousby taking these).

You must be thinking what is left then?

The good news is that acidic food is not a problem if well balanced with alkaline food, probiotics and water on a daily basis.

Alkaline foods are ‘seasonal’ fruits and vegetables (A little cooked in mustard oil or coconut oil, cumin seeds, salt, and turmeric).Yet there are many details to it; how to cook, when to eat, what not to eat, how to eat, the quantity, etc.

The naturopathy doctor told me that if I change my diet totally according to them for a few months, then the infection would go away. I had full faith in its working.

I did liquid fasting for a few days, it was very important. I gave space to our digestive system to heal itself. Liquid fasting included homemade buttermilk, coconut water, and fresh vegetable juice of white pumpkin, or bhel oramla. Mostly water-based vegetables soup in the evening.

Homemade Kadha(decoction of cardamom, fennel, and tulsi,boiled it all together and cooled to room temperature). Gradually, I introduced millets.

Enema is another supporting technique at the end of liquid fasting. Also putting a wet towel around the neck for twenty minutes twice a day helped the acid flow down. I followed all this religiously and the results showed within 15 days.

Foods to be avoided in acidity are tea, coffee, besan,soya chunks, packaged foods, ice cream, chocolate, citric fruits, fried food, and outside food for a few months.

Today I am fine but still, I have a sensitive stomach. Often, I make mistakes due to my food cravings. I become too relaxed when things are fine and forget how important it is to eat slowly. There is a science behind it, when we eat too fast especially while watching television, we lose our awareness and grab big bites, forget to chew properly. That gives more work to our weak digestive system. The undigested food causes too much acid formation. Also, acid flows upwards that causes dry cough after food, pain in the chest due to gas, mucus formation and increase in weight.

Secondly, eating too fast does not fully satisfy our taste buds, it leaves us feeling as if we are still hungry. To satisfy our unfulfilled craving we eat more and again fast. Now imagine the damage.

I still make the same mistake and the symptoms reappear again. It disappears by itself as I cure myself by following the same method.

A simple mantra for our body: –

• Drink one big cup of lukewarm water in the morning on an empty stomach.
• Soaked almonds, two figs, or a handful of nuts overnight.
• Take care of Vitamin-C (Awala),Vitamin-D and B12.
• Probiotic food in the breakfast, idili, dosa or curd. 
• Any 2 fruits; preferably before lunch.
• 2 Litres of water gradually in a day.
• Avoid drinking water after fruits, sweet and oily food.
• Soak dal overnight before cooking and avoid taking it at dinner.

One day after having a heavy meal at a dinner party, I went straight to sleep. The next morning, it was my daughter’s usual school day. I went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for her. Suddenly, I got severe heart pain. This kind of pain I had never experienced before, it felt like a heart attack. I could barely stand on my feet.  Seeing my condition my daughter told me to relax and lie down on the bed. She managed her breakfast and took some money for lunch. After she left for school, I did not know what to do. Shall I call my family or run to the hospital, or call a doctor? Suddenly, it came to me that water is heavier than gas (I learned that at the naturopathy center). Let me just try the cold wet towel around my neck, as it was a summer morning. You won’t believe it but within 2 minutes, the gas passed, and all my chest pain was gone. A simple thing saved my time, money, running to the hospital, medicine, and all the chaos.

Major health problems never occur in days, weeks, or months. Nature is very tolerant and forgiving. But if one continues ignoring it for many years then bigger problems arise. Our body always indicates. Medical science is a boon if used intelligently. It can be supportive by providing an accurate diagnosis, supplements, and aid in an emergency.

After our breath, the next most important intake is food and water. And that demands our special attention.