Nature cures, not the physician - Hippocrates

What, you may ask, is a public relations man doing writing a book on nature cure ? The answer is simple : good health ought to be everybody’s concern, not solely the medical profession’s business. More importantly, in my own case, I suffered immen- sely, for many years, largely due to the shortcomings of the modern medical system. In my despair, I earnestly began my study of natural methods of treatment and cure of disease, as also the ways and means of maintaining good health. Putting the time-tested nature cure methods into practice proved so beneficial in my own case, that I took to studying their application for several other diseases as well. What began as mere jottings was gradually expanded into full-length articles on the subject " Cure Without Drugs ", several of which were published in "The Economic Times. " The readers’ response to the series was overwhelming and several of them suggested that the articles be complied in book form, to benefit more people. "Health the Natural Way " was the result. This book as well as my second book titled " Diet Cure For Common Ailments " published three years laters, was well received by the press and the public. This fact coupled with the immense popularity of my articles on health, nutrition and nature cure being published in several leading newspapers and magazines, have prompted me to write a comprehensive book on nature cure under the present title for the benefit of the general public.
Experience, they say, is the most convincing teacher, and I would like to begin with details of my own case history as a means of indicating the major health problems that nature cure can overcome. While doing my intermediate arts, at the age of 16, I contracted two serious illness - pleurisy and typhoid fever - simultaneously. Having run their course for about 45 days, both ailments left me so debilitated that I had to dis- continue my studies for one year, on medical advice.
My recovery was gradually but not complete, as I developed heartburn and breathing problems. At 28 came the worst crisis, when I suffered a stroke in the early hours of an extremely hot day in May after acute heartburn throughout the night. The stroke made the left side of my body extremely heavy and weak, and the attending physician referred my case to a well- known neurosurgeon, suspecting a brain tumour. For nearly two months I lay helpless in the special ward of a reputed hospital, undergoing several tests and at the same time observing around me frequent deaths following unsuccessful brain surgery. Finally, having twice failed to inject air through the spinal cord for taking X-rays of the brain, the specialist decided to make holes in my skull for that purpose and even operate if necessary. Fortunately for me, the specialist had to attend a medical conference elsewhere and, therefore, instructed his assistant to try the newly-introduced method of cerebral angiography, which involved injecting dye through an exposed vein in the neck to enable X-raying of veins in the brain. When these X-rays did not reveal anything abnormal, I was allowed to go, but not before the harrowing experience had left me a complete nervous wreck.
However, that was not the end of it. I underwent a barium meal examination which indicated " Chronic doudenitis, may be chronic duodenal ulcer." The numerous drugs prescribed for the treatment of this ailment and the continuing weakness and heaviness of my left side made my condition worse still. I endured this for three years, until the pain and heaviness of the left side was miraculously cured by an astrologer : But nothing could rid me of the heartburn, abdominal pain and occasional severe stomach upsets, which continued to necessiate the use of several drugs. Investigations, from time to time, confirmed the diagnosis of duodenitis or chronic duodenal ulcer. A barium meal examination , done when I was 39, revealed hiatus hernia with peptic oesophegal ulcers.
To add to all of this, at 45, an eminent heart specialist declared me a heart patient, following a check-up due to pain on the left side of my chest. The heavy drugging, dieting etc. that ensued completely ruined my health and resulted in insomnia and a weight loss of 15 kg. Consulting another eminent heart specialist two years later, I was informed that there was no evidence whatsoever of heart trouble, but he confirmed the presence of hiatus hernia and stomach trouble. God alone knows which diagnosis was correct : Then came a host of diseases in rapid succession - spondylosis, myalgia, backache and prostate enlargement, in treating all of which the modern medical system failed to give me any relief, despite taking huge quantities of drugs, especially painkillers, antacid tablets and tranquillisers.
All this time, I was aware of the natural methods of treatment which I had studied from the age of 30 and a few of which I had practised occassionally. I , however, dared not adopt them wholeheartedly because of my heavy dependence on drugs. Rather late in the day, at the age of 55, I made a determined bid to do away with all drugs and take recourse to natural methods. I began collecting and studying a greater deal of data on the subject and also consulted naturopaths. I made drastic changes in my diet and lifestyle and started rigidly observing the laws of nature. I was rewarded sooner than expected so much so, that for one who narrowly escaped death at the age of 28, when my son was a year old, I can proudly say that today, at 64, when I have a nine-year-old grandson, I feel healthier, thanks mainly to my taking recourse to nature cure methods. Of course, I do not claim that I have cured all my ailments. But I do maintain that I have been able to control them substantially and have obtained a lot of relief without resorting to drugs. This, I feel, is no mean achievement. I am certain that my own success in controlling several dreaded disabilities will serve as inspiration to those readers who are suffering from various ailments and hold out the hope of their deriving real benefits from the natural methods of treatment outlined in this book.

23, New Bombay Railwaymen’s H.K. BAKHRU
Co.-Op. Housing Society,
Sector 2, Vashi, New Bombay
Pin 400 703.

[index]