Naturopathy Therapy, as an age old healing method, was very much in practice in India when drugs and technology were not much in vogue. Nature provided all the elements, within the range of the natural foods, which man needed in the way of nutrient and medicine. Thus, the healing power by naturopathy was nothing new to the Indian tradition. In Indian homes, home remedies have always come before the even doctor`s medicines. This clearly portrays the sheer importance of naturopathy as a trustworthy alternative treatment procedure in ancient India. With passing time, Indian naturopathy gained contour as one of the important health care systems in India, famed for its side effect less treatment.
Raw Juice Therapy
Raw juice therapy which is also known as juice fasting is a method of treatment of ailments through an exclusive diet of juices of fruits and vegetables. This therapy is considered the most effective way to restore health and revitalise the body. In Raw juice therapy, the eliminative and cleansing capacity of the organs of elimination, namely lungs, liver, kidneys and the skin, is greatly increased and masses of accumulated metabolic waste and toxins are quickly removed. Digestion of food and the utilisation of nutrients are greatly improved in this therapy. An exclusive diet of raw juices of fruits and vegetables results in much faster recovery from diseases and more effective cleansing and regeneration of the tissues than the fasting on pure water.
Raw juices of fruits and vegetables are very rich in vitamins, minerals, enzymes and natural sugars. They exercise advantageous effect in normalising all the body functions. They supply needed elements for the body`s own healing activity and cell regeneration, thereby speeding the improvement. Alkaline elements in raw juice is highly beneficial in normalising acid-alkaline balance in the blood and tissues as there is over acidity in most conditions of ill-health. Calcium, potassium and silicon in raw juice help in restoring biochemical and mineral balance in the tissues and cells, thereby preventing premature ageing of cells and disease. Raw juices contain certain natural medicines, vegetal hormones and antibiotics. For instance, string beans are said to contain insulin-like substance.
Sleep Therapy
Sleep Therapy in Naturopathy is a vital element in man`s mental as well as physical life, since the loss of sleep exerts seriously detrimental effects upon the nervous system. This involves a periodic rest of the body, which is absolutely essential for its efficient functioning.
Abstaining from sleep for longer periods may cause intense psychological changes such as loss of memory, irritability, hallucination and even schizophrenic manifestations. Sleep is the indispensable condition to the recuperation of energy.
Massage Therapy
Massage therapy in Naturopathy is a therapeutic cure to many diseases. It involves the scientific manipulation of the soft tissues of the body. If correctly done on a bare body, it can be highly stimulating and refreshing. Massage therapy dates back as far as 400 B.C., when the great Hippocrates, the father of medicine, employed massage and manipulation in healing his patients. Since then it has been used as a mode of treatment for many ailments and it has restored many a sufferer to health and vigour.
Mud Therapy
Mud therapy has been regarded as an effective remedy to several diseases in ancient times as well as the middle ages. In modern times, it again came into eminence as it was discovered to have remarkable effects to refresh, enliven and vitalise the human body; especially during the night. The forces of earth have remarkable effects upon the human body, especially during the night. It is believed that for wounds and skin diseases, application of clay or moistened earth was the only true natural cure.
Fasting Therapy
Fasting therapy is one of the most ancient customs. This is nature`s oldest, most effective and yet least expensive method of treating diseases, recognised as the achievement of natural healing. Throughout medical history, it has been regarded as one of the most dependable curative methods. It refers to complete abstinence from food for a particular period pertaining to a specific purpose. The common cause of all diseases is the accumulation of waste and poisonous matter in the body which results from overeating. The majority of people eats too much and follows sedentary occupations which do not permit sufficient and proper exercise for utilisation of this large quantity of food. This surplus overburdens the digestive organs and clogs up the system with impurities or poisons. Digestion and elimination become slow and the functional activity of the whole system gets deranged. Every disease can be healed by only one remedy - by doing just the opposite of what causes it, that is, by reducing the food intake or fasting. By depriving the body of food for a time ,the organs of elimination such as the bowels, kidneys, skin and lungs are given opportunity to expel, unhampered, the overload of accumulated waste from the system. Thus, fasting therapy is merely the process of purification and an effective and quick method of cure.
Bath Therapy
Bath therapy is a valuable therapeutic agent since time immemorial. In all major ancient civilisations, bathing was considered an important measure for the maintenance of health and prevention of disease. Water has been regarded as an important remedial agent to several diseases such as diarrhoea, ulcerative colitis, fever, jaundice, constipation, and other such ailments. The ancient Vedic literature in India contains numerous references to the efficacy of water in the treatment of disease. There are numerous spas and "Bads" in most European countries where therapeutic baths are used as a major healing agent. Water exerts valuable effects on the human system. It equalises circulation, boosts muscular tone and helps in digestion and nutrition. It also tones up the activity of perspiratory gland and in the process eliminates the damaged cells and toxic matter from the system.
The common water temperature chart is; cold 10 degree Celsius to 18 degree Celsius, neutral 32 degree Celsius to 36 degree Celsius and hot 40 degree Celsius to 45 degree Celsius. Above 45 degree Celsius, water loses its therapeutic value and is destructive. There are several types of Bath therapy which helps in curing gastritis, hyperacidity, indigestion, jaundice, constipation, diarrhoea, dysentery, bronchitis, pleurisy, pneumonia, fever, cough and so on. The various types of bath therapy are Enema, Cold Compress, heating compress, hip bath, spinal bath, full wet sheet pack, cold foot bath, steam bath, immersion bath and Epsom salt bath. These bath therapies are an effective method of cure to several ailments. There are certain methods, duration and process which are to be followed in each therapy.
Diet Therapy
Diet is a very important part of living and a nutritious diet helps keeping new diseases from affecting the body. Ayurveda suggests that only a balanced diet is not sufficient for good health. It recommends that specific bodily conditions require specific diets. It looks at diet as an alternative therapy and treats the body as a combination of three different factors called vata, pitta and kapha. These factors represent air, fire and water respectively. A healthy boy is one in which the three elements are perfectly balanced which can be achieved through diet. When any one of the elements is disturbed the body becomes prone to diseases, correcting the diet can cure it.