Desh-Videsh

WATER -- THE HEALER!

"Apsu me Somo abraveet, antar vishvaani bheshajam"

Water is a great healer in the entire universe — Taittareeya Upanishad.

The Truth About Water and a Couple of Myths

_We know that more than 85% of this earth is water. This is almost the same percentage of water in our bodies. Medical doctors consider maintaining the correct percentage of water so important that practically the first thing they do for ill patients is to begin to administer intravenous water-saline to prevent dehydration. All physicians know that dehydration beyond a certain point can be fatal. This is because most of the chemical reactions in living bodies are possible only because of the existence of water. The medical basis of a water-salt combination is that sodium in the salt has an affinity to water and will assist the body to retain water. By contrast, followers of natural hygiene in India care for dehydrated patients with tender coconut water or the juice of ash gourd . The salt in the coconut water or ash gourd in the organic form is considered more beneficial than the common salt used in the medical system.

People are constantly warned against getting dehydrated by over exposure to heat or sun. All living beings maintain their bodies' size, shape and vitality because of the water content in them. Water is necessary for our existence, to be sure. Many people believe that we must consume eight glasses of water every day; some say a gallon of water. This is Myth #1. We should drink water whenever we are thirsty. When we drink water without thirst, we load our kidney with over work and surely disturb our digestion process because the digestive juices so far secreted in our digestive track was originally formed with a consistency suitable for the food we ate. Now flooding the system with extra water is uncalled for and thus resulting in diluting the digestive juices. There are several other myths about the use of water. I will try to clear up some of them in this article.

Myth #2: Drink During a Meal. While proper use of water can improve health, it is important for us to know that improper use can destroy our health. If we learn the proper use of water, we can save ourselves from falling ill and we can enjoy good health. Food can be digested better if it has a higher water
content. However, that does not mean one should drink a lot of water during meal. It is the consistency of food in the mouth which determines the concentration of gastric juices secreted in the stomach. Although we do not usually swallow water along with our food, most of us drink water directly after swallowing food down the throat. This way, we are cheating ourselves from getting the benefit of the nutrition in the food we eat. We are not helping the body to digest food better because the water we drink after swallowing food dilutes the digestive juices.

Also do not drink water soon after you finish a meal. The food you ate is still in the stomach and you don't want to disturb the process of digestion. Water is good only if it is in the food we eat.

Water Can Be Naturally Purified

The ancient Indian scriptures have given us instructions to purify water naturally. This process is called as Hamsodakam. It is comprised of four simple steps. They are: Primary filtration, aeration, sun exposure and herbal osmosis. Primary filtering can be done with the help of clean thin cotton piece of cloth through which the water is poured. Following this, aerate the filtered water by pouring it from a height of two feet or so into a glass jug. This water jug should then be kept in the sun for a minimum of three hours. Pour the purified water into an earthen pot for storage. If one is not available, the water can remain in your clean glass jug. In this jug, drop some clean, edible non toxic herbs. The best is the Tulasi leaf. You may also choose a few rose petals, a few blades of green grass or any other edible leaves. Skin of cardamom is also suitable. Make sure the herbs or grasses you select are not treated with pesticides. Allow the herbs to soak overnight. In the morning, remove the herbs and the water is suitable for drinking.

Aachamana - Ancient Indian Practice

The ancient Indian practice of sipping small quantities of water in early morning is a very healthy practice. After morning cleanings which include bowel clearing, brushing teeth and shower, the ancients engaged in a prayer to rising sun . This prayer would begin with sipping small quantities of water while chanting names of God. This process is called aachamana. This small quantity of cold water activates our internal organs and improves blood circulation. It was customary in ancient India to chant holy names of God and give aachamana doses of Ganges water to persons who were feared to be dying. It was observed in several cases that such patients recovered without any other medicine or food.

"Shareere jarjarir bhoote vyaadhigraste kalevare Aushadham Janhavi toyam, vaidyo naraayano harihi."

"When the body is subjected to very severe illness and is near to death, the only doctor who can heal is the God (Naraayanaa) within (life) and the only medicine is the water of Ganges (Janhavi)", says our Indian scriptures.

Hydrotherapy - Well Known for Its Benefits

Using a wet cloth on the head of a person who has high fever is an age old practice. It has been found to be very effective to keep the head cool without interfering with the fever which is part of the natural process of healing. There are several hydrotherapy applications that are well known and well established all over the world. Some of them are not good.

Myth #3: The practice of using an ice pack over an injured tissue is not a good practice. This very cold application nearly freezes the blood cells and delays the healing process. Just a plain wet cloth wrapped around the injured spot does a much better job.

Myth #4: Some times people use hot pads over the neck or back to get relief from pain. Even though there is some relief this way, a better application with a longer term benefit is, once again, a wet cool pack. While heat expands and leaves our nerves weaker, cold contracts and leaves our nerves stronger. Heat applications contribute to aging faster and cold applications keep us young and fit for a longer time.

There are several more ways of using water as a healing agent that we shall discuss in the next article. Water has the great quality of intimately communicating with our skin. We can get a very healthy and beautiful skin with the help of water. Noorjahan, a famous film star, who kept her youth and the fine luster of her skin even after she became a grandmother, said in a newspaper interview that the secret of her good skin was sparing use of makeup and washing her face in cold water often during the day.

Natural Hygiene is a health science that teaches individuals way to improve personal health. In this science there is no nomenclature of diseases and, thus, it does not aim to cure or treat any disease. The Natural Hygiene approach to health given in this series of article is general and should not be construed as medical advice. A professional natural hygienist should be consulted in order to tailor a program designed to meet individual needs.

Founder and Director of The International Institute of Mahayoga and natural Hygiene in Miami, Dr. Sarma obtained his Doctorate in Natural Hygiene at the Indian Institute of natural Therapeutics in 1970. He has 19 years of practice at many leading natural hygiene institutions. Dr. Sarma also serves as advisor for the Dalmia Foundation for Medical Research, New Delhi, India. Phone (305) 961-2596.