By Dada Dharmavedananda

There are many ways to treat diseased conditions. Ultimately, however, any disease can only be permanently remedied by uprooting the cause. In the vast majority of cases, the cause lies in unnatural unbalanced physical and/or mental habits. Therefore, changing ones bad habits is the most important part of treatment.

The common-sense philosophy and methodology of Natural Therapy is logical and easy to understand.

Whatever dis-balance or dis-ease the body develops, it also has the capacity to re-balance itself and regain its original state of health .
Anything inside the body which should not be there is labeled as a waste product or a toxin.
There are four normal mechanisms for eliminating common daily wastes and toxins: stool, urine, sweat and breath.
When the quantity of toxins and old imbedded wastes is too high, then these four means are inadequate. The body will then turn to other means to eliminate the toxins. These other means are termed disease.
For this purpose, for example, the body may expel very rapidly from the intestine (diarrhea), or it may create a large flow of mucous (a common cold), or expel pus through the skin (pimples, eczema or other skin diseases), and so on for rapid elimination.
Or the body develops ulcer, throat pain, or stomach trouble so that the individual loses interest in eating.
When one fasts or stops eating, the digestive system is not kept busy. Thats when the body gets time to invest its energy in healing itself.
Partial fasting or eating very easily-digestible food, such as juice, juicy fruits or salad also allows the body to heal itself, albeit slower than a proper fast.
Examples of diseases which may fully or partly result from toxins include cancer, cyst, asthma, high blood pressure, hyper-acidity, hepatitis, menstrual problems, eczema, migraine, tonsillitis, over-weight, blockage of coronary arteries, severe arthritis, chronic digestive complications, insomnia and sinusitis.

Natural Therapy systems facilitate the rapid cleansing process, and then strengthen the body to strengthen the immune system. In short, the most important of these systems are

1) Water Drinking. Very few people drink in a healthy fashion. Healthy people need to drink 3 to 4 liters daily. Sick people need 4 to 6 liters or more. The water should be drunk between meals. If it is taken near to meal-time then it will dilute ones digestive juices.

2) Simple detox methods. These are basically three types. A) Internal water-cleanse in the large colon by temporarily filling the colon with water. The various types include colonics, colema and enema. B) Herbal-cleansing by ingesting natural ingredients which cause the colon to reject old encrusted toxic waste, so that the colon becomes free to absorb toxins from the bloodstream and other organs even from the bones. C) Hot and cold external water, mud or sun applications to cause sweat or to stimulate an increased flow of blood to specific body parts.

3) Food. The foods which are most difficult to digest are eggs, meat, fish and deep-fried foods. Secondarily are junk foods and refined grains. These foods give more work to the body than assistance, and so should be minimized. On the other hand, the nutrition in fresh fruits and vegetables is easy to digest, so they should proportionately be maximized. These fresh foods also have a high amount of fiber, which facilitates both digestion and cleansing. Individuals require somewhat different diets.

4) Exercise. In Natural Therapy two types of exercise are emphasized. A) Yoga exercise is primarily for gently balancing the glands (hormones), strengthening the nerve system, improving the circulatory system, the digestive system, dealing with specific diseases, etc. It is best if the postures are individually prescribed. One daily set takes between 15 to 30 minutes to practice. B) Vigorous exercise is primarily for the respiratory system, the heart, the digestive system, oxidizing the blood, etc. The therapist may help you to determine which exercise is best for you.

5) Graduated fasting. For a day or a few days one abstains from all foods or from the more difficult-to-digest foods, which facilitates healing. There are many systems of fasting, according to the capacity of the patient.

6) Mental exercises and meditation to convert stress into positive calm healing energy.

Natural therapists help patients to heal themselves either by out-patient guidance, or by a number of days or weeks of in-patient care.