Acknowledging Gandhian Natural Therapeutics approach in Modern Era
Abstract
Good health should be attain by following balanced state of physical, emotional, spiritual, mental and social well-being. Nature has given our body an innate capacity to heal itself. The treatments were based on the fundamentals of using natural remedies, good hygiene and a balanced diet. It is a holistic, drugless system of healing with the underlying belief that the five elements in the universe – earth, water, air, fire and ether – that make up our bodies too have the power to heal our systems of any illness. Gandhiji was not exclusively preacher of Naturopathy, he was influenced by the book “Return to Nature” written by Adolf Just and become a firm believer of Naturopathy. He not only wrote several articles in favour of Naturopathy in his newspaper Harijan but did its several experiments on himself too, on his family members and members of his Ashram. It is also very useful in modern days’ hectic lifestyle.
Key words: natural, health, therapy, benefit, diseases, modern era, Gandhiji
It has been aptly said “Health is Wealth” and it is observed true in practice of Mahatma Gandhiji. Gandhi was not only a freedom fighter who makes India free but he also preached the milieu how to live healthy life. His book on “Keys to Health” is one of the most popular which sheds light on natural therapeutics which guides a man in modern era. However technology and science progress man affects by variegated incurable disease due to its evil effects. In this dilemma earth, water, ether, sunlight, and air are the five elements of human body which heal any disease with due practice. Gandhiji had great faith in nature cure methods and he experimented on it by minimal visit of doctor. Earth: He lays emphasis on the use of earth in form of mud poultice. He advises to apply cold mud poultice on the lower abdomen for constipation. It also cures man bitten by poisonous snake, headache, ordinary boil, bee sting and fever.
Water: Hydrotherapy is an ancient form of therapy. Gandhiji suggests Hip Baths and Sitz bath to bring down the temperature in high fever. Wet sheet packs which are also useful in the treatment of prickly heat, urticaria, skin irritation and even measles and smallpox etc. Steam was declared a ‘valuable therapeutic agent’ by Gandhiji and its usefulness in cases of rheumatism and other joint-pains has been acknowledged universally. He suggests ice massage where blood circulation has become sluggish. In case of scorpion bite where all remedies have failed, immersion of the part in hot water relieves the pain.
Ether: Gandhiji was in love with nature, he wrote, “If our bodies could be in contact with the sky without the intervention of houses, roofs and even clothes, we are likely to enjoy the maximum amount of health (Nayar 12)”. He desired man should develop contact with the infinite hidden energy.
Sun: Life cannot be sustained without sunlight. Unfortunately, sunbaths or Heliotherapy is no longer confined to naturopathy. For the treatment of debility and slow circulation, Gandhiji advised exposing the uncovered body to the morning sun to accelerate the metabolism. He also suggested sunbaths as a cure for tuberculosis and intractable ulcers.
Air: Gandhiji was a claustrophobic in the literary context of the word and endorsed “living in the open, in the midst of plenty of fresh air (Nayar 32)”an epoch practice for staying free from ailments. ‘Going Green,’ enjoying the freshness and beauty of nature is in vogue, man finally fed up with this artificial life he wove for himself in returning into the arms of nature for good, once again proving the eternal value associated with Gandhian theories.
Along with above mentioned elements Gandhiji also insists for vegetarianism, fasting and yoga. Gandhiji practiced what he preached. As he said:
Illness or disease is only nature’s warning that filth has accumulated in some portion or other of the body; it would surely be the part of wisdom to allow nature to remove the filth, instead of covering it up by the help of medicines (Gandhi 89).
So, Gandhiji believes ignorance is the root cause of any disease. One should bewilder at the most ordinary diseases. In anxiety to get better, a man makes matters worse. For the cure of the bodily ailment, Gandhiji also presented Prayer to the village folk as a Natural therapy. God is the reliever of peoples' distress, all religions believe that. World health organization has also acknowledged the dimensions of spiritual health. Existence of the God has no connection with superstition. It is the nature's Supreme law, the same law, which keeps human being away from diseases, is applied to the cure. Gandhiji said that, the prayer is only for good end and not for an evil end. It brings purity of heart. Purity of heart will never allow self-indulgence.
As Milton says, the mind can make a hell of heaven or a heaven of hell. So heaven is not somewhere above the clouds, and hell somewhere underneath the earth! In this 21st century it is correct a man becomes victim of his own thoughts and develops anxiety. If one should diet according body’s requirement. Gandhiji was also abided by “Early to bed and early to rise”. He was tremendously influenced by the writings of Dr. Kuhne on Nature Cure. He believed that human body, mind and spirit could be maintained in a state of perfect health by observance of simple rules. He attempted to discover causes of ordinary ill health and improvised simple remedies of Nature Cure. He established a Nature Cure Centre at Uruli in pursuance of his belief that the poor could not afford costly medicines and remedies and that he owed it to them to let them have the benefit of his lifelong experiments in Health and Hygiene.
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