DYSPEPSIA (INDIGESTION) HERNIA APPENDICITIS ACIDITY HAEMORRHOIDS (PILES) DYSENTERY SYPHILIS CANCER DYSPEPSIA (INDIGESTION) official source: Yogic Treatments and Natural Remedies cross-references: none this version: is the printed Yogic Treatments and Natural Remedies, 3rd edition, 3rd printing, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. Symptoms: Belching with a bad smell, watering of the mouth, distension of the stomach, loss of appetite, aversion to food, offensive internal gas, physical weakness, fretful temper, constipation or loose stool containing food particles. Causes: When we take food it is converted into a juicy mass with the help of digestive fluids, then it is transformed into blood. Blood is the most important substance in the body. Fruits, roots, leafy green vegetables and other alkaline-type foods, after being digested, preserve the vitality of the blood by increasing its alkaline portion, whereas fatty and carbohydrate-type foods increase the acidity of the blood. If there occurs a disproportionate increase in the acidity of the blood, then the spleen, liver, heart, kidneys, etc., which are our blood-purifying organs, come under too much pressure. As a result, these organs, being over-worked in purifying the blood, become gradually so weak that they ultimately fail to do their task properly. Since the different kinds of juicy fruits can be sufficiently digested in their own fluids, the liver bile does not have to make much effort to digest them. But in order to digest starches and carbohydrates, the saliva of the mouth must help at the preliminary stage. Chewing food brings an adequate quantity of saliva into the mouth. No sooner does the food mixed with saliva enter the stomach than the liver and the pancreas are enabled to start secreting their bile and digestive fluids. So unless food is chewed well, the liver can never function properly. If the quantity of non-vegetarian food is large, then the internal organs will ultimately become weak due to the increasing acidity of the blood. Then when the food from the stomach, having already been partially digested by fluid from the liver, enters the duodenal canal, the weak pancreas will be incapable of secreting enough of its digestive fluid. As a result, the partially digested food does not become completely converted into rasa (chyle). In consequence, the partially digested food gradually decomposes inside the duodenum and thereby partially blocks the intestine. This spoiled food creates a poisonous gas in the body which the respiratory system fails to purify. It also increases the acidic contents of the blood to an excessive degree. This state of health is called 'indigestion' or 'dyspepsia.' Although dyspepsia is not itself fatal, it can be the cause of several fatal diseases. And in social life, dyspepsia aggravates peoples' acrimonious tendencies and makes them extremely irritable. Stomach, intestinal and rectal ulcers, constipation and serious dysentery may arise from dyspepsia. Treatment: Morning--Utks'epa Mudra, Mayu'ra'sana, Padahasta'sana, Utkat'a Vajra'sana, A'gneyii Mudra' and A'gneyii Pra'n'a'ya'ma. Evening--(With constipation) Agnisa'ra Mudra', Diirgha Pran'a'ma, Yoga'sana or Yogamudra', and Bhu'jaunga'sana. (With loose movement) Agnisa'ra Mudra', Sarva'unga'sana, A'gneyii Mudra' and A'gneyii Pra'n'a'ya'ma. Diet: Boiled old rice (grains a few years old), soup of green vegetables; in case of loose motion, curd (yogurt); in case of constipation, curd made from buffalo's milk, mixed in water and taken with a little sugar. Remember that curd water is particularly beneficial for dyspepsia patients. Dina'nte ca pivet dugdham Nisha'nte ca pivet payah Bhojona'nte pivet takram' Kim' vaedyasya prayojanam? [Drink milk at the end of the day, Drink water at dawn, Drink curd-water after the noon meal, Then what need for a doctor?] Do's and don'ts: Dyspepsia originates from unbalanced food habits. Eating when one is not hungry or only half-hungry is harmful in this disease. So is eating rich food for days together, using intoxicants, eating tasty food out of greed alone, not taking rest after the meal before running off to the office, or taking a bellyful of food (according to the scriptures, it is desirable to fill the stomach half-way with food, one-quarter with water, and to keep one quarter empty for free movement of air); refraining from doing physical labour and, over and above this, doing strenuous mental work or indulging in sex, is also harmful in this disease. It is better not to eat breakfast or any afternoon snack till the disease is fully cured. However, if one feels hungry, one can have some sweet or sour juicy fruit, particularly of sub-acid type, such as mango, pineapple, ja'm, any kind of citrus fruit (though citrus fruits belong to the acidic group, their action on the body is alkaline), or, in case of constipation, papaya. It is important to remember that acidic foods such as lemon and curd (yogurt) should be taken with a little water and salt. All non-vegetarian types of food except for small fish, are harmful for dyspepsia patients. Meat and eggs are poison. All intoxicants aggravate constipation, hence they are not to be taken either. With dyspepsia it is very essential to take a walk in the fresh air and to do a little physical labour every day. Sleeping in the day-time and staying awake at night are forbidden. It is better to take the evening meal before 8 PM, and a short walk thereafter is very helpful. Pulses are alkaline food but rich, so they are not to be eaten in cases of dyspepsia. It is desirable to take food or to defecate when the main flow of breath is through the right nostril. Even after food, it is desirable if the flow of breath mainly through the right nostril continues for some time. Because that is the time when the digestive glands start secreting a sufficient quantity of fluids to help digestion. Observing fast on Eka'dashii and regulation of the diet at night on Pu'rn'ima' and Ama'vasya' (i.e. taking just a little milk, fruit and dry things on those two nights) is desirable. Some remedies 1. Take 1/16 tola asafoetida (Ferula foetida Regel), fried in ghee and mixed with an equal quantity of rock-salt, before meals. 2. Take shredded dry coconut or the flesh of mature coconut along with a prepared betel (Piper betle Linn.) leaf or with aniseed. 3. Take ja'mir lime sprinkled with salt. 4. Take 1/16 tola (nor more than that) of ash of a cowrie, wrapped in a betel leaf, after the evening meal every day.* * To prepare the ash, take the kind of cowrie with knots on it, dip it in lemon or lime juice, and burn it to ashes. 5. For a few days take some myrobalan powder, mixed and ground with an equal quantity of aniseed powder and double the quantity of Kashii sugar (sugar refined by hand equipment and hence a reddish colour). Do not used myrobalan seeds which, if dropped in water, float rather than sink. 1958 HERNIA official source: Yogic Treatments and Natural Remedies cross-references: none this version: is the printed Yogic Treatments and Natural Remedies, 3rd edition, 3rd printing, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. Symptoms: When undigested food or accumulated and vitiated stool starts building up pressure, or the offensive internal gas caused by them puts a severe strain on the intestine, the intestine gets dislodged from its normal position, open a hold in the abdominal wall, and protrudes through it. This condition is called 'hernia'. If the dislodged intestine comes out through an opening left in the canal to the scrotum, it is called 'inguinal hernia'. When it pushes out through the hole in the canal of nerve fibres and the muscular network controlling the legs, it is called a 'femoral hernia'. Occasionally it pushes out through the navel opening of children, and this is called an 'umbilical hernia'. As long as it is possible to push the protruded intestine back inside or to pull it back into position temporarily through suction, this condition, through painful, does not become fatal. But if the protruded intestine becomes hard like a rope and obstructs then normal functioning of the lower anatomy, then the disease can be said to have reached the critical stage. When the protruded intestine becomes trapped in the opening, causing severe suffering to the patient, then it is called a 'strangulated hernia'. Causes: Food enters the stomach and there gets partially digested. It then passes into the duodenum (upper intestine) for complete digestion. Too much non-vegetarian and fatty food aggravates the acidity of the blood. As a result, different hormone-secreting glands become weak, and the partially-digested food starts decaying inside the body, creating a foul and poisonous gas which, in turn, puts pressure and strain on the stool-filled intestine and forces its dislodgement. Therefore failure of the liver to digest all the food properly is the main cause of hernia. Treatment: Morning-Utks'epa Mudra', Ashvinii Mudra', Mayu'ra'sana, Padahasta'sana, Ud'd'ayana Mudra' and A'gneyii Mudra' or A'gneyii Pra'n'a'ya'ma. Evening-Ud'd'ayana Mudra', Sarva'unga'sana, Ashvinii Mudra' and A'gneyii Mudra' or A'gneyii Pra'n'a'ya'ma. Diet: Because hernia originates from intemperate food habits, special care should be taken about food--especially regarding non-vegetarian food and all types of food which may cause constipation. Hernia patients must never completely fill the stomach, in order to prevent pressure on the stomach. It is also desirable to take a small quantity of food a greater number of times, rather than to eat a large amount at one time. Drinking a small amount of water or lemon-water many times a day is also advisable. A hernia patient should also remember to maintain a slight but continuous feeling of hunger. Hernia patients should get out of the habit of straining while defecating. Do's and don'ts: For hernia patients, bending forward to lift heavy articles, jumping about excessively, over-eating out of greed and indulging in sex are all very harmful. 1958 APPENDICITIS official source: Yogic Treatments and Natural Remedies cross-references: none this version: is the printed Yogic Treatments and Natural Remedies, 3rd edition, 3rd printing, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. Symptoms: Swelling of the appendix and simultaneous unbearable pain in the abdominal region; fear of eating in spite of appetite or desire for food. Causes: Aversion to physical labour, spending much time indoors, not taking part in sports and exercises, constipation; such short-comings, along with overeating. Treatment: A'sanas, mudra's, diet and do's and don'ts are the same as for dyspepsia patients. With appendicitis, fibrous foods, all types of non-vegetarian foods, atapa rice (a fine-quality, very white type of rice) and all foods that cause constipation are strictly forbidden. 1958 ACIDITY official source: Yogic Treatments and Natural Remedies cross-references: none this version: is the printed Yogic Treatments and Natural Remedies, 3rd edition, 3rd printing, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. Symptoms: Physical weakness, acidic or watery belching, dizziness, burning stomach, heartburn, etc. Causes: Oxygen inhaled in breathing enters the body and eventually turns into carbon dioxide. Through the influence of this carbon dioxide, the digestive fluid-secreting glands are activated. If food is taken irregularly and excessively day after day, or if food is forced down with little or no appetite, or if eating rich food becomes a steady habit, it becomes impossible for the digestive fluid to digest the food properly. Then, just as on the one hand the undigested or partially-digested food turns into poisonous gas, so on the other hand the secreted digestive fluid gradually turns into harmful acid. The digestive fluids are themselves acidic, but under normal conditions when they digest food they themselves are digested. When, however, as a result of the aforesaid irregularities, they are unable to digest the food, the fluids themselves also remain undigested. The cause of acidity, therefore, is the poisonous gas being produced by the decomposed food, together with the putrid acid produced by the deterioration of the undigested fluids. The putrid acidic gas and fluids cause a burning sensation in the stomach. When they rise up to the chest they cause heartburn; when they reach the throat, burning is felt in the throat; when they rise further they cause dizziness. Due to this excessive acidity, the blood becomes acid-dominated. Being overworked, the blood-purifying organs of the body also become weak, and the patient feels weak. This over-acidity of the blood also causes swelling and consequent pain in different parts of the body, especially the joints. The name of this condition is 'rheumatism'. When a strong and continuous effort is being made by the body's organs to purify the over-acid blood, this condition is called 'colic' or 'shooting pain.' Treatment: Morning-Utks'epa Mudra', Mayu'ra'sana, Padahasta'sana, Ud'd'aya'na Mudra', Agnisa'ra Mudra' and A'gneyii Pra'n'a'ya'ma. Evening-Agnisa'ra Mudra', Utkat'a Pashcimotta'na'sana Sarva'unga'sana and A'gneyii Mudra' or A'gneyii Pra'n'a'ya'ma. Diet: In acidity boiled old rice (grains a few years old), soup of green vegetables (no vegetables fried, parched, or taken in large quantity), juicy sweet or sour fruits, and curd-water are especially useful. Curd (yogurt) alone is not particularly beneficial for acidity patients. Do's and don'ts: For patients of acidity it is particularly important to walk in the open air, to eat less food than the appetite demands, and to drink plenty of water, in small amounts, at intervals throughout the day. Coconut and coconut-based foods and medicines are especially useful in this disease. Patients should refrain from eating breakfast and snacks. If the hunger is unbearable, the patient may eat a little bit of juicy fruit. A frequent symptom of this disease is that, due to old habits, the digestive glands discharge an excessive quantity of fluids, as a result of which the patient suddenly feels an extreme hunger at odd times, which is called 'demon hunger'. That is why we find that a patient who is often in a depressed mood about his/her disease or goes around talking about the disease to everyone, when he/she sits down to eat, eats excessively. This symptom is the result of the secretion of digestive fluids at a particular time in accordance with the old habits of the patient. It is therefore desirable to be cautious about this 'demon', detrimental hunger. An acidity patient should never violate these do's and don'ts. If due to the over-secretion of digestive fluids the patient suffers from 'demon hunger', it can be relieved by drinking a large glass of water. When the acidity patient feels pain, it is advisable to drink orange or tangerine juice mixed in tepid water. After the pain has subsided, lemon juice in cold water should be taken. As with dyspepsia, during mealtime and for an hour thereafter breath should be flowing through the patient's right nostril. At the time of severe colic pain, the dominant flow of breath should be changed from the nostril through which it was flowing at the time the pain started to the other nostril. Allowing the bile to accumulate by not taking something when one is hungry should never be permitted, because in that event the undigested bile itself will become the cause of acidity. Some remedies: 1. Eat some shredded dry coconut along with a prepared betel (Piper betle Linn.) leaf, or some flesh of mature coconut along with aniseed. 2. To get immediate relief from a distressing colic pain, equal quantities of chalk and a'tapa rice powder should be ground together, and 1/2 tola of the mixture should be taken. 3. Take with cold water 1/16 tola of the white portion of the ashes of the tamarind (Tamarindus indica Linn) pod. 4. Take 1/16 tola of the ashes of white a'kanda leaf and rock salt after burning them together in equal quantities in an enclosed earthen pot. 5. As with dyspepsia, it is desirable for acidity patients to observe fasting on Eka'dashii days and regulation of diet on Pu'rn'ima' and Ama'vasya'. 1958 HAEMORRHOIDS (PILES) official source: Yogic Treatments and Natural Remedies cross-references: none this version: is the printed Yogic Treatments and Natural Remedies, 3rd edition, 3rd printing, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. Symptoms: If there is contaminated gas and blood in the body which cannot get out, the veins and capillaries around the anus become swollen due to the pressure, and ultimately remain swollen. When this happens it is called 'developed piles'. When developed piles appear outside the anus they are called 'external', and when they appear inside they are called 'internal'. When, under pressure of the Apa'na Va'yu (vital energy controlling the lower abdominal organs), blood starts oozing out of the developed piles, they are called 'bleeding piles'. But not all piles bleed. If, instead, they are painful, aching, burning or itching, they are called 'dry piles'. Causes: Constipation due to the defective functioning of the liver is the main cause of piles, but generally no serious ailment can develop for one reason only. Like other serious diseases, piles is a disease of the entire system, so there are many other reasons for its development also. The first and foremost of these reasons is lack of physical exercise and the second is sexual over-indulgence. Straining at stool often aggravates the disease. Remember that without constipation and defective functioning of the liver one can never suffer from piles. Treatment: Morning-Utks'epa Mudra', Ud'd'ayana Mudra', Ja'nushirasana, Shalabha'sana or Mayu'ra'sana, Agnisa'ra Mudra', Padahasta'sana and Ashvinii Mudra'. Evening-Agnisa'ra Mudra', Bhastrika'sana, Sarva'unga'sana, Matsyamudra', Shasha'unga'sana and Ashvinii Mudra'. Diet: If the patient of piles feels hungry early in the morning, he or she may eat some sweet or sour juicy fruit. At noon take a lot of leafy vegetables, or soup made from leafy vegetables, along with a small quantity of rice or fresh rut'i (cha'pa'ti--flat bread made from whole-wheat flour). Arum (Amorphophallus campanulatus (Roxb.) Bl.) curd-water, soup, figs, ma'na kacu, pat'ol, tomato, spinach, green pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo Linn), squash (Lagenaria vulgaris Seringe), and nu'nesha'k are particularly beneficial. The patient should drink a glass of curd-water twice a day. Do's and don'ts: It is not possible to achieve a permanent cure by removing the developed piles through surgery or through stopping the bleeding by any method, because if the root causes are not eliminated, the disease may attack again at any moment, or the contaminated gas and blood in the body may cause some other disease. Therefore, though it may not be improper to employ some temporary expedient to stop severe bleeding at the critical stage, the liver has to be restored in order to obtain a permanent cure. If the liver becomes healthy, the piles will disappear without any treatment. The patient has to be careful to have a sharp appetite at noon. With piles all extra-alkaline food must be carefully avoided. It is desirable for the patients to avoid eating plantain spathe, plantain flower, plantain fruit or meoya' fruit. At the critical stage of the disease fasting is always recommended. During fasting, plenty of water, and, if desired, sweet or sour citrus juices mixed in water may be consumed. Piles patients should not eat hot (i.e. spicy), salty or rough foods. Some remedies: 1. After defecation wash the anus with alum-water. If one applies slightly-warm neem ghee prepared from tender young neem, or margosa (Azadirachta indica A. Juss.) leaves on the developed piles, the disease will be cured within a few days. It is desirable to use this neem ghee at bedtime also. 2. In the early morning take 2 tolas of dugdhaks'ira juice on an empty stomach. This will bring good results. 3. In cases of severe bleeding, drinking 1 tola of kuksima', or in its absence durba' juice twice a day will produce good results. 4. A very favourable result can be obtained if 1 tola of husked black sesame seeds mixed with 2 tolas of butter are taken early in the morning. 5. The developed piles will gradually disappear, if, applying a piece of simula cotton soaked in kuksima' juice on them like a bandage, they are exposed to the sun every day for a few days. 6. 2 tolas of myrobalan pulverised in cow's urine, taken regularly along with cane gur' (raw sugar) over a period of twenty-one days, by licking it, will have a wonderful effect. 7. Slowly sipping old raw sugar of dates, mixed in water, early in the morning, will relieve the severity of piles. 8. Vya'paka shaoca before and after meals is a must for all piles patients. 1958 DYSENTERY official source: Yogic Treatments and Natural Remedies cross-references: none this version: is the printed Yogic Treatments and Natural Remedies, 3rd edition, 3rd printing, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. Symptoms: Repeated need to defecate but small movement, urge to strain while defecating, pain in the navel region, etc. Causes: Undigested half-cooked or uncooked meat or pulses or such things, when mixed with contaminated air in the stomach, cause an abnormal reaction in the intestine, and when the pitta, in spite of its best efforts, fails to digest these things, they come out in the form of loose movement. But if this loose movement does not take its natural course, then those materials start to decompose inside the colon in an ugly way, and begin to decay the mucous membrane. Under those circumstances, the different fluid-secreting glands of the body engage in secreting more fluids in an effort to rectify the internal disorder. When these extra fluids come into contact with the undigested food and other contaminated matter, they turn into mucus. So in a case of dysentery the stool is full of mucus. The mucus is no disease by itself but is a natural system of healing the disease. Treatment: Morning-Utks'epa Mudra', Padahasta'sana, Agnisa'ra Mudra', Ud'd'ayana Mudra' and A'gneyii Pra'n'a'ya'ma. Evening--Same. Diet: No dysentery patient should remain with his/her stomach empty. All kinds of fried things, parched things, pulses, non-vegetarian foods, as well as foods containing ghee, oil or fat, are to be carefully avoided. At the first attack of the disease, whether or not fever is present, the patient should take nothing but water mixed with citrus juice (orange or tangerine juice is best.) After allowing the stomach to rest in this way for a day or two, the patient should then gradually take other foods. Hot and freshly-boiled rice, after being rinsed for about thirty seconds in cold water, with a little soup made from pat'al, ga'nda'la, tella'kuca' or tha'kuni leaves; curd-water, etc., may be taken. Always keep in mind that with dysentery more attention is to be paid to selection of diet than to medicine. Roasted bel, or ripe banana peeled and fried in ghee, can be taken as breakfast or a snack. These foods serve as both food and medicine. If the dysentery is a chronic case, the patient should have dinner before 9 PM and take perfectly hot luci (puri - unleavened bread puffed by deep frying) with a little bit of salt. As breakfast or a snack, chronic patients can take hot jila'pii (a curly fried sweet). If the patient takes aged tamarind (Tamarindus indica Linn.) chutney in very small quantity (not more than two tolas) with the noon meal, especially old tamarind chutney with ripe bananas, it will bring a good result. Do's and don'ts: It is very harmful for a dysentery patient to have his/her abdomen exposed to cold. For a dysentery patient, curd (yogurt) is more beneficial than milk, and curd-water is better than curd. Wrapping a flannel cloth around the abdomen when the disease is in an aggravated state is an excellent precaution. Some remedies: 1. If there is profuse bleeding in an aggravated state of the disease, administering a small quantity of durba' juice or kuksima'-leaf juice in the morning, or morning and evening both, will bring good results. 2. Sucking 1/4 tola of acacia (Acacia arabica willd.) bud ground with bat'a'sa' (small lumpy balls of powdered sugar and baking soda) is especially beneficial. 3. For excellent results within a very short time, do any of the following: a. Take 1/2 tola of the aerial root (the tender part) of banyan ground in the water in which rice has been rinsed; or b. Take about 2 tolas of juice from the leaves of mango, ja'm and a'marula, with goat's milk; or c. Take a small quantity of a'marula-leaf juice with sugar in the morning on an empty stomach. d. Soak a little aniseed, masu'r dal and micharii (rock candy) together in water overnight in a stone or glass pot and take them as a drink in the morning after drinking them together. Likewise, soak the ingredients in the morning and take the drink in the evening. 4. Take tender leaves of mango, ja'm and kayetbel, and pound them together to extract juice from them. Drink that juice with salt every morning on an empty stomach and the disease will be cured. If you dip a piece of red-hot iron in that juice and drink the mixture, then all types of fever will be controlled. 5. If dysentery turns chronic, take tendrils of banyan-tree shoots, pound them to paste, and take the paste with water in which uncooked rice has just been washed. Continue taking this remedy for a few days and it will cure the disease. 1958 SYPHILIS official source: Yogic Treatments and Natural Remedies cross-references: none this version: is the printed Yogic Treatments and Natural Remedies, 3rd edition, 3rd printing, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. Words in square brackets [ ] are corrections that did not appear in the printed version. This disease has been found in India only in recent times. A few centuries ago it entered India from Europe. Many are of the opinion that syphilis first originated in dogs, and through contact with them the human body got infected. Symptoms: In the first stage the disease will appear in some part of the body, especially on the genital organs, as [chancres]. The surface around the [chancres] is quite hard. Generally there is no secretion of pus or fluid from these [chancres]. [Then] chancroid usually appears in the groin. In most cases these [chancres]and [the chancroid] dry up or heal within a short time. In this stage many people cannot recognize the disease for sure as syphilis, because not all boils are in fact syphilitic [chancres] and not all swelling of the groin (swelling of a gland in the groin) is chancroid. In the second stage of the disease, sores of different forms, small or big according to the type of the disease, erupt on the body, and these sores start secreting fluids of different colours and displaying different symptoms. Syphilis which erupts due to disturbance of the va'yu is called 'va'yu syphilis.' The sores of this type of syphilis are black in colour and cause piercing pain, throbbing and twinging. When the disease erupts in a body which has already been suffering from vitiation of the pitta, it is called 'pitta syphilis.' Its sores are yellowish in colour, very ugly and dirty in appearance, and usually generate a sharp burning sensation. Similarly, when the kapha has gone bad, the disease is called 'kapha syphilis.' In this disease, the mucus is a white colour, and the sores are bigger in size, produce profuse secretions and cause mainly itching sensations. The disease produced by the blood going bad is known as 'blood syphilis.' Its sores are copperish or reddish in color and give out red secretions. When general disruption of va'yu, pitta and kapha, all three, occurs, the syphilis is called 'Tridosaja syphilis.' In this type all the above symptoms are found in greater or lesser degree. Even though syphilis and chancroid are closely related, and their causes and symptoms are more or less the same, they are two different diseases. It is not a fact that syphilis must cause swelling of the groin; the symptoms of chancroid as an independent disease are the swelling of the groin, the ripening of the swelling, and sores on different parts of the body, especially the sexual organs. The medical name of the syphilis germ is Spirillum pallida (Treponema pallidum), and that of the chancroid germ is 'Bacillus ducre.' Causes: Not keeping the sexual organs clean, excessive copulation, and contact with syphilitic men and women are the causes of this disease. Syphilis is generally widespread among prostitutes due to their promiscuous sexual activities, and from them healthy men get the infection. So it may generally be judged that syphilis has an inseparable relationship with bad character. This disease can be transmitted to a healthy person through excessive association with syphilitic persons, using their clothing, eating their left-over food, or engaging in sexual relations with them. But the disease is not normally transmitted by mere association and eating together. Treatment: Morning-Utks'epa Mudra', Mayu'ra'sana, Padahasta'sana, Na'sa'pa'na and Shiitaliikumbhaka Evening-Sarva'unga'sana, Matsyamudra', Naoka'sana, Utkat'a Pashcimotta'na'sana and Agnisa'ra Mudra'. Diet: With syphilis, non-vegetarian food, onion, garlic, too much spice, all kinds of sweets, and milk products are to be strictly avoided. All types of alkaline foods and foods prepared with ghee are good. At lunch, it is good to take rice with ghee, and in the evening, rut'i. Vegetable soup and fruits and roots can be eaten in ample quantity. The patient should drink enough water every day. It is good not to take milk till the disease is cured, but one can take milk in increasing quantity as the disease heals. Do's and don'ts: A sun-bath should be taken every day at a fixed time in summer and winter, exposing the diseased parts of the body to the sun. The sores should be carefully washed with the juice of neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) leaves, or any other disinfectant lotion, on a regular daily basis, after which neem oil should be applied. Among the many processes for washing the sores, one of the best is to apply a finely-ground girima'ti (red ochre) on the sores and to cover them with a wet cloth. The cloth should be soaked in water frequently. After doing this for an hour or an hour and a half, remove the girima'ti and the cloth. In this way the sores will have a thorough cleansing. Remember that it is injurious to health to suppress the secretion of fluid, blood or pus of any skin sores by external application of medicines. So in the preliminary stage of the disease, no external ointments should be used. Only after the disease is fully developed should neem oil or any other external medicine be applied. Fasting is also very beneficial in this disease. Syphilis patients must fast on Eka'dashii, Pu'rn'ima' and Ama'vasya'. A continuous fast for three or four days on lemon-water alone will bring immediate relief. The patient should never completely fill the stomach at the evening meal, and that too should be finished by 8 or 8:30 p.m. Sleeping during the day,staying awake at night, and mingling with crowds should be avoided. Also, marriage and sexual relations are strictly forbidden for one-and-a-half or two years after the healing of the disease. All types of intoxicants are to be avoided like poison. Some specific remedies: A. Chancroid 1. Applying lime paste on the chancroid and then raw sugar or honey on top of it will quickly cure it. 2. Soak a cloth in the juice of apa'ma'rga leaves, then dry it and tie it over the area of the sore. 3. Grind the root of bhuinca'pa' in water and then apply the paste on the chancroid as an ointment. The chancroid will soon subside. 4. The chancroid will subside if young ha'tishun'r'a' leaves ground in water are applied as ointment; it will ripen and burst if ointment of ha'tishun'r'a' root bark is applied. Sores will be healed if the bark is burnt to ashes and applied after mixing with sesame oil. B. Syphilis sores 1. Green betel (Piper betle Linn.) nut ground in a stone vessel, if applied as a paste on the sores, will heal them. 2. Take white dhuna' (resin or similar mineral secretions) or the white part of dhuna', grind well and beat it with butter into a paste, then rinse it in water and again beat it well; apply the ointment on the sores. They will dry up within a very short time. 3. Roots of white oleander (Nerium odorum Soland) well-ground to a paste [in] water, applied on syphilitic sores, will dry them up. C. Ways to destroy the poison of syphilis and mercury 1. Syphilis germs will be destroyed by drinking 5 tolas of kuksima' juice every day at dawn; or 2. Drinking every morning at dawn 5 tolas of juice from mashed kalamii tips; or drinking every morning at dawn 5 tolas of the juice of black basil (Ocimum sanctum Linn) leaves; or drinking 5 tolas of anantamu'la boiled in cow's urine. 3. Both syphilis germs and mercury poison will be destroyed by eating 1/16 tola of apa'ma'rga (Achyranthes aspera Linn) root stuffed and boiled in a green papaya. D. Mercury spots 1. An application of buckiida'na' ground into a paste in the urine of a black cow; or 2. An application of the leaves of papaya and bel ground together; will remove the mercury spots. E. An excellent way to destroy the poison of syphilis 1. The patient should obtain 5 tolas of curd (yogurt) and keep it overnight in a stone container. Early in the morning mix one drop (and not more) of trishira'siija juice in the curd and drink the mixture on an empty stomach. The patient will then soon feel nauseated and will have frequent bowel movements but should not worry. If the patient takes a bath after four or five hours and drinks a glass of micharii-water, the movements will stop. The patient should take nothing but barley-water that evening, and for a few days afterwards eat only a very light diet. This is an excellent process for destroying the poison of syphilis. The method for preparing neem oil: Extract neem juice by mashing or grinding the leaves. For one measure of neem juice take one-half that measure of sesame oil and mix them together. boil the mixture down to one-half measure and do not boil further. Take care not to burn the oil. 1958 CANCER official source: Yogic Treatments and Natural Remedies cross-references: none this version: is the printed Yogic Treatments and Natural Remedies, 3rd edition, 3rd printing, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. Symptoms: Tearing pain in the diseased region, a very intolerant temperament, hyper-sensitivity to touch, weakness and nausea, etc., are the main symptoms of this disease. In the preliminary stage of the disease the patient does not suffer from much pain, so in the beginning the disease is generally overlooked. Causes: Cancer is a disease of the whole body as well as a Tridos'aja disease (i.e. involving disturbances of va'yu, pitta and kapha). This disease is a combined effect of many different factors. It is ordinarily observed that persons who suffer from constipation as a result of violating the health rules, and who likewise are lazy, lack self-restraint, sleep during the day and keep late nights, are most likely to be attacked by cancer. When due to constipation, the blood and the muscle-fibre become worn out by the contaminated digestive fluids of the body and the contaminated air produced by them, cancer sets in. Parts of the internal organs of people who are extremely self-indulgent become weak. As a result of the attrition of shukra, their body loses its vitality. When such people eat too large a quantity of non-vegetarian food, their blood turns acidic and the disease gradually breaks out in the weaker parts of their bodies. With those people who shun physical labour but take acidic food, chilis, or intoxicants and especially tobacco and similar things--there is every possibility that the disease will attack. Treatment: The appropriate a'sanas and mudra's will have to be prescribed after ascertaining the reasons why the patient is suffering from the disease. Constipation is generally one cause of this disease, so special attention must be paid to regular clearance of the bowels. Morning-Utks'epa Mudra', Na'sa'pa'na, Diirgha Pran'a'ma, Yogamudra', Bhu'jaunga'sana and Karkat'a Pra'n'a'ya'ma. Noon-- Same as in the morning except Utks'epa Mudra' and Na'sa'pa'na. Evening-Matsyendra'sana, Padahasta'sana, Utkat'a Vajra'sana and Karma'sana. If the patient is unable to perform the above four evening a'sanas, he/she should practice Sarva'unga'sana, Matsyamudra', Naoka'sana and Pashcimotta'na'sana. If he or she is also unable to perform these, then he/she should do the same a'sanas as at noon. Taking Vya'paka Sna'na every day is a must. If health permits it can be taken both at noon and in the evening. Diet: In order to reduce the acidity of the blood and make the liver function normally, patients will have to eat alkaline foods as much as possible, that is, all kinds of fruits and roots, vegetable soups, etc. Depending on the condition of the liver, sufficient milk will also have to be consumed by patients. If the liver is bad, the patient should drink coconut milk, peanut milk or curd-water instead of cow's milk. The evening meal should be finished before 8 P.M. Also the patient should let the breath flow through the right nostril for about an hour after each main meal. The patient should drink about two-and-a-half seers of water every day but never more than one-eighth seer at a time. Pineapple, ja'm, banana, all kinds of citrus fruits, and tomato are both food and medicine in this disease. Do's and don'ts: It is very good for cancer patients to take sun-baths. A sun-bath should be taken at sunrise and also between 9 and 10-11 AM in the summer or between 9 AM and 12 noon in the winter. After the sun-bath, the whole body of the patient should be wiped with a wet towel. Excellent results can be obtained if the patient applies river-mud all over the body every day and afterwards bathes in the river. Sleeping during the day, staying awake at night, chilis, non-vegetarian food, and sexual relations are to be strictly avoided. Walking in open places as the strength allows, and, for those who are lazy by nature, doing some physical labour, are also necessary. Eating a piece of myrobalan after a meal is always helpful to clear the bowels. Patients should go to bed every night by 8:30 or 9 PM so that they may get up very early the next morning. 1958