The following are the few factors responsible for chronic illnesses, if they are not treated properly at the right time.

They are :

1. Mind: Mental stresses, mental and physical shock, emotional upsets, a constantly worrying nature, fears, hatred, jealousy, resentment and negative thinking all add upto great chemical changes within the being. As the body and mind are one, whatever happens in the mind is being fed into the body and this in turn disturbs organs, especially the pancreas, spleen, adrenals, and stomach lining, which together can be called as emotional syndrome.

2. Radiation: All side effects of illnesses on account of exposure to atomic radiation, X rays, ultra-violet rays etc.

3. Shocks: There is not a person born who has escaped some type of shock-mental, emotional or physical. Birth itself a shocking experience. Many babies recieve shock from sosmething the mother is experiencing and ofcourse, once a child comes into the world, his/her life is a continuation of shock in one form or the other.

4. Hormone Imbalances: Due to family planning operations in both men and women, hysterectomies and the pills, the normal hormones operating in the body have become confused and upset, and due to this there are many complaints in the male and female genitile tracts which have their base in this present day attitude.

5. Allergies: Allergies due to residues of the insecticides, Pesticides, Fungicides, Fumicides, Fertiliser poisons in our body. These are absorbed in the system through the very air that we breath, through food (fruits, vegetables, cereals, nuts etc.) and water (chlorine, bottled cool drinks, mineral water etc.). This is something over which we have no control, but must be aware of what is happening to the body. Develop allergies.

6. Drug side-effects: The drugs are necessary for curing diseases. But use of drugs indiscriminately, for longer duration cause side effects which in turn develop as allergies and ultimately damage the immunisation system in the body. (Minimise the usage of medicinal drugs-give the body a chance to heal itself).

7. Toxins: Toxins are poisonous residual accumulated in our body continuously on the usage of fast foods and bad foods. Toxins from a past illness (rheumatic fever, malaria, measles, diptheria or typhoid, inoculations, vaccinations etc.) can lie in the system and eventually over burden the liver. Because the liver has sbeen unable to cope with them, begin to seep through the tissues attacking an organ.

8. Infections: Very few people have a body which is free from infections. Whereever there is a pus or fever or inflammation, infection is there.

9. Anaemia: About 95% of people are suffering from Anaemia or from Border line Anaemia. An underpar body brings in its wake diseases, infections and general ill-health. Those who are never well but never ill enough to go to bed, tired today and better tomorrow - an up down condition - are the people whoplod on day after day and one day suddenly collapse-the cause being Border line Anaemia. Look at the eye lids. If they are pale or have a white line at the base of eye lids there is Anaemia. These people have fluctuating haemoblogin, one day high and the other day low It is not stable - the cause being Anaemia.

10. Modern food habits and life style: Includes all non-vegetarian foods, refined foods, packed foods, bottled drinks, smoking, consuming tobacco products, alcohal, drugs, mind polluting books, music, moves, perfumes, gossip, criticism etc. etc. etc......the list is endless.

Now, I hope, you are aware of what is happening to your health and how and factors responsible for ill-health - disease.

Apart from natural calamities most of today's sufferings are man made.

They are :

1. THE POOR suffer from diseases of deprivation. This include
malnutrition, blindness and diseases caused by unsanitary
living conditions like dysentry, cholera, typhoid, malaria,
jaundice and latest additions like Chikun Gunya, Dengue etc.

2. THE RICH suffer from diseases of plenty or excess. These
include diabetes, rheumatism, arthritis, high blood pressure,
heart trouble, kidney failure, asthma, osteoporosis, depression,
skin problems, paralysis, prostate problems, cancer, acidity and
ulcers, gastric problems, spondylitis, thyroid problems, migraine,
obesity and associated problems, haemorrhoids (piles), allergies,
sinusistis to mention a few. But the list is endless.

Please note that Tamarind and Lemon juice are antacids and Tomatoes are acidic.

Tomatoes, when cooked, turn very acidic. Since it is our endeavour to remove 'acid causing' foods from our diet because a number of diseases have their root in acid or are made worse by acidic foods. If we have to take tomatoes we have to , only in their uncooked, but ripe, form only. Another benefit from the Tamarind is,it has the unique quality of removing excess flouride from our body. So practice using of tamarind and lemon in our foods.

-Eat with awareness - awareness of what we eat
-Eat in silence - visualise how many are without food
-Chew your food properly - chewing well with saliva
-Eat only half a stomachful - leave half space for digestive juices
-When you are ill - eat fruits (fruits are better than juices)

Practice as above if it appeals to your common sense.

Why we must avoid all refined foods including refined oil, refined salt, refined flour (maida), polished white rice etc.

When the word 'refined' is used, it usually means that the natural state of the product as provided by nature, has been tampered with by removing the nutrients and adding several chemicals, flavours which will ensusre longer self life, attraction for the product.

The product 'looks' better, it probably even 'tastes' better BUT it is not 'good' for our health. Why? Because nutrients are removed.

There are herbivores (vegetarians), carnivores (meat-eaters) or omnivores (who can eat both). Now a days new category fruitivore. It is possible for a modern man of health conscious to live only on a combination of fruits and nuts and never suffer any malnutrition. There are right and wrong ways of eating the fruits.
Most people eat fruits - (a) after food (b)combined with milk for dessert (c) cooked or stewed or baked. This is wrong and harmful, must be discontinued immediately.

Right and useful ways are:

-Fruits must be eaten on an empty stomach
-Fruits must never be combined with milk or grains
-Fruit must be eaten uncooked

Why and what is the reason:

After being chewed well in the mouth, fruit enters the stomach for a shot period say 10 to 20 minutes and then proceeds to the intestines where it digests itself with its own enzymes. If it is eater after a meal it sits on top of the food and ferments because it does not get a clear passage to go down to the intestines. Not only is the fruit rendered completely useless, it can become a cause of acidity, indigestion, gas, colic, constipation and other diseases.

For this same reason it must not be combined with any other foods. The other foods need to sit in the stomach for several hours for digestion.

Cooking the fruits destroys its self-digesting enzymes and it becomes a burden for the body.

In fact acidity, colic, indigestion, constipation can all be helped substantially by eating fruits atleast 1/2 hour before food.Chronic sufferers of these problems should ubstain from having any cereal, bread, roti or paratha for breakfast-they must have only fresh fruits.

When 'dying' of hunger, fruits are your best bet. They provid energy very quickly and efficiently without using up valuable energy reserves of the body (other foods use massive amounts of energy in the process of digestion). OK eat fruits as above?

Are yousuffering from cold?. If you do not take any medicine you will suffer for 7 days. If you take medicine you will suffer only for one week. So nice taking rest. OK?

Yes. It acts as medicine without any side-effects. Drinking water daily at regular intervals ensure good health, good circulation, good thinking and also cures chronic constipation.Why delay, start drinking water daily at regular intervals.

Yes. One man's sweet is another man's poison. This is true in the case of Diabetic patients.

These are only opening lines. Further details will be provided in this column. Please wait