Rehabilitative Bodywork

 

Where there is chronic and prolonged muscle tension or injury,
        there are usually adhesions (bands of painful, rigid tissue) in muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
   Adhesions can block circulation and cause pain, causing limited movement, and persistent inflammation.
Therapeutic and rehabilitative massage works by physically breaking down these scar tissues to relieve
pain, restore normal movement and realign the body's overall posture.
This can include the use of specific therapies like gua sha therapy, cupping, oleation therapies, heat application with ointments and different styles of massage.

 In the August 2005 issue of Consumer Reports magazine, 34,000 people ranked massage as being more effective in relieving osteoarthritis pain than physical therapy, exercise, prescription medications, chiropractic, acupuncture, diet, glucosamine and over-the-counter drugs.

Therapeutic deep tissue massage has been used to assist in treating the following conditions with excellent results:

Chronic pain
Limited mobility
Removing lactic acid from muscles
Recovery from injuries (e.g. whiplash, falls, sports injury)
Repetitive strain injury, such as carpal tunnel syndrome
Postural problems
Ostearthritis pain
Fibromyalgia
Muscle tension or spasms
Post-care for breast augmentation
Post-care for spinal (e.g. spinal fusions)
Joint surgeries (e.g. rotator cuff, knees)
 

Soaking and Sprouting

             Sprouting and eating grains or beans is good for health. Traditional cultures all over the world have the practice of soaking and sprouting grains and beans. Soaking makes the grain soft and also causes less gas in the intestines. Brown rice should be soaked and cooked with excess water than the white rice for a softer texture. All types of beans and dals (legumes), soaked and cooked with spices especially ginger and garlic will not cause gas problems in the intestines.

       Scientists say that eating fiber rich and unrefined products, as is the modern, urban practice,  causes anemia and other mineral deficiencies. Traditional cultures had the practical wisdom of soaking and sprouting foods. Soaking, sprouting or fermenting causes nutritional improvements and increased availability of nutrient for absorption. Sprouting and fermentation cause a breakdown of phytates in foods which otherwise would not release bound iron to be  absorbed by the intestines. Iron has to be in soluble form in our foods to prevent anemia.

         In a study with grains, it was found that cooking had no effect on the amount of soluble iron. Iron solubility increased, however, two to four times after soaking and germination, three to five times after fermentation and five to eight times after fermentation of the germinated flour samples and was highly correlated to the reduction of hydrolyzed phytates (International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, Volume 50, Number 3 / June 1, 1999 Pages: 203 - 211 ).

        Therefore, the traditional practices of soaking, sprouting and fermenting are the best ways to consume grains and beans. Now modern research is discovering the importance of sprouting.

BY Shakti Foundation

Refined Foods and Toxins

         When we eat food that is refined, i.e. white rice, white flour, white semolina, white sugar or refined breakfast cereals and other processed foods, the toxins do not leave the body but get re-absorbed and this results in various diseases.

 Fiber rich foods Vs refined foods cause slow release of sugar or glucose into the blood stream helping diabetes. Fiber rich whole foods used on a regular basis will help to prevent many diseases like diabetes, cholesterol and hyper-tension.

BY Shakti Foundation

Two Important Health Principles

      
Two important health rules concerning diet are

1. Eat only whole foods and not refined foods. We have already discussed  earlier how refined foods cause diseases by stressing our body.  Click here  to read the earlier information.

2. Eating different grains prevents diseases instead of eating only one type of grain. This routine, stereo-typed way of eating is a major problem. We prefer to stick to one type of grain instead of eating different varieties. Nature is abundant with  varieties of grains and we should take advantage of that fact. Instead, we abuse our body with one type of food causing imbalance in our body.

 Eating only one type of grain or beans only leads to variety of diseases.

           Change your eating lifestyle by including all varieties of  foods available. From other sites you can get information regarding how different foods gives different nutrients. Click here  to read about the  Nutrition content of Amaranth, Buckwheat, Millet, Oats and Quinoa.

           Eating different beans are good for health too.  Click here  to read about the Nutrition content of Beans: Adzuki, Black Eye Peas, Black Turtle, Garbanzo, and Great Northern beans.

          We discussed with a lot of healthy villagers in India and got extremely valuable information regarding eating habits. Traditionally, they ate different grains, fruits, beans (legumes) and vegetables based on availability in different seasons. They did not just eat rice or wheat. They said the urban people or the rich were the ones who ate only one type of grain. They remarked that in the past 40 years, even villagers have adapted the urban lifestyle and they see an increase in health problems among the villagers. We understand this information is true in other parts of the world too.

BY Shakti Foundation

Whole Vs Refined Grains

               Refined foods not only are devoid of nutrients, but when eaten will use our body nutrients and weaken our system. First look at this graph which shows how different nutrients are lost while refining foods.

 Due to refining nutrients are lost. 

Enriched foods.

    It is common to find in the market, enriched foods like bread , pasta, etc with added nutrients and so called as enriched foods. For enrichment, nutrients like iron, thiamin and riboflavin are added to foods. We consider enrichment is also not healthy because enrichment amounts of nutrients are not only excessive in quantity and out of balance (proportion) from the rest of the nutrients but also they enriched nutrients  and are in un-natural form.

BY Shakti Foundation

Why whole grains?

          Whole grains are power-packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phyto-chemicals - plant compounds that help reduce the risk of many chronic diseases and ailments.
        Secondly, consuming a diet rich in whole grains has been associated with reducing one's risk of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
         Metabolic syndrome is a condition marked by a combination of abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, poor blood circulation, low HDL "good" cholesterol and high blood fats, all of which lead to a higher risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Refined Foods & Disease

      There are two reasons.  First is that the fiber is lost and so un-available for toxins to be excreted from the body.  Secondly, through refining, nutrients are lost , which we will discuss in the next few pages.

Whole Foods Detoxify

   As we have already discussed the importance of the liver as a detoxifying organ, we will now briefly mention that the  liver manages to throw the fat soluble toxins out of the body through the secretion of bile. The bile with the combined action of the fiber present in your diet throws the fat-soluble toxins out of the body through the feces (stools). This is where  fiber plays an important role.

      The detoxified non-water soluble (fat soluble) toxins through bile reach the intestines. Here bile is re-absorbed but the toxins are not reabsorbed if fiber is present in the food. If fiber is not present then the toxins are reabsorbed and go back into the body. Hence, eating fiber helps in detoxification.

BY Shakti Foundation

Rice Mistake

     In South India, diabetes  was called as the rich man's disease by the ancients. Because it was found only with the rich people, because they only could afford to eat white rice , since it required extra labor to polish rice.

     In England and other Asian countries, prisoners in 18th century, were kept in prison which were located mostly in islands. Since brown rice became rancid and stale in prison due to long storage. Hence white rice was given in these prisons. a mysterious nervous breakdown disorders were noticed in these prisoners and at that time, everyone took for a bacterial infection that spread through white rice.

      It was accidentally discovered that giving rice bran prevented drooping neck syndrome in pigeons. Pigeons that were fed with white rice had all speedily developed marked symptoms of malnutrition and serious nerve derangements. Besides losing weight they sit listless and shivering, lose power in their legs, suggesting nerve paralysis, while many develop convulsions.

      We repeat now the same mistake of using refined rice and other grains putting us into the risk of not only diabetes, cholesterol, but many other nervous break down disorders. Click here  to read from this site about more information about the harmful effects of refined foods.

Reference
McCann, Alfred Watterson, 1879-1931. This famishing world; food follies that maim and kill the rich and the poor, that cheat the growing child and rob the prospective mother of health, that burn up millions in treasure. Published New York, George H. Doran company [c1918]

BY Shakti Foundation

Processing of Grains - Rice

            All three parts of a grain are needed for the nourishment of our body.  If all three parts of a grain are present in processed foods, they are considered whole grain. By comparison, refined grains contain only the endosperm. When the germ and bran portions are removed during milling, the nutrient content is reduced by 25 to 90 percent. Most refined grain foods are enriched with some of the nutrients lost in milling.

     For example, in the case of rice, Brown rice is covered with bran layer, that densely wraps around each grain. Brown or cargo rice is high in fiber, protein and vitamins. Polishing brown rice removes the bran layer which is rich in vitamins  and nutrients, resulting in white rice.

Parboiled rice is an intelligent, ancient technique  to preserve the nutrients by soaking, cooking, drying paddy along with its husk before milling. Due to this process, the nutrients leach from the bran into the  endosperm layer. When the rice is polished, the nutrients are not completely lost. Parboiled rice is a processed rice which is more healthy than white rice but cannot compete with the nutritional value of brown rice.

      Brown rice , though nutritionally good, is hard for many to digest. There are three ways to make it soft and very tasty.

      1. Soaking brown rice overnight in water. Soaking causes the phytates to break down so that vitamins and minerals and other nutrients are freely available  to be   absorbed.

      2. Add more water while cooking. Usually for white rice, water is added in the ratio of   1: 1.5 or 2 (One to one and a half or two). For brown rice the ratio should be 1:2.5 or 3 (One to two and a half or three). This makes the rice  really soft.

      3. Cooking in a pressure cooker. If that is not an option, then cooking time should be 10-15 minutes more than white rice.

BY Shakti Foundation

Stone ground whole grains

People who want to start eating more whole grain foods are often unsure about how to find them. The key is knowing which words to look for and which ones to avoid.

“100% wheat” - means that the only grain contained in the product is wheat. The food may not contain whole wheat. It is not the 100% of one grain that is important, but to see if it is the whole grain.

“Multigrain” - A word that means the product contains more than one kind of grain. The food may not contain whole grains. It might be a combination of many refined grains.

“Stone ground”-This term refers to grain that is coarsely ground and may contain the germ, but not the bran. Stone ground flour is more healthy than the refined, bleached flour because it contains the bran. Milled flour removes the bran.

      Soaked and cooked whole grains are better than whole grain stone ground flour, especially for diabetics, high cholesterol and hypertensive patients, because  whole grains contain bran and the endosperm, the fiber rich portion.

BY Shakti Foundation

Seasonal cleansing with Haritaki - Terminalia Chebula

This Ayurvedic herb is extolled for its effect as a Rasayana (Whole body energizers) therapy. This seasonal use of Terminalia chebula can be one of the cheapest and effective tool to elevate the health, detox the body and keep you free from diseases. Through the herbal detox process, this herb would prove to be adaptogenic.

Ayurveda describes six different seasons in the year - in each one of them the climatic conditions and weather is of particular nature. These are -  Shishira (Late Winter), Basanta (Spring), Grishama (Summer), Varsha (Rainy), Sharada (Autumn), Hemanta (Early winter).

It is not essential that all of these should come in a year at every place. Based on the geographical conditions of the place, the weather and the climatic condition of the place is controlled. Some places have all the six seasons. Some have only four - Winter, Rainy, Summer and Autumn. Some have three - Rainy, Summer and Autumn.

Ayurveda clearly advises the daily regime and the seasonal regime. If followed properly, these holistic lifestyle guidelines for diet, exercise, work etc could prove to be wonderful in maintaining good health and keeping the diseases away. 

The Benefits Of Using Ritu Haritaki:
In Ayurvedic Social and Preventive Medicine, the use of whole body tonic, specific organ or organ system energizers and adaptogenic herbs is praised for becoming healthier. In this regard seasonal Haritaki is a wonderful herb as it offers several benefits as -
Being cheap and easily available when stored properly.
Effective.

Good for persons suffering from overweight, diabetes, hypertension, increased lipids and cholesterol in blood and other degenerative disorders as a result of improper nutrition characterized by overeating, eating a lot of oily and fried food, not doing exercises, taking junk foods.

It can be taken throughout the year with specific substances in different seasons. It would help in this way not only to maintain health help but to avoid the seasonal disturbances in bodily humors and other common seasonal diseases like diarrhea, cold, cough, flu etc.
Besides the adaptogenic effects, it would detoxify the body round the year.
It can be taken easily in several forms - cold infusion, hot infusion, tea, powder, extract tab or capsule.

The Forms & Dose Of Terminalia chebula For Use As Seasonal Haritaki:

The Cold Infusion: we can take terminalia chebula powders or small pieces in the quantity of 5 - 10 gm and dip in a glass of water at night. Next morning it should be filtered through the sieve or a cotton cloth or simply take the upper portion without sediments. It should be taken empty stomach and with the additive of that season.

Hot Infusion: Either in the previous night or early in the morning dip 5 - 10 gm of powder or small pieces in boiling water. Just after that put the pot down and let it stay in this condition for a few hours or for overnight. 

Take as advised above.

We can take 3 - 5 gm of powder
We can take capsule or tablet containing extract equivalent to 3 - 5 gm of powder.

How many times should Haritaki be taken?

While taking haritaki for seasonal rasayana purpose, it is advisable to take it in the morning and preferably empty stomach.

The  Additives Of Ritu Haritaki In Different Seasons:

Late Winter (15 Jan. to 15 March roughly) - With powder of Pepper (0.5 to 1.0 gm).

Spring (15 March to 15 April roughly) - With one or two teaspoonful of honey.

Summer (15 April to 15 June) - With Guda,  a sugar cane juice derivative. It is much better than white sugar. It is equivalent to organic sugar. . It is found to be good for balancing all the three bodily humors. And it can be further medicated by adding some herbs or spices.

Rainy season (15 June to 15 August) - With rock salt added to make the preparation a little bit salty.

Autumn (15 Aug. to 15 Oct.) - With Sugar or Sita, the sugar crystals made by some natives. This sugar is considered to be cold in nature.

Early Winter (15 Oct. to 15 Dec.) - With 1-2 gm of dry ginger powder.

The dosage of haritaki for seasonal  haritaki use should be kept constant - somewhere between 3 - 10 gm depending on the preparation that we may be using.

The seasonal additive should be added just before taking the haritaki or should be taken with haritaki.

Using seasonal Haritaki In Places With Less Than Six Seasons In A Year:

It is very common to find such places with one or two or three or four of the seasons described above even in India and many other countries. So let us check (a bit social information!) that how many seasons are in our place. Then, take haritaki with the additives of those seasons only. The seasons can last for more or less periods than two months. So gather information from grandparents and use terminalia chebula as ritu haritaki.

The Specific Benefits Of Seasonal Haritaki:

As most of the adaptogenic herbs promote only the vital energy, immunity and general health. This seasonal use of  haritaki preparation does achieve these effects and over deliver us more benefits - detoxification and  balancing the bodily humors throughout the year. The most important of it that it can be used round the year either singly or with any other herbal formulation.

BY Charaka Ayurveda Centre

Regular Earth Cleansing

To nourish the body and to keep it clean, whole grains and other fiber rich foods should be eaten regularly. Understand the different between whole grains and refined grains.

Whole Grains
       
Common Types of Whole Grains:

•Brown rice •Oats •Barley •Corn •Whole wheat •Wild rice

Less Common Types of Whole Grains:

•Amaranth •Buckwheat or kasha •Kamut •Millet •Quinoa •Whole rye

What Are Whole Grains?

Whole grain foods contain all three parts of the grain: the bran, the endosperm and the germ.

• The outer bran layer is full of fiber, B vitamins, 50 to 80 percent of the grain’s minerals, and other health-promoting plant substances called phyto-chemicals.

• The large endosperm portion is full of complex carbohydrates, protein, and smaller amounts of B vitamins.

• The third part is the germ, which is full of B vitamins, vitamin E, trace minerals, and healthy unsaturated fats, phyto-chemicals and antioxidants.

BY Shakti Foundation

Chebulic myrobalan - Haritaki

Ignites the digestive fire making even micro nutrients available to the body
 Rejuvenates the body
 Increases the bulk of the body
 A very good nervine tonic
 A tonic for eyes
 Enhances the longevity of the person
 Nourishes the body up to the tissue level
 Scrapes out the unnecessary deposits and toxins out of the body
 Cardiac tonic

Common Name:
Chebulic myrobalan (Eng.)

Sanskrit Name:
Haritaki- Means one which is originated from Hari's (God's) home or
Which is green in nature; here green stands for faith and fertility. or
That carries away all the illnesses from the body
Abhaya- That makes a person fear free from all the diseases and discomforts
Pathya- Means it is an all time good herb for everyone
Amrita- Means it is like nectar for the body

Lt. Name:
Terminalia chebula- Combretaceae

What mythology says about the plant:
It is said that when Indra (king of deities in Hindu mythology) was drinking nectar in heaven, a drop of the fluid fell on the earth and produced Haritaki.

Bio energetics:
Rasa (Taste)- Haritaki contains all the six tastes except the Lavana (salty one)
Guna (Characteristics)- Laghu (Light); Ruksha (Rough)
Veerya (Potency)- Ushna (Warm)
Vipaka (Post digestion effect)- Madhura (Sweet)
Prabhava (Special action an herb works which cannot be explained on logical parameters)- Tridoshahara (Pacifies all the three bio humors)

Actions according to Ayurveda:
Deepana- Haritaki ignites the digestive fire making even micro nutrients available to the body
Medhya- Haritaki is a very good nervine tonic
Rasayani- Haritaki Rejuvenates the body
Chakshushya- Haritaki is a tonic for eyes
Bruhamni- Increases the bulk of the body
Anulomani- Means it is having the property to digest the undigested Malas (Removable wastes of gastric system) and expel them out of the body through anus.
Aayushya/Vayasa sthapani- Means it enhances the longevity of the person
Paushtiki- Haritaki nourishes the body up to the tissue level
Lekhani- Haritaki scrapes out the unnecessary deposits and toxins out of the body
Hrudya- Cardiac tonic

Besides this Haritaki is also useful in management of respiratory discomfort, cough, urinary disorders (including Diabetes mellitus), hemorrhoids, skin diseases, edematous conditions, assimilatory disorders, chronic fever,  vomiting, hiccough, heart diseases, jaundice (And other liver and spleen disorders) renal stones and anemia.

Medicinal value:
Haritaki has proven gastrokinetic effect i.e. it helps in moving the contents of stomach earlier. So it can be used after surgeries and as adjuvant with other drugs that interfere with gastric motility as antihistaminics, atropine like drugs.
One compound Chebulagic acid from Haritaki has shown antispasmodic action like that of Papaverine.
Haritaki can serve to act as an effective alternative to modern prokinetic drugs like metaclopramide.
Gallic acid and its ethyl ester, isolated from Terminalia chebula, displayed potent antimicrobial activity against several bacteria, including methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (Sato et al 1998). A crude extract of Terminalia chebula is reported to have potent and broad spectrum antibacterial activity against human pathogenic Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria (Phadke and Kulkarni 1989).
Haritaki is reported to have antiherpes simplex virus type 1 activity (Kurokawa et al 1995). Haritaki  showed a significant inhibitory activity on the effects on human immunodeficiency virus-1 reverse transcriptase (el-Mekkawy et al 1995).
A water extract of Terminalia chebula was found to have an antifungal activity.

Precautions to be taken while taking Haritaki :
Haritaki should be sparingly used in the lean individuals, severe debility, while fasting, mental depression, and vitiated Pitta conditions and in pregnancy.

Useful part:
Fruits

Doses:
Powder- 3-6 gm

How to identify the Haritaki fruit with you is good:
The good fruit will go to the bottom of the glass having water in it.

Some important combinations with Haritaki:
Triphala churna; Abhayamodaka; Abhayarista; Abhayamodaka; Chitraka Haritaki; Agastya Haritaki; Danti Haritaki; Pathyadi curna; Pathyadi vati; Pathyadi kvatha; Vyaghri haritaki; Gandharva haritaki etc.

Some special notes about Haritaki:
If taken after meals Haritaki prevents imbalance of any of the humors due to bad food or drink.
Haritaki maintains the balance of all the three Doshas. When taken with Lavana (Rock salt) it pacifies the aggravated Kapha, with sugar the Pitta and with Ghruta (Indian clarified butter) the Vata.
Haritaki gives different results according to the mode of taking i.e. when chewed it ignites the digestive fire, when taken after making a paste it ensures the timely evacuation of the feces and when taken after roasting it balances all the three Doshas.
According to Charak, the most eminent Ayurvedic physician, Haritaki is the best fruit for rejuvenation and disease cure.
Haritaki is the drug of choice for rejuvenation for all the seasons. This is called as the "Ritu Haritaki". In rainy season it should be taken with Saindhava (Rock salt), in autumn with sugar, in early winter with Shunthi, in late winter with Pippali, in spring season with honey and in summer season it should be taken with Guda (Jaggery).

Additional Reading:
http://www.toddcaldecott.com/index.php/herbs/learning-herbs/361-haritaki 
http://thehealer.us/3730782-Haritaki.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3225068
http://www.holistic-herbalist.com/terminalia-chebula.html 

The King of Medicines - Haritaki/Gallnut - Terminalia Chebula

Gall-nut - Haritaki or Terminalia chebula - the great herbal base and additive with mild Colonic cleanse properties. It is a good herbal detox that can be used daily without any ill effects and with great side benefits. In Ayurveda, its potential is fully explored and used holistically.

Sanskrit Name:

Haritaki, Abhaya (banishing the fear of diseases), Pathya (The good even as dietary aid),  Sudha (for purification or as good as nectar), Bhisakpriya (lovely to Ayurveda Doctors), Vayastha (stabilizing youthfulness).

Botanical Name:- Terminalia chebula;

BENGALI :  Haritaki.
CHINESE :  诃子  He zi ,   訶梨勒   He li le  (Taiwan).
 ENGLISH :   Black myrobalan, Chebulic myrobalan, Ink nut,  Indian gall-nut, Gallnut.
FRENCH :  Badamier chebule, Myrobalan chébule.
GERMAN-Rispiger, Myrobalanenbaum. Chebulische
GUJARATI : Harade, 
HINDI :  Harad, Haritali, Haritaki, Harra.
JAPANESE :  ミロバランノキ  Mirobaran no ki.
KANNADA - Arale
MALAY : Manja lawai (Indonesia).
MALAYALAM- Kadukka
MARATHI : Harade.
NEPALESE : Harro,Jangalii harro, Thuulo harro.
RUSSIAN : Харитаки.
SANSKRIT : Abhaya, Haritaki, Pathya.
SPANISH : Mirobalanos índicos.
TAMIL : Kadukkai, Kadukkaya.
TELUGU : Karkchettu.
THAI :  สมอไทย   Samo thai,   โกฐพุงปลา  ?

Source:  http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/

Terminalia Chebula is called the "king of medicines" and is always listed first in the Ayurvedic meteria medica because of its extraordinary powers of healing. In Ayurveda it is considered to destroy all diseases and eliminate all waste from the body. At the same time, it is known to promote tissue growth and health.

Uses of Haritaki :

Terminalia Chebula is used in India to treat many diseases such as digestive diseases, urinary diseases, diabetes, skin diseases, parasitic infections, heart diseases, irregular fevers, flatulence, constipation, ulcers, vomiting, colic pain and hemorrhoids. If taken after meals it prevents imbalance of any of the humors due to bad food or drink. It promotes wisdom, intellect and eyesight.
Terminalia Chebula has a strong effect against the herpes simplex virus HSV, has antibacterial activity and exhibits strong cardio tonic properties. Terminalia Chebula also has antioxidant components which indicates it can increase the life of tissues.
Yet another study shows the anti-tumor activity of Terminalia Chebula and another study shows that it has considerable effect in inhibiting the HIV virus which ultimately results in AIDS
Terminalia Chebula can be seen to be a valuable addition to anyone's herbal collection. With its rejuvenating and cleansing properties, Terminalia Chebula is excellent for the digestive system. As a preventative supplement it has great anti viral attributes, as shown by its antitumor and HIV action. It is also effective for alleviating constipation in general, and is helpful for vata persons because it works in the triphala formula, which is a well-balanced digestive and rejuvenating aid.

BY Shakti Foundation

Gall-Nut Cleansing

Gall-nut cleansing - Haritaki or Terminalia chebula
    
     The night before dip 5 - 10 gm of gallnut powder or small pieces in 2 to 3 ounce of water (100 ml). Boil for 15 to 20 minutes in a covered vessel in a slow flame. Switch of the flame and add two to three grams of jaggery (palm sugar)  or brown sugar and  allow it to stay in this condition  for overnight.

        The above is the dose for adults. For children of ages between 3 to 8 use 1/4th (quarter dose) and for ages above 8 use  1/2th (half dose) the amount.

        Next day warm the extract and drink the whole extract early in the morning in empty stomach.  Lie down for 20 to 30 minutes on your right side (left side up). Then keep drinking hot water as much as you can in periods of 15 minutes. You will have three to four bowel movements.

        To stop bowel movements stop drinking hot water. Drink butter-milk (yogurt free from cream) to stop bowel movements. Till night eat only when you are hungry and eat light food with very less amount of fat.

Advantages of the Cleanse:

This is a powerful way of detoxification.

Some people tend to reduce body weight considerably within a few days after the cleanse.

This removes lot of mucus and so good for mucus related diseases , like frequent colds, low immunity, asthma etc.

It cleanses the intestines (colon) and also the liver.

It eliminates some parasites too.

It keeps you healthy by providing lot of anti-oxidants.

BY Shakti Foundation

Lack of Love

Do we Love our Body?
             Once we start to love the body as one loves the self we will have no illness. We deceive ourselves. We get divided. The I as the mind and the I as the body. This split is the cause of disease. This split hinders healing. Healing is the process to bridge the gap in this split - to unite the body and the mind. We eat unhealthy food. That is due to the split in our spirit. The mind feels happy but not the body. The body growls in pain but the mind enjoys the taste. Here is the split.

         How does this split happen? What is good is that which is good for both. SPIRIT IS THAT SENSE IN WHICH THE BODY AND THE MIND ARE THE SAME. THERE  IS NO SPLIT. THIS SENSE OF ONENESS IS SPIRITUALITY. When the dual nature of the mind and body are present, separately, there is disease. Both the mind and the body are not at ease. The sense of oneness is absent. If this gap is not taken care of then either the mind or the body divorces the other. Both then start to function as if they are independent of each other.

         Healing is the reunion of the mind and body and the restoration of spirit. When one lacks the union of the mind and the body one lacks spirit. This leads to depression and all the problems and physical symptoms of the illness of the psyche. This split between mind and body leads to the loss of homeostasis which is involved in maintaining the balance of the body. We are not talking here about split personality. Here, we mean to talk about the interconnectedness between our body and mind.

Loving a Car
       If one loves a car, it is not just the love of the exterior alone. One takes care of the interior of the car as well. One will not adulterate or put any impurity in the oil because one knows that would cause serious trouble in the functioning of the car. We take care that there should be no dust in the gasoline, otherwise the carburetor will be blocked and the car will not start. We should have the same attitude in the case of the food we intake. We should take care not to put any junk into our system. All the harmful things we eat block various processes in the body. And give rise to Disease.

       We should maintain our body as we maintain our car. Therefore, regular cleaning of the body should be done like we take our car to the garage for regular servicing.

By Shakti Foundation

Method for Castor Oil Cleansing

Method
For adults: Pour 50 ml to 75 ml ( 2 ounces) of castor oil in a cup and add equal amount of freshly squeezed orange juice to it and mix well. Drink on an empty stomach at around 6-7a.m.  After 15 - 30 minutes, start drinking hot water (like you would sip tea). Drink approximately 3-4 cups at intervals of 10 - 15 minutes. You will have flush bowel movements. When you have had 2-3 flushes, stop drinking warm water. The bowel movements can be stopped by drinking a glass of buttermilk or low fat yogurt. For the rest of the day try to eat very light food and avoid fatty , fried and spicy foods.

How often to do?
Do this once a month or once in two months. This can be easily done on the weekend.

After the Cleanse
Eat very light food; not fatty, fried items. Fruit juices are fine or steamed vegetables are good. If you feel too hungry, just plain rice with some beans without any fat is good. Traditional Indian food is khichari. This is  mung dal and rice cooked together, with minimum spices. Recipe for Khichari is given at the end of the page Do not eat nuts that day but fruits could be eaten.

Castor beans

Who is this cleanse for?
For children above the age of four it is safe but use less amount of castor oil (one teaspoonful to one tablespoonful depending on age). Care should be taken not to dehydrate them. So stop after they have had one or two bowel flushing.

Avoid
Children below the age of four and pregnant women. However, before planning for pregnancy doing this is excellent. This keeps the body healthy for the baby. Very ill people should not do this cleanse. If you are suffering from fever or have diarrhea or dysentery.  Please note: people with liver problems or poor liver functions should not do this cleanse.

Khichari

Ingredients:

Rice : 1 cup
Green split mung dal : 1/2 cup
Water : 4 cups (use 3 if more solid consistency desired)
Salt : 1 teaspoon
Just the above ingredients are enough. But optional additions are given below.

Black corn pepper : 2 or 3
Ginger grated : 1/4 teaspoon
Cumin seeds : 1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves chopped : 1/4 teaspoon
Coriander leaves chopped : a few
Raisins : 3 teaspoon
Flavor mix : 1/4 teaspoon
Preparation:
Add all ingredients and put in a pressure cooker and cover it. Cook on Medium High heat, until well cooked. Serve for lunch or dinner with or without yogurt or steamed vegetables.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

BY Shakti Foundation

Castor Oil Cleansing

Castor Oil Cleansing:
      Castor oil works like fiber in the food. Drinking castor oil early in the morning induces the gall bladder to pour the bile into the stomach. (Early morning bile flow is heavier than at any other time) and also the stomach and intestines are empty to be cleaned. When hot water is sipped it causes mucus to be secreted which forces movement of bile and castor oil mixture to move down to the intestine. Bile and oil forms detergent (SOAP). A cleaning detergent is basically oil that is bonded to salt. Here castor oil forms a chemical complex with bile salts and forms a cleansing detergent. Sipping water makes a typical "HOT WASH". This really cleans the stomach and intestines and also gets rid of the toxins that come through the bile. Thus this is a powerful way of detoxification.

 

Advantages of the Cleanse:

Some people tend to reduce body weight considerably within a few days after the cleanse.

By experience we have seen a reduction in the size of belly (tummy) within a few days.

Do this before pregnancy but after pregnancy do not do this because it might cause abortion.

It cleanses the intestines and also the liver.

It eliminates some parasites too.

It keeps you healthy.

By Shakti Foundation