Diet therapy
Since early days, people have looked at food as a source of healing. Fresh limes were used to treat scurvy in sailors. For ages, people sipped warm milk before bedtime to ensure sound sleep. Only recently, we have discovered that milk contains an amino acid that causes the brain to release a mildly tranquilizing substance that induces sleep.
Diet therapy is based on a simple balance of – "Food – Blood – Mind". The food that one eats, determines the quality of the blood (tamasic, rajasic or satvic) and the blood in turn, determines the quality of the mind of the individual.
A variety of alternative diets are offered for treating cancer, cardiovascular disease and food allergies.
Most interventional diets encourage eating greater quantity of fresh and freshly prepared vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes.
Fasting (Akasha chikitsa)
Fasting is a therapy when done in the proper manner. By depriving the body of food for a specific period of time, the organs of elimination (the bowels, kidneys and lungs) are given an opportunity to expel the overload of accumulated waste from the system.
Thus, fasting is merely another process of purification – assisting the body to correct the faults of improper diet and wrong living. It also leads to regeneration of the blood, repair and regeneration of the various tissues of the body and promotes weight loss.
Weight Loss Fasts are recommended for people who are dangerously overweight.
Detoxification Fasts are conducted over certain days, supplemented with fruit and vegetable juices. As the fast progresses metabolic rate decreases with fall in body temperature, breathing rate, pulse and B.P.
Scientific fasting therapy includes modalities like – when to fast, the mental and physical preparation for a fast, how to fast and the precautions that should be taken after fasting.