‘Finding Meera’s house will be easy. You will see a bunch of carrots and beetroots on the door!’
‘When a guy comes to see her daughter, Meera will offer him a glass of palak juice and a plateful of raw radish’.
These jokes, at my expense, had sprung from my new-found liking, err, love, err infatuation, err passion for Nature Cure.
A chance encounter with a Naturopath in the one-room Prakruti Jeevan Kendra, had me hooked to Nature Cure-for life. The books in the library there became my Bible and Gita and the words of the Naturopath my Ten Commandments and Upanishads. ‘Madam, fast once a week to get rid of your dandruff’, was the doctor’s first prescription. ‘How is your carrot consumption?’ was his query when I told him of my bleeding gums. ‘squeeze some coriander leaves in water and put a spoonful in each eye’ went his mantra for itchy eyes.
‘I do not have a bottle of Vicks at home’ was perhaps the statement from the Naturopath which made me his firm disciple and avid fan.
From eye care to hair care and simple good health, I drank up all the knowledge in the books there while he cleared all doubts. “Disease is not natural, good health is”, went one hard-hitting aphorism.
The body tends to heals itself if it is allowed to.
Fever and pain are not problems, they are indicators of disturbances in the body and so are our friends.
My kids became guinea pigs. From coughs and colds to boils and tooth ache, I approached the Naturopath, like an eager student. Diet – no sugar, friend stuff, refined flour – for my son and more exotic therapies like enema and steam bath for my daughter…I do not remember with what bribes I stilled the vociferous opposition put up by my daughter but it didn’t matter; I HAD to try out and understand Nature’s ways.
