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Malaria is a serious infectious disease. It is one of the intermittent fevers which have a tendencyto return again and again to haunt the sufferer. The word malaria comes from the Italian malaria,meaning bad air as it was once supposed to be caused by bad air. It is one of the most widespread diseases in the world, especially in tropical and subtropical regions.

Symptoms

There are three main types of malaria, depending upon the parasite which causes it. These arevivax, falciparum and malaria, commonly called tertian fever, quarter fever and the malignanttertian malaria. The most common symptom of all types of malaria is high fever, which maycome every day, on alternate days or every fourth day. The fever is accompanied by chill,headache, shivering and pain in the limbs. The temperature comes down after some time withprofuse sweating. One of the main effects of malaria is anemia. Other complications of thedisease are kidney failure and dysentery.

Causes

Malaria is caused by a tiny parasite called plasmodium. The parasites grow in the liver of aperson for a few days and then enter the bloodstream where they invade the red blood cells.The disease is spread from a sick person to a healthy one by the female anopheles mosquito.She draws a small quantity of blood containing the parasites, when she bites a person who hasmalaria. These parasites then pass through several stages of development within the mosquito’sbody and finally find their way to its salivary glands. There they lie in wait for an opportunity toenter the bloodstream of the next person. The real cause of malaria, however, as in case ofother infectious diseases, is wrong feeding habits and faulty style of living, resulting in thesystem being clogged with accumulated systemic refuse and morbid matter. It is on this soil thatthe malaria germs breed. The liberal use of denatured foods of today such as white sugar, whiteflour and products made from them, as well as tinned foods, strong tea, coffee and alcoholicbeverages, lower the vitality of the system and paves the way for the development of malaria.

Treatment

Diet is of utmost importance in the treatment of malaria. To begin with, the patient should fast onorange juice and water for seven to fifteen days depending on the severity of the fever. Thewarm water enema should be administered daily during this period to cleanse the bowels. Afterthe fever has subsided, the patient should be placed on an exclusive fresh fruit diet for furtherthree days. In this regimen, he should take three meals a day, at five-hourly intervals, of fresh,juicy fruits, like oranges, grapes, grapefruit, apple, pineapple, mango and papaya. Milk may beadded to the fruit-diet after this period and this diet may be continued for a further few days.Thereafter, the patient may gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet of natural foodsconsisting of seeds, nuts and grains. Vegetables and fruits , with emphasis on fresh fruits andraw vegetables.The patient should avoid strong tea, coffee, refined and processed foods, fried foods,condiments, sauces, pickles, white sugar, white flour, and all products made from them. Heshould also avoid all meats, alcoholic drinks and smoking.The best way to reduce temperature naturally, during the course of fever, is by means of thecold pack, which can be applied to the whole body. This pack is made by wringing out a sheet orother large square piece of linen material in cold water, wrapping it right round the body and legsof the patient ( twice round would be best ) and then covering completely with a small blanket orsimilar warm material. This pack should be applied every three hours during the day whiletemperature is high and kept on for an hour or so . Hot-water bottles may be applied to the feetand also against the sides of the body.

Home Remedies

Certain home remedies have been found beneficial in the treatment of malaria. One suchremedy is the use of grapefruit (chakotra). This substance can be extracted from the fruits byboiling a quarter of the grapefruit and straining its pulp.Lime and lemon are beneficial in the treatment of quarter type of malaria fever. About threegrams of lime should be dissolved in about 60 ml. of water and juice of one lemon added to it.This water should be taken before the onset of the fever.Cinnamon(dalchini) is regarded as an effective cure for all types of colds, including malaria. Itshould be coarsely powdered and boiled in a glass of water with a pinch of pepper powder andhoney. This can be used beneficially as a medicine in malaria.Alum ( phitkari) is also useful in malaria. It should be roasted over a hot plate and powdered. Itshould be taken about four hours before the expected attack and every two hours after it. Thiswill give relief.

Preventive Measures

The preventive aspect in malaria is as important as the curative one. The best way to protectagainst malaria is to adopt all measures necessary for preventing mosquito bites. For thispurpose, it is essential to maintain cleanliness of surroundings, environmental hygiene and toeradicate stretches of stagnant water. As the mosquito generally perches itself on the walls ofthe house, after biting a person, it would be advisable to spray the walls with insecticides.The leaves of the holy basil (tulsi) are considered beneficial in the prevention of malaria. Aninfusion of some leaves can be taken daily for this purpose. The juice of about 11 grams of tulsileaves mixed with three grams of black pepper, powder, can be taken beneficially in the coldstage of the malarial fever. This will check the severity of the disease.

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SymptomsThe usual symptoms of intestinal worms are diarrhoea, foul breath, dark circles under the eyes,constant desire for food, restlessness at night with bad dreams, anaemia and headache.Roundworms may give rise to inflammation of the intestine and lungs, nausea, vomiting, loss ofweight, fever, nervousness and irritability. Pinworms and thread worms may bring on intenseitching in the area around the rectum.Threadworms may cause periodic bouts of diarrhoea alternating with constipation, loss ofweight, cough and fever. Hookworms may give rise to anaemia and nutritional disorders. Thepresence of giardia may result in pain in the calves and weakness in the legs.

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Hitaus Hernia can be defined as displacement of a portion of the stomach through the opening inthe diaphragm through which the oesophagus passes from the chest to the abdominal cavity. INthis disease, a part of the upper wall of the stomach protrudes through the diaphragm at thepoint where the gullet passes from the chest area to the abdominal area.The diaphragm is a large dome-shaped muscle dividing the chest from the abdominal cavity. It isthe muscle concerned with breathing, and it is assisted by the muscles between the ribs duringexertion. It has special openings in it to allow for the passage of important blood vessels and forthe food channel, the oesophagus. Hiatus hernia occurs at the oesophageal opening.The disease is common after middle age. It is estimated that about half the people above 60years of age suffer from it, although most of them may not have any symptoms. The correctdiagnosis of haitus hernia can be arrived at by means of berium meal x-ray test.

Symptoms

Hiatus hernia is characterised by pain in certain areas. The most common areas are behind the breast bone at the nipple level and lower, at the end of the breast one. Pain may also occur onthe left chest and this is often mistaken for angina.Other areas of pain are the base of the throat, right lower ribs and behind the right shoulderblade. The pain increases when the patients stoops with efforts and lies down. Other symptomsof this disease are heart-burn, especially after a meal, a feeling of fullness and bloatedness,flatulence and discomfort on swallowing.

Causes

The chief cause of the mechanical defect associated with hiatus hernia is faulty diet. Theconsumption of white flour, refined sugar and products made from them, such as cakes,pastries, biscuits and white bread as well as preservatives, and flavourings devitalise the systemand weaken the muscle tone. As a consequence, the muscles become less resilent, andconnective and fibrous tissue suffers through poor nourishment, and thus become more prone todecomposition and damage. This ultimately leads to disease like hiatus hernia.Drinks like tea, coffee, alcohol, also affect the mucous lining of the stomach and irritate thedigestive tract. These drinks, when taken with meals, encourage fermentation and produce gas.This increases the distension of the stomach, causing pressure against the diaphragm and theoesophageal opening and greatly increasing the risk of hemiation. Other causes of hiatus herniainclude sedentary occupations, without sensible exercise, overweight resulting from overeating,smoking, shallow breathing and mental and emotional tensions.

Treatment

In the beginning of the treatment, it would be advisable to raise the head end of the bed byplacing bricks below the legs of the bed. This will prevent the regurgitation of food during thenight. More pillow can also be used for the same purpose.The next important step towards treating hiatus hernia is relaxation. An important measure inthis direction is diaphragmatic breathing. The procedure is as follows : lie down with both kneesbent and feet close to buttocks. Feel relaxed. Put both the hands lightly on the abdomen andconcentrate the attention of this area. Now breathe in, gently pushing the abdominal up underthe hands at the same time, until no more air can be inhaled. Then relax, breathing out throughthe mouth with an audible sighing sound and allow the abdominal wall to sink back. Theshoulders and chest should, remain at rest throughout.It is important to be able to relax at any time and thereby prevent building up of physical andmental tensions which may cause actual physical symptoms. The best method for this is practiceshavasana, or ‘dead body ‘ pose. on yoga therapy.The patient of hiatus hernia should observe certain precautions in their eating habits. Theforemost amongst these is not to take water with meals, but half an hour before or one hour aftera meal. This helps the digestive process considerably and reduces the incidence of heart burn.Drinking water with meals increases the overall weight in the stomach, slows down the digestiveprocess by diluting the digestive process and this increases the risk of fermentation and gasformation, which distends the stomach and causes discomfort and pain. Another important factorin the treatment of this disease is to take frequent small meals instead of three large ones.Thorough mastication of foods is also essential, both to break up the food into small particlesand to slow down the rate of intake.The diet of the patient should consist of seeds, nuts and whole cereal grains, vegetables andfruits, with emphasis on fresh fruits, raw or lightly cooked vegetables and sprouted seeds. Thefoods which should be avoided are over-processed foods like white bread and sugar, cakes andbiscuits, rice puddings and over cooked vegetables. At least 50 per cent of the diet shouldconsist of fruits and vegetables, and the remaining 50 per cent of protein, carbohydrates and fat.Raw juices extracted from fresh fruits and vegetables are valuable in haitus hernia, and thepatient should take these juices half an hour before each meal. Carrot juice is speciallybeneficial as it has a very restorative effect, and is rich in vitamin A and calcium. It is an alkalinefood which soothes the stomach. All juices should be diluted with water on a 50: 50 basis asthey are concentrated.The hot drinks should always be allowed to cool a little before taking. Extremes in temperature,in both food and drink should be avoided, drinks should not be taken hurriedly, but sippedslowly. The patient should avoid condiments, pickles, strong tea, coffee, alcoholic beveragesand smoking.

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Dermatitis refers to an inflammation of the skin, both external and internal. It is characterised byredness, swelling, heat and pain or itching. Any part of the body may be affected by this disease.The genital areas and the exposed areas such as the eyelids, forearms, face and neck are moreprone to it.The cells of the epidermis ( the surface layer of the skin ) are normally protected from damageby the tightly packed squamae of keratin of the horny layer. The elasticity of keratin varies withits water content. This water content can be reduced by evaporation or by removal of the lipidwith which it retains moisture. Substances which produce inflammation of the epidermis ordermatitis by mechanical or chemical disruption of the horny layer are called irritants.Degreasing agents like soaps, if used too frequently over a short time, will cause dryness,redness, fissuring and irritation of the skin in almost everyone.

Symptoms

The appearance of dermatitis varies according to its severity and the stage of its evolution. Thefirst symptom is erythema or redness. This is usually followed by swelling of the skin due tooedema( excessive fluid retention ). Vesicle may appear thereafter .In case of their rupture, theirbases exude serum. This condition is known as weeping dermatitis. Later, the serum dries up toform crusts. IN some people the disease seems to come and go without any great change in theskin itself.

Causes

Chemical substances usually give rise to dermatitis. They may reach the skin from outside orfrom inside through the blood-stream. About 100 different plants are known to be capable ofcausing dermatitis in susuceptible persons. The onset is usually acute and begins an hour or twoafter contact. Dermatitis may be caused by external contact with mineral irritants. This includesmost cases of industrial dermatitis which arise on the hands or forearms which actually come incontact with the irritant.Certain drugs applied externally such as atropine, belladona, carbolic acid, iodine, mercury,penicillin, sulphonamides, sulphurs, tars and turpentine sometimes cause dermatitis. Othersubstances causing this disease include hair dyes, bleaches, skin tonics, nail polish, perfume,wool , silk, nylon, floor-wax and various detergents. Other causes of this disease are indiscretionin diet, deficiency of vitamin A and pantothenic acid , and nervous and emotional stress.

Treatment

As dermatitis may appear due to varied causes, treatment also varies accordingly. If, however,the trouble is constitutional arising from internal causes, the patient should commence thetreatment by adopting an all-fruit diet for at least a week. In this regimen, he should take threemeals a day of juicy fruits such as orange, grapes, apple, pineapple and papaya at five hourlyintervals.After an exclusive fruit diet, patient may adopt a restricted diet for ten days. In this regimen,breakfast may consist of orange juice or grapefruit. Raw salad, consisting of vegetablesavailable in season, with raisins, figs or dates may be taken for lunch and dinner may consist ofsteamed vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, carrots, turnips, cauliflower, along with a fewnuts or fresh fruit. Mild puddings and desserts such as jellies, jams and pastries, all condiments,spices, white sugar, and white flour and products made from them, tea, coffee and otherstimulating drinks should all be avoided.After the restricted diet, the patient should gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet,consisting of seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits. The emphasis should be on freshfruits and raw vegetables. In case of a severe condition, the patient should undertake a fast onfruit or vegetable juices for three to five days. This may be followed by a restricted diet for ten tofifteen days. Further fasts and a period on restricted diet at intervals may be adopted after theresumption of a normal diet.The warm water enema should be used daily to cleanse the bowels during the first week oftreatment and thereafter as necessary. Epsom-salts baths may be taken two or three times aweek. The affected areas may also be bathed twice daily in hot water with Epsom salts. About100 grams of Epsom salts should be added to a bowlful of hot water for this purpose. A littleolive oil should be applied after Epsom-salt bathing.The patient should avoid white sugar, refined carbohydrates, tea, coffee, and other denaturedfoods. He should make liberal use of fruits and vegetable juices. The combined juice from apple,carrot and celery is especially beneficial in the treatment of dermatitis. About 175 ml. each ofthese juices should be mixed to prepare 525 ml. of combined juice.No medicines of any kind should be used. In case of trouble due to external causes, the mosteffective treatment consists of applying a mixture of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda ) and oliveoil. The alkaline sodium neutralises the poisonous acids formed in the sores and oil keeps theflesh in a softened condition.The patient should undertake moderate physical exercise, preferably simple yoga asanas afterthe fast is completed and the start of the restricted diet. Exercise is one of the most valuablemeans for purifying the blood and for preventing toxaemia. The patient should also haveadequate physical and mental rest and fresh air. He should avoid exposure to cold, and adoptregular hours of eating sleeping.

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Cholera is one of the most severe diseases of the intestines. It is a serious affliction, involvingthe lower part of the small bowel. It is a waterborne disease and is common during themonsoons. The mortality rate for this disease has been quite high.The disease strikes suddenly and fills the intestinal canal with bacilli which die rapidly and leavethe person quickly , alive or dead. It comes as a fell epidemic and creates havoc but subsidesquickly in the locality. Those who are susceptible to it are carried away and those who are leftalive are immuned to it. Thus after an epidemic in a non-epidemic area, there is no re-visitationin the locality for two or three years.The original home of cholera is Bengal in India. It spread from this country during the 19thcentury in a series of epidemics along the trade routes. It reached Japan and also Astrakhan, inRussian, in 1817. The disease spread to Moscow in 1826, Berlin in 1831 and London and Parisin 1832. Subsequently, it spread to Canada and several countries in Europe. However, by 1895,cholera had disappeared from Europe.

Symptoms

Cholera appears in three stages. In the first stage, the patient suffers from mild diarrhoea andvomiting, which worsens rapidly. The motions become watery, containing no feacal matter. Thepatient feels severe cramps in the muscles of the abdomen and limbs, resulting from lack ofsalts. The temperature rises but the skin is generally cold and blue and the pulse is weak.Taking water to quench thirst dilutes the body salt still further, and makes the cramps worse.In the second stage of collapse, the body becomes colder, the skin dry, wrinkled and purple.Voice becomes weak and husky while the urine looks dark and formation is less, or altogetherabsent. It is in this ‘algid’ stage that the patient may die, as early as 24 hours after the onset ofthe symptoms.In the third stage,recovery follows in favourable cases. All the changes seem to reversethemselves, the fluid loss decreases and there is improvment in the general condition. Even atthis stage, a relapse may occur or the patient may sink into a condition resembling typhoid fever.The condition may deteriorate over a period of two or three weeks. During this stage of reaction,the temperature may rise and the patient may be in danger from penumonia.

Causes

Cholera is caused by a short, curved, rod-shaped germ known as vibrio cholera. This germproduces a powerful poison or endotoxin. It is spread by flies and water contaminated by thegerms. The real cause of disease , however, is the toxic and devitalized condition of the systembrought about by incorrect feeding habits and faulty style of living. This condition facilitatesinvasion of cholera germs.

Treatment

The treatment should in the beginning aim at combating the loss of fluids and salts from thebody. To allay thirst, water, soda water or green coconut water should be given for sippingalthough this may be thrown out by vomiting. Therefore, only small quantities of water should begiven repeatedly, as these may remain for sometime within the stomach and stay of every oneminutes means some absorption. Ice may be given for sucking. This will reduce internaltemperature and restrict the tendency to vomit. Intravenous infusions ofsaline solution should begiven to compensate for the loss of fluids and salts from the body. The patient may require fivelitres or more a day. Care should, however, be taken to avoid waterlogging the patient.Potassium may be added to the infused fluid. Rectal saline may sometimes prove useful foradults. Normally, half a litre of saline , with 30 grams of glucose, should be given per rectumevery four hours until urine is passed freely.After the acute stage of cholera is over, the patient may be given green coconut water andbarley water in very thin form. When the stools begin to form, he should be given butter-milk. Ashe progresses towards recovery, rice softened to semi-solid form mixed with curd, may be given.The patient should not be given solid food till he has fully recovered. Liquid and bland foods,which the patient can ingest without endangering a reoccurrence of the malady, are best.Lemon, onion, green chillies, vinegar and mint should be included in the daily diet during anepidemic of cholera.

Home Remedies

Certain home remedies have been found beneficial in the treatment ofcholera. The foremostamong these is the use of lemon ( bara nimbu). The juice ofthis fruit can kill cholera bacilli withina short time. It is also a very effective and reliable preventive food item against cholera duringthe epidemic. It can be taken in the form of sweetened or salted beverages for this purpose.Taking of lemon with food as daily routine can also prevent cholera.The root bark of guava (amrud) is another valuable remedy. It is rich in tannis and can besuccessfully employed in the form of concentrated decoction in cholera. It will arrest vomitingand symptoms of diarrhoea.According to Culpepper, an eminent nutritionist for children and young people, nothing is betterto purge cholera than the leaves and flowers of peach (arhu). They should be taken in the formof syrup or conserve. The leaves of drumstick (sanjana) tree are also useful in treatment of thisdisease. A teaspoon of fresh leaf-juice, mixed with honey and a glass of tender coconut water,can be given two or three times as a herbal medicine in the treatment of cholera.Onion is very useful in cholera. About 30 grams of this vegetable and seven black peppersshould be finely pounded in a pestle and given to the patient. It allays thirst and restlessness andthe patient feels better. The fresh juice of bitter gourd (karela) is another effective medicine inthe early stages of cholera.Two teaspoons of this juice, mixed with an equal quantity of white onion juice and a teaspoon oflime juice, should be given Cholera can be controlled only by rigid purification of water suppliesand proper disposal of human wastes. In case of the slightest doubt about the contamination ofthe water, it must be boiled before use, for drinking and cooking purposes. All foodstuffs must bekept covered and vegetables and fruits washed with a solution of potassium permanganatebefore consumption. Other precautions against this disease include avoiding all uncookedvegetables, thorough washing of hands by all those who handle food, and elimination of allcontacts with the disease.

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