Sunday, July 14, 2002		Books

Down down cancer and simple cures for chronic ailments
by Kailash C. Sehgal, Minerva Press, New Delhi. Rs 1200. Pages 957.

THE author of this book has suffered from different ailments right from childhood. He has spent a lifetime curing patients through herbal medication and modifications in food habits. In the book, the author has discussed the causes of cancer and other chronic ailments and their cure by changing food habits and using known herbs. He has taken a holistic approach to treating human beings, as all parts of the body are inter-related and get affected by viral or other diseases.

The book makes an attempt at explaining how ailments can be diagnosed by simple means and cured with simple remedies. The author says that cancer often remains untreated because no one has yet been able to find out exactly what cancer is or what leads to it.

The author has devoted four chapters to cancer — cancer cure, chronic ailments, important herbs and their usage and wonder herbal mixtures. The cancer cures mentioned have their genesis in the social philosophy of earlier times when it was believed that there was no cancer in the society, the times when people evaded cancer by eating food that contained the elements required to restrain cancer.

According to the author, the following are the symptoms of cancer: Fever (low and fluctuating), loss of appetite and weight, localised swelling or lumps, pain, blood in the mouth, gums, urine and stool, epileptic fits and hallucinations, and dry cough. When more than two of the above symptoms are present, says the author, one has reason to suspect the presence of cancer or other serious ailments.

These symptoms should not be ignored and should be taken seriously. Immediate action should be to have oneself examined for cancer so that timely action can be taken before it spreads and reaches the final stage. Absence of timely cure of any of the diseases mentioned in the book can reduce the body’s resistance to disease and thus lead to other problems which can prove to be fatal.

If one investigates closely, one will find that cancer generally afflicts the affluent, who tend to rush to a doctor even when they suffer from ordinary cough and cold. However, being too busy with their work and lives, they sometimes tend to ignore the symptoms of cancer. The number of cancer cases among the poor are fewer, as these people eat natural food and live a hardy life. In the present-day world, tensions and pollution are some of the causes of cancer.

The author says that for all types of cancer there is a separate herbal cure or a salt that cures. Some of these herbs, he says, are used in the normal course of life. Some herbal medicines and plain fresh water can cure pain, while some other herbs can reactivate one’s appetite and zest for life.

According to the author, good and timely eating habits mean freedom from disease. Lack of exercise, wrong intake of food and drinks, pollution, wrong sleeping habits, genetic factors, stressful life and overindulgence of any kind, can lead to disease. However, there is a cure for all these diseases. Yoga, prayers, meditation, rest and the use of herbal medicines can keep one in perfect health. This is the message that this voluminous book conveys.

The book has explained the nature of and the herbal cures for most of the diseases in simple language. This book will be useful for all those who believe in nature cure. It can also find utility in the reference section of libraries.