Mud therapy

Mud corresponds to prithvi (earth), one of the element among panchamahabhutas. It is considered as one of
the ancient wisdom of universe in curing sickness and also for rejuvenation of health. Mud therapy in
Naturopathy involves scientific use of moistened earth in a proper manner, so as to benefit the body from
within.
History suggests the usage of mud for its therapeutic characteristics hails back to the ancient medieval age. At
that time it was used as a valuable therapeutic agent. Emanuel Felke, a German therapist tried to restore the
Mud Therapy and nicknamed it as ‘Clay Pastor.’ Adolf Just, one of the pioneers of natural cure believed that all
diseases will be cured on the basis of sleeping and lying on earth. Italian scientists used thermal mud from hot
spring in arthritic patients. Between the 17th and 19th centuries, mud therapy became popular in Europe to
treat chronic illness made with mineral waters and mudpacks. During the second half of the 20th century,
pharmacology developed the idea of Mud Therapy to be considered as an alternative medicine and used in spa
treatments. The use of mud from the Dead Sea in Israel is known from millions of years ago prescribed for
arthritis patients and psoriasis. Egyptian Queen Cleopatra always experimented with natural beauty resources,
established her own spa on the shores of the Dead Sea.
Father of Indian Naturopathy Mahatma Gandhi was found to be a firm believer of Naturopathy in treating
diseases with nature. He used to apply mud directly on the affected parts of body and to relieve constipation.
The quality of Mud used:
Mud used for therapeutic purpose should be clean and free from contamination. It should be taken at a 60cm
depth from the surface of ground. Before using, the mud should be dried in sun rays, powdered and sieved to
separate impurities.

TYPES OF MUD

TYPES OF MUD

The mineral elements of mud differ from place to place, as the rock formation and constitution varies in
different places. Medical mud can be divided into types depending on physical and chemical properties:

 Black mud
 Dead sea mud
 Moor mud
 Silt sulphide mud
 Sapropelic mud
 Peat mud
 Hill mud

PROPERTIES OF MUD

The four main properties of mud are as follows:

 Absorbing power
 Cicatrizing action
 Stimulating capacity
  Antimicrobial effect

Benefits

 The effects of mud are refreshing, invigorating, and vitalizing.

 Gives a cooling effect to the body.
 It dilutes and absorbs the toxic substances of body and ultimately eliminates them from body.
 It relaxes the muscles, improves blood circulation and helps to regulate the metabolism.
 Useful in conditions of inflammation/swelling and relieves pain.
 Anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effects.

Indications

 Skin conditions – eczema, psoriasis, urticaria, leprosy.

INTRODUCTION

Massage therapy is a systemic rubbing or scientific manipulation of soft tissues intended to facilitate
circulation, flexibility, healing process, promote health and well-being. The Swedish massage has a history
extending back to several thousand years. Recorded in writing as far back as 2000 B.C, massage was a part of
many ancient cultures including that of the Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks, Hindus, Japanese, and Romans, and
was often considered to be a medicinal practice.
There are different types of massage which includes

 Swedish massage
 Deep tissue massage
 Thai massage
 Hot stone massage
 Vibro massage
 Shiatsu
 Reflexology massage
 Underwater massage
 Ayurvedic massage
 Aroma massage
 Dry brush massage
 Powder (herbal) massage

PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS

1. Massage dilates superficial blood vessels and increases the rate of blood flow in our body. Deep
massage promotes venous blood flow and will increase the cardiac stroke volume.
2. Thrombosis or blood clotting which results from poor venous return to the heart can be prevented by
massage as it increases the venous return.
 3. Massage reduces muscle spasm by rapidly reducing the concentration of lactate in the muscle cells. The
increased blood supply of muscles induced by massage naturally improves its nutrition.
4. Massage increases the depth of respiratory movements as well as the intensity of tissue respiration and
thus improves overall bodily functions.
5. Abdominal massage improves appetite and by its reflex effect upon the glands,it increases the secretion
of the digestive fluids. It also improves the peristaltic movements of the intestines which results in
better absorption and elimination.
6. Massage increases the number of blood cells in our body by bringing into circulation from the blood
which got accumulated in the capillaries of the liver and spleen in great numbers.
7. Massage helps in elimination by encouraging oxidation, cell exchange and improved venous blood flow
and lymph flow.

INTRODUaccupunctureCTION

Acupuncture is the most ancient therapeutic technique of Chinese Medicine. It is most valuable in both acute
and chronic diseases. It is based on the philosophy of Yin and Yang theory, Five Element theory, Zang-Fu
theory, Jing-luo and Organ Clock theory. It is a medical protocol which focuses on correcting imbalances of
energy in the body. From its inception in China more than 2,500 years ago, this form of treatment is used
traditionally to prevent, diagnose and treat disease, as well as to improve general health.
Acupuncture points are seen as places where nerves, muscles, and connective tissues can be stimulated. The
stimulation increases blood flow, while at the same time triggering the activity of the body’s natural painkillers.
In 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) listed a number of conditions in which acupuncture has been
found to be effective. These include high and low blood pressure, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting,
some gastric conditions, including peptic ulcers, painful menstruation, dysentery, allergic rhinitis, facial pain,
morning sickness, rheumatoid arthritis, sprains, tennis elbow, sciatica, dental pain, reducing the risk of stroke,
inducing labor.
All types of disorders are treated by influencing the appropriate meridian points. It is also used as anesthesia in
surgical procedure. It has small branches which includes auriculotherapy and scalp acupuncture. Scalp
acupuncture is a modern acupuncture technique in which needles are penetrated in the specific areas of the
scalp or lines on the scalp. Scalp acupuncture has integrated Chinese needling methods with western medical
knowledge of representative areas of the cerebral cortex.

PROPERTIES OF MUD

Fasting

INTRODUCTION

The word is derived from the old English, ‘feastan’ which means to fast, observe, be strict. Fasting is the
nature’s oldest, most effective and yet least expensive method of treating disease. It is a complete voluntary
abstinence from taking any kind of food for a definite period of time. During the process, the body lives in
reserve (Dr.Herbert M.Shelton). The saints of medieval times laid great stress on this method. Numerous
references related to fasting are present in the sacred books and writings of the ancient Greeks. According to
Naturopathy, when one fasts, the disease is not cured instead the body is given an opportunity to heal on its
own. Review on intermittent fasting demonstrated that weight loss is a fairly consistent finding amongst fasting
studies.
THERAPEUTIC FASTING

Therapeutic fasting is defined as the controlled and voluntary abstinence from all calorie-containing foods and
drink for a specified period of time.
“Sarverogha mala vashaha, langhanamparamoushadham”
The meaning of the above sloka is that, cause of all disease is accumulation of foreign matter in the body and
fasting is the supreme medicine for that. Jackson and other co-workers observed a 2-week water-only fast
among seven obese diabetic and seven obese non-diabetic women. Both the groups showed significant
reduction in plasma triglyceride and blood glucose levels along with an improvement in glucose tolerance in the
diabetic group. Michael and other co-workers reported therapeutic intermittent fasting as a potential effective
treatment for type 2 diabetes. When this was observed three times a week for 4 months there was a significant
weight reduction and decrease of glycated hemoglobin levels. This therapy may be an effective treatment option
of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

REFERENCES