Q.1. Does massage help in reducing ?
Ans. Perhaps you have heard the joke that the only person who reduces by massage is the masseur or masseuse who gives it. Factually, however, massage does help to break down adipose layers ; this is achieved not by the mechanical pressure but by chemical reactions that take place by generation of heat and hyperaemia in the skin. The benefit is more to the endocrine glands, visceral organs and the skin than to the fat. By massage, one can prevent development of scars and folds on the skin - which are often the aftermaths of injudicious weight-reduction. For the average obese, massage is not as important as it is for the heart or arterial cases. Massage is the only means science has, of assisting the heart in its work and strengthening it without straining.
More useful than massage is osteopathy, - which assists in freeing nerves from all kinds of impediments, so that the bodily functions are normalised.

Q.2 Is steam-bath of any use ?
Ans. Yes, the sweat-box or steam bath makes you perspire and get rid of some salt and water from the tissues ; but these are easily regained if you do not mind your subsequent salt and fluid intake. Steam-bath has many uses; I do not denounce it as the rich man’s method of sweating without toiling !

Firstly, perspiration helps to rid the skin of certain foreign matter. Secondly, a steam-bath is generally followed by a cold shower or cold hip-bath, which , by the contrast of the cold treatment following a hot one, tones up the skin and the internal organs. Often, steam-bath is given only to enhance the effect of cold treatment, following it. Certain conditions, however, rule out the possibility of its use, e.g., high blood pressure. Steam-bath is a great boon in a case such as follows. In the University of Michigan Hospital, a girl of 14 years, weighing 207 lbs. was admitted for reducing. The diet given her was less by 1200 calories than her basic requirements. After two weeks on this curtailed diet; she did not lose even an ounce whereas she was expected to have sloughed off at least six pounds ! Obviously she was not throwing out of her system the water which was formed on oxidation of fat. Such cases are greatly helped by steam-baths to remove excess moisture from the system. If salt is restricted, the benefit is greater.

By the way, that girl reduced by almost a lb. a day during the next ten days.

Q.3 Electrical gadgets suchas Relaxacisor are said to reduce weight. What is your opinion or experience ?
Ans. IN most cases they are found useful aids, though not indispensable; in a few cases , however, they are essential. Relaxacisor is an ingenious device to contract and relax the muscles alternately, by electrical stimulation. In those who are disallowed exercise, this instrument is a boon. There is an ‘Exercycle’ which is an exercise device - and quite useful.

Vibrating machines which merely shake up the fatty areas do not affect the weight or the girth.

Q.4 "I eat so sparingly, and still put on fat. Why ?"
Ans. If after scrupulously following the instructions given herein, you still do not reduce, you need to be examined by a competent doctor or seek admission in a Nature Cure Home.

Q.5 "My food intake is restricted ; I have a lot of house-hold work to do, am dead tired at the end of the day ! and yet I do not reduce at all ! What is the reason ?
Ans. Your question reminds me of an incident. After one of my talks to a small group of women a lady got up and almost shouted at me, " How dare you say we are physically less active and that is why we gain weight. ! We work to the point of fatigue ! We work more than our husbands..." She had apparently then it as a personal insult when earlier I had remarked about modern women being not very active.
Now, I do concede that the average house-wife works to the point of exhaustion. But as Dr. Jean Mayer, Ph.D., D.Sc., points out : "Hard physical work and tiring activity are not necessarily synonymous. Most of the occupations of the modern active woman may be tiring, but they do not involve a great deal of pushing, or of carrying considerable loads for long distances, or of picking up heavy object ... Ironing and climbing stairs are perhaps typical of today’s common heavier expenditures. These involve , respectively, elevating repeatedly a 10 lb. object, and continuously ( for a short period ) the weight of the body. " This is not enough work according to this scientist.

Moreover, the exhaustion that a house-wife experiences these days can be attributed not so much to physical activity as to minor irritations, frustrations and the resultant depletion of nervous energy. Wrong type of food, lack of systematic exercise, habit of taking pain-killing drugs for minor aches, and pains, improper posture, unnecessary physical movements, all contribute to the house-wife’s fatigue at the end of the day.

The obese generally eats more than she should, and exercises less than is necessary. As Dr. Mayer points out, " Readers who are familiar with the conditioning of race horses and of boxers know that exercise, as much as - or more than - rationing, is relied upon to avoid overweight. By constant, a universal practice in fattening young hogs, geese or steers, consists in restricting their activity by cooping them up in pens or tethering them. "

Small but oft-repeated unnecessary movements also build up fatigue at the end of the day. As Kate Macey asks in one of her popular articles, " Since the eternal battle with dirt and dust has got to continue, why not take a tip from the experts and pause for a while to consider how to put the minimum effort into it - and extract the maximum results at the same time?" She remarks, "Unnecessary muscular effort can easily cause actual physical damage ... It may sound ridiculous at first glance, but even the way you pour a kettle of water into a teapot can easily affect your degree of tiredness at the end of the day. "

There is absolutely no doubt that unnecessary movements and postures account for at least half the expenditure of energy by a house-wife doing her chores. Conserve this energy, if you would avoid fatigue. If necessary, take lessons from an expert on how to stand, walk and hold yourself while peeling potatoes, sewing a piece of cloth, picking up an object from the floor, etc.

Presenting a new slant on the house-wife’s fatigue, Ida Jean Kain writes in one of her series of popular articles, " With all our labour-saving devices, why is every one so tired ? We have lifts, automobiles and every conceivable cushion against physical exertion.

That’s the root of the trouble ... The less we do the less we want to do. Exercise, physical exercise, helps us to unwind and let go of body tensions." According to Dr. Paul Dudley White, "When you really get physically tired, you don’t have stress. " Dr. White was the cardiologist to President Kennedy ; he had always advocated exercise as a sure preventive of heart disease.

Q.6 "What is the Basal Metabolic Rate we hear about so often ?"
Ans. It is the rate of metabolism for a person who is at absolute physical and mental rest. It measures only the energy required for vital physiological functions such as respiration, circulation, etc. In a majority of obese persons it is normal. B.M.R. , however, goes down with the passage of years, so that compared to young age, there is greater tendency to put on weight in the middle-age.

Q.7 "Who has time for exercise ! I am so busy !"
Ans. Prime Minister Nehru had time for occasional swimming and walking ; Shirsana he never missed. President Kennedy was known to be " a fanatic about physical fitness." He swam twice a day and had taken up a rigorous series of calisthenics ! In Communist China they have "exercise-breaks" just as we have "tea-breaks". According to a recent Stockholm report, "50,000 housewives in Sweden have taken to gymnastics in a keepfit drive." All these big and small people have time for exercise ; only the average Indian has not!

It is not necessary that we do our exercises only in the morning. We can divide our programme into two, and perform the work-outs twice a day for , say, 15-minutes each time instead of half an hour at a stretch. If morning does not suit at all, one hour before lunch or dinner is also good. Afternoon too is allright. If dinner has been taken early, even night-time just before retiring is not contra-indicated.

Exercise programme should be finished, half an hour before meals or started three hours after.

Q.8 After middle-age, isn’t it normal and natural to expect an increase in weight? It is universal !
Ans. Many things that are universal are not right or good. The prevalent rotundity of middle-age is neither natural nor healthy. As F.A. Hornibrook says in his famous book " The Culture of the Abdomen ‘: "There is a well-known aphorism - more apt than elegant -which says that after forty, men put on weight in front and women behind. This is so universal that it is regarded as inevitable,but it frequently is the corollary of life-habits of eating and drinking, and neglect of exercise. "

Q.9 How do hot water and lemon juice influence weight reduction ?
Ans. I do not think this hot drink can by itself influence the fat.Unless dietary and other habits are ‘revolutionised’, nothing you take can help. What sometimes does happen with this drink - taken as such or with honey, - is that bowels are stimulated to move more freely and regularly, thereby removing the accumulated faecal matter from the colon. As this waste matter may account for a few pounds’ weight in an obese civilised man, its elimination contributes to the initial weight loss ; but thereafter there are no results.

Some persons similarly credit vinegar with reducing weight ; but the vinegar that we generally get is highly acidic and not an innocuous substance ; it upsets the liver.

Q.10 "I cannot understand how you can allow a reducing person rice and potatoes !"
Ans. Neither rice, nor potato, nor banana, nor milk is fattening - if used moderately. Polished rice can fill and fatten you, but a little of the hand-pounded variety can be taken with impunity - on condition that you do not take ‘chapati’ or other kind of starch in the same meal. Potato is a good food even for the obese, provided it is taken in its jacket and never fried ; it should be either boiled, baked or steamed. Again, when you have potato on the menu, omit rice and bread. The rule is : avoid eating starch with starch.

I never count calories while charting a diet for my patients. I try to give a lot of fresh, unsalted, un-vinegared, un-mayonnaised vegetable salad, fruits and lightly-cooked vegetables; this reduces weight and improves health.

Q.11 Is not obesity hereditary ?
Ans. No ! You may inherit the heavy skeletal structure ; never the fat. Often what is inherited is the faulty food habit. Mother is famous for her pies ; daughter is famous for her size.

Q.12 An exclusive meat diet is supposed to reduce weight. What is your opinion about this diet.
Ans. This diet can reduce weight, but at the same time spoil health. Since Dr. Salisbury practised it on his patients, it has been ‘revived’ several times.

Excess mutton always carries too much uric acid with it ; that is why rheumatic diseases are a frequent sequel of this diet. Gingivitis and other complaints may also develop. In any case, excess of non-vegetarian fare is good for no human being - not even an Eskimo - who generally dies before 30.

Q.13 Isn’t it natural to expect weight increase in pregnancy ?
Ans. Yes. But how much ? A 12 to 15% increase over the months is allright, but many women weight 30 to 40 lbs. more than their pre-pregnancy weight of 110 to 120 lbs. The trouble lies in the popular belief that a pregnant woman should eat for two. She is given a rich fare of eggs, butter and milk ; and warned of miscarriage, premature delivery and other dire consequences of a frugal diet. Actually, many women have their physical activity greatly curtailed during the months of pregnancy so that the food requirement is on the contrary lessened. Moreover, from the view-point of the foetus’s nourishment, very little extra food is necessary ; never more than 10% above the intake prior to conception.

In passing, it may be mentioned here that there are ante natal and post-natal exercises which few Indian women know about, and fewer still practise. Failure to do them can not only put on weight, but also cause uterine displacement, visceroptosis, menstrual difficulties and other troubles, after delivery.

Q.14 Does an exclusive milk and banana diet reduce weight ?
Ans. Yes; it helps some people. Skimmed milk is taken about four glasses a day, with half a dozen bananas. This is the only food for a period of fortnight. In this period, five to twelve lbs. reduction can be expected.
The diet has no salt, and little of protein and fat. Bananas are, however, 36% sugar ; even so, the total intake is only about 1250 calories.
Curds can be taken instead of milk. This diet being monotonous, one is soon tired of it. A word of caution; if the milk is not defatted, it will increase weight.

Q.15 "How can you be sure your methods always help?"
Ans. I do not expect my methods to fail because there is nothing unscientific about my reasoning.

There is a basic pattern of diet which is applied to all cases with minor deviations according to individual likes and idiosyncrasies. Calories are of little importance ; natural vitamins, minerals, water and sugar are the prime requisites. Diet is adjusted from the viewpoint of improving health and aiding elimination of foreign matter from the system. Bowels are attended to.

Concurrent diseases and abnormalities are particularly dealt with. Our aim is to get from fatness to fitness. Here is what I mean. A grossly overweight gentleman weighing over 250 lbs. had his blood-pressure dangerously high at 240/120 when he came to me. His blood analysis showed hemoglobin 91%, red blood corpuscles 4.91 million/cmmm., and leucocytes 11,200/cmmm. By a proper reducing campaign, he came down by 15 lbs. in less than a month, and then his pressure was approx. 150/100’ his hemoglobin had increased by 3%; the red cells had gone up to 5.32 million /cmm. and leucocytes decreased to 8700/cmmm. Only by a scientific programme of weight reduction can such results be achieved. Any crash diet or inexpert fasting can reduce weight, but that reduction will be at the cost of health.

Q.16 "If we do not take sugar and milk with our tea or coffee, surely we cannot put on weight !"
Ans. You may lessen your calories derived from sugar and milk, but what of the harm done by tannin, theine and caffeine ? Remember, you have to build up good habits of eating and drinking ; you have to build up good health.

Tea and coffee have no nourishment ; they contain injurious alkaloids. It may surprise you to know that just as there are alcoholics, so also there are theics (tea-drunkards) who suffer from theism, a sub-normal mental and physical condition resulting from over-much tea-drinking!

Q.17 In the case of women, is it right to judge the figure from "vital statistics" done ?
Ans. Well, it is certainly better than to judge from body weight. But the three measurements of bust, waist and hips do not always tell the whole story. There may be figure faults, such as kyphosis, lordosis, prominent abdomen, knock knees, etc., which "vital statistics" ( what a term !) do not reveal.

Moreover, the popular belief that the waist should be 8 to 10 inches less than, and hips 2 inches more than, bust, is not quite true. These measurements would differ with different heights and varying bone structures.

In final analysis, we have to depend only on visual appeal. Take this example. A Hollywood actress’s measurements are 34"-24"-36" in the usual order, at the height of 5’1"; whereas a beauty queen who is equally admired is 34 1/2" -24 1/2"-37" at the height of 5’4". Skeletal structure makes a world of difference. By the way, as regards male physique, the former concept of identical measurements of calf, upper arm and neck for an ideal athelete, is no longer held true by experts ; and the body-beautiful competitions are judged these days largely by eye-appeal.

Q.18 Supposing we follow your instructions and reduce. Then do we have to follow the diet throughout life ? When can we eat everything ?
Ans. Almost all of us, so it would appear, live to eat, instead of eating to live. We go in largely for gustatory delights that tickle the palate. No wonder then, that the above question is the one most frequently put to a Naturopath - not only by the obese, but also other patients.

Now, in most cases of obesity there are periods when the diet consists of nothing but non-starchy vegetables, both cooked and raw, - and fruits. Sometimes it is necessary to subsist only on fruit juices, vegetable soup, coconut water or similar light liquids. Such drastic restrictions are, no doubt, temporary. As the figure gets slim, the diet becomes varied more and more, till ultimately , many of the more nourishing foods are prescribed for regular intake. The patient is then give a list of ‘foods’ which are harmful and always to be avoided, these may be alcoholic drinks, refined and processed foods, things cooked with hydrogenated fats, etc. Certain items are allowed occassionally, say once a week, if the person has an irremediable weakness for the same ; these may include tea, ‘maida’ biscuits, ice-cream, jelly, etc. And the patient is told about a third group of foods which are wholesome and should be liberally taken daily, such as fresh fruits and vegetables together with a little of cereals, pulses, sprouts, milk, buttermilk etc.

Actually, the time taken for reducing to normal weight, is the time for training - time to get nutritional knowledge, and to learn the practical application thereof; time to learn to apply discretion, use judgement and exercise caution ; also time to learn exercise. We have to curb false appetite or clock-hunger. We have to know what factors go to build up health. When this is our attitude we not only get slim, we also stay slim. On the other hand when thoughts are all the time focussed on tempting dishes that others eat but we cannot, and the mind has no diversion but to think of making up for all the good things missed during the reducing campaign once the strict dieting is over ; the results are never permanent. "Temptation is a part of every life, but refusal to temptation is a part of every successful life. "

There may come occasions when, in spite of our desire not to cheat, we are forced by circumstances, say in social parties or under friendly pressure, to eat what we know is not good for us. On such occasions, we certainly may join the company of others rather than disappoint them. However, we can compensate for this departure from the norm by making our next meal a light one or forgoing it completely.

Q.19 Is it true that there is a safe-weight for all obese person, below which it is easier to maintain oneself ?
Ans. Yes : there seems to be such a limit. But repeated ‘misdemeanours’ will surely break the bounds. This limit can be ascertained only by an expert. The following will illustrate the meaning of this safe limit.

A gentleman who was short and stout weighed 175 lbs. when he came to me. His limit of safety was 160 lbs. In two months he was well within these limits, and he had formed good habits of diet and exercise. But then he had to go out of town. For two months he could not do any exercises though he did walk and move about a good deal. His diet was thrown to the winds ; he was eating mostly what he had to avoid. When he returned to his place, he was not feeling fit, but his weight had not gone up! This was a pleasant surprise to him, and he thought he could continue to indulge in anything with impunity. But there is a limit to Nature’s leniency, and to the abuse that the physique can stand. In a few weeks more, he soared again to his former weight. This proves that laws of Nature and rules of Health cannot be disobeyed for long. Retaliation does come when things reach a saturation point.

Q.20 How about getting rid of fat by operation ?
Ans. This is rarely done except in gross obesity, and only if all other measures fail. The obese is always a poor surgical risk, as we noted before. Moreover, the surgical excision of fat does not cure a person of his bad sedentary habits or faulty diet. If he has not mended his habits, what guarantee is there that he will not regain the lost adiposity ?

Q.21 What is the most important tip you can give to us, the fatties ?
Ans. There is no one point that needs greater emphasis than the others. Everything said herein is important. Certain points, however, may have to be emphasised more than other points in a particular individual. Considering the obesity cases at present on my hand, one person has to be told every time not to mix starch with starch ; another cautioned against quick temper and irritations which lead to drinking as well as over-eating ; still another who always tells me, "Don’t worry about my health ; just reduce me.", has to be given lengthy explanations about why I cannot think of reducing her without simultaneously freeing her of her headaches, arthritis pains, coronary trouble, etc.

Q.22 "Some one told me that if I corrected my posture I will automatically lose weight. How far is it true ?"
Ans. It is not true at all. Though you will look better and feel better by minding your posture, you will not lose weight. Correct posture, however, is very important, and can be learnt in a few weeks, if muscular, osseous or ligamentous changes have not occurred. By practice, good posture becomes a sub-conscious habit of the body.
Stooping, kyphotic posture does result in sagging abdominal musculature; therefore, all those who have faulty carriage, should learn to sit tall, stand tall, walk tall. What is needed is not a pouter-pigeon attitude, but a "studied relaxation upwards. "

Q.23 "I have very limited time to slim in; how can I reduce very fast ?"
Ans. Weight reduction calls for patience. It can be possible for a lady weighing, say, 140 lbs. to reduce to a slim 125 lbs. in a month’s time’ but initially if she weighed 200 lbs how can she reduce 75 lbs. in a month without suffering serious set-backs in health, immediately or in near future ?
Perhaps surgery can help, but it is ruled out for health reasons; from the viewpoint of cosmetics also it is not preferred. The only other alternative I can think of , in this space age, is a trip to the moon where you will weigh six times less than on the earth!

Q.24 "You have so far told us nothing about how to take measurements!"
Ans. Yes; the reason being that the art of taking measurements is not easily mastered ; besides, if you measure your own upper arm, bust, chest or abdomen you are likely to register wrong girths. It is always better to allow some one else to tape you. Any way, here are a few hints.

Height is measured minus shoes. Neck, upper arm, forearm and calf measured at their widest circumference. Bust measured with bra, the tape gong round the maximum girth; chest done without the lift of the bra, at about the level of the fifth ribs. IN men, chest is widest girth without latissimus dorsi being contracted ( dorsi is the muscle which gives the V-shape taper to the torso of a well-built man). Waist is the minimum dimension around the last ribs, the tape going an inch or two above the navel if the abdomen is not pendulous.

Abdomen is measured at the navel level. Hips is maximum around the buttocks; thighs at the level of the crease of the buttocks. This is the generally accepted method of taking measurements ; but not all experts measure girths in the same way.

Q.25 "Even though she looks allright to us, my daughter has a craze for slimming. How can I persuade her to desist from skimpy meals ?"
Ans. Explain to her that a little padding of fat in right places is extremely desirable in women. When this is gone; not only does the ‘victim’ look emaciated, but also she is chronically sick and an easy prey to a number of diseases. Many women have only figure problems, not gross overweight. For them strict dieting is not necessary all the time; but sometimes the diet is quite right, and then regular exercises alone can produce the coveted results.

Q.26 "You Naturopaths, I believe, repeat to all patients the same instructions; ‘Eat more fruits ; eat more vegetables ; eat less cereals and pulses,’ etc. But the ‘chapati’ ,rice and ‘dal’ have been the staple items of our diet for centuries. Our forefathers thrived on cereals. Why do you restrict these excellent foods?"
Ans. IN the light of Naturopathic nutritional knowledge, the kind of diet our forebears had was not well-balanced. And yet they thrived because, generally speaking, even two decades back the fruits, cereals, pulses and vegetables, as well as milk, had more vitamins and minerals in them than now. Besides, there were no chemical fertilisers, pesticides, food additives, colouring and flavouring agents, etc., in our grandparent’s days that we have now. Air was purer;atmosphereic harmful radiation was less; work was more ‘brawny’ than ‘brainy’; they conditioned their body to bear heat and cold, whereas we condition the air ( air-conditioning is not good for health); they used no machines which left their muscles soft and atonic, whereas we have all kinds of push-button devices to sap our physical strength! Such factors contributed to their greater vigour, though, to reiterate, their diet lacked balance.
We, their progeny, have greater knowledge of what to eat and what to omit, then why not make use of that knowledge? All old is not necessarily gold, though a good deal certainly is. All that is traditional is not worth continuing with. After all, we have changed our food habits considerably in the last few decades, more so in the last few years. Some Hindus and Jains only a decade or two back, never partook of tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower and potato; the descendants of these abstainers now relish these vegetables. Dishes of South India are in vogue both in Bombay and Delhi. The Punjab is eating more rice than before, and Madras more wheat. Obviously or imperceptibly the change goes on. And this is not true only of our country. During the last two decades e.g.,the consumption of lettuce has increased in America fifteen-fold.

What I am driving at, is that food habits can be modified individually as well as racially. Curtailing of cereals and pulses, and increasing the use of fruits and vegetables should pose no problem. The apparent drawback, of course, is that fruits and vegetables are rather costly. But then, if people consumed less wheat and rice, say, and thus decreased the demand for these items, the farmer will no doubt grow these less; and his spare land can then be used for vegetable and fruit crops. It certainly is difficult to make this revolutionary change in our agriculture, but it can be done by enlightening the masses, including the farmer. After all, several Western nations do not consume, per capita, as much of cereals as we Indians do. And Eskimos get no ‘Anaj’ to eat!

Q.27 How do Naturopathic methods differ from other methods of weight reduction ?
Ans. A careful study of this monograph will bring out the salient differences. In brief, however, the difference is that of ‘health’. Nature Cure believes in building up health same time as reducing fat. It also deals with diseases accompanying obesity, at the same time as treating obesity itself. It does not believe in ‘blitz’ diets which cannot be followed for more than a few days or weeks ; nor does it believe in starvation fads. As Margaret Brady once wrote in ‘Health for All’ magazine, "There is a very great difference between being slim and being thin or scraggy; and there is also a very great difference between merely losing weight,and creating a well-balanced body. All too often, women who follow a ‘slimming diet’, succeed in losing weight, but they lose also their good looks and good temper. They look drawn and haggard, and feel irritable and tired. A scheme which improves the health at the same time as it reduces the weight, inevitably takes longer than one which merely reduces weight,but, on the other hand, it is far more lasting. "

What Mrs. Brady refers to is the Nature Cure scheme. Nature Cure teaches us that obesity is a result of our own mistakes ; in almost all cases, it is of our own making. This being so, once we are cured of it we should not go back to those habits which, in the first instance, caused it. We have to be always on our guard lest we should make mistakes of omission or commission. What is true of obesity is true of a majority of diseases. "Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom," - which , in this context means, freedom from obesity.