Title of Book: Heal Yourself Naturally: Proven Home Remedies
Authored by: Dr Harbans Singh Sraon, Roseville City, California
Published by: Author. First Edition: Pages 162; Price: 10 USD (Amazon)
Reviewed by: Prof. Hardev Singh Virk, #14017, 30 Ave, Surrey, BC, Canada
Dr Harbans S. Sraon is a well-established author and scholar in Science and Sikh religion. He has taught and conducted research in Genetics, Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology at prestigious universities of India, UK, and USA. The book under review is written as a “Guide to Healthy Living and Longevity”. Dr Sraon is not a medical practitioner in the literal sense, but he is fully qualified to prepare this guide to healthy living as a research scientist in Pharmacology.
In the Introduction, author defines Autophagy and its role in healing: “The human body is an amazing entity which continues to heal itself: “There is a process known as Autophagy. A cell is capable of synthesizing degraded cell parts to maintain cellular integrity. The cells respond to different types of stress, such as starvation and physical exertion. Autophagy can also help the body get rid of invaders, such as bacteria, viruses and fungi as well as utilize those for rebuilding new cells”. He goes on to describe the purpose of this book: “This book covers over fifty common ailments. Each chapter is systematically arranged describing symptoms, self-care methods and preventive measures are suggested”.
The book has been divided into four Sections: “Section I is a systematic approach to enhance your understanding of common ailments, their symptoms, possible diagnoses, and self-care techniques but it is not meant to replace your doctor. Section II relates to relaxation. The mind and body work together in harmony. When our mind is relaxed, our body creates an environment of homeostasis. Section III relates to nutrition by suggesting a customized nutrition plan to feed your body by balancing all six components. Some common deficiencies of minerals, vitamins and macro-nutrients are explained in depth with symptoms. Section IV relates to exercise by providing evidence of the benefits of regular exercise to make your body healthy, strong, and functional”.
Section I is spread over 100 pages and describes common human ailments which afflict the public and methods to be adopted for self-care and cure. Dr Sraon has adopted a systems approach to study and treat human body. He describes in simple language, intelligible to common folk, various systems of human body, namely, Circulatory system, Respiratory system, Digestive system, Musculoskeletal System, Endocrine system, Nervous system, and Sense Organs. Each system is discussed under several heads such as Common Causes, Symptoms, Self-care, and medical intervention.
To illustrate the author’s approach, we may refer to the Chapter on Heart Attack and its Failure. He defines Heart Attack: “Heart attack is caused by blocked or reduced blood flow to heart muscles”.
Causes:
- Smoking.
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol.
- Diabetes.
- Stress and anxiety.
- Lack of exercise.
- Overweight.
Symptoms
- Pain, pressure, heaviness, and numbness, across the chest.
- Pain may radiate towards the arm, neck, shoulder, or jaws.
- Pain may be accompanied by sweating, shortness of breath, or nausea.
- Symptoms are worse with physical activity.
- Usually, it lasts a few minutes to start with.
Self-care
- Stop smoking.
- Exercise regularly.
- Lower high blood pressure.
- Reduce high cholesterol.
- Controlling diabetes.
- Control weight.
- Optimum sleep hours
He defines Heart Failure also: “When the heart is not healthy enough to pump blood normally, it is called ‘heart failure’.
Common Causes of heart failure are:
- High blood pressure.
- Heart attack
- Abnormal heart blood supply.
- Weakness of heart
- Alcohol and smoking.
- Inadequate sleep
Symptoms
Shortness of breath.
Swelling of feet.
Weakness.
Irregular heartbeat.
Weight gain.
Self-care
- Limit salt intake.
- Monitor your weight.
- Balanced diet D.A.S.H. diet (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension).
Medical intervention.
Contact your doctor immediately, once you experience above mentioned symptoms.
The same approach is adopted to discuss other systems of the human body. The Respiratory System is defined: “When air enters the lungs it is called inhalation. When air is expelled, it's called exhalation. The entire process is called respiration”. Covid-19 pandemic spread rapidly throughout the world killing millions. Author has defined its symptoms and self-care in simple language:
- Keep a social distance of at least six feet.
- Avoid crowded places.
- Cover coughs and sneezes.
- Wash hands frequently.
Medical intervention
When the symptoms become serious, it is best to check with the Doctor and get treatment as soon as possible. Waiting too long can be dangerous, even lethal.
I took a special interest in the Endocrine System as Diabetes affects large populations all over the globe. Dr Sraon defines diabetes and its types: “Human body has a system to control the amount of glucose in our bodies with the help of hormones called insulin which is produced by a gland called pancreas. Diabetes is caused when either insulin is not enough, or insulin is not working due to resistance”.
There are two types of diabetes.
- Type 1
When the body does not produce insulin, usually begins in childhood. People with this type of diabetes need to inject insulin shots every day.
- Type 2
Where insulin is produced but is not working normally due to resistance.
Under the Nervous System, author defines the functions of Brain: “The brain is the center of activity for the nervous system. It's here that nerve signals from throughout the body are received, processed, and acted upon with appropriate response. The brain controls sensory and motor activities. It is the center of thinking, memory, auditory, visual association, and emotions and governs muscular action and therefore our movement. Information from the special sense organs related to sight, hearing, taste, smell, and balance is interpreted here. The brain controls all the vital body functions including the rhythmic beating of the heart”. The author goes on to briefly explain health conditions caused by Brain, for example, Depression, Metal Stress, Dementia, and Parkinson’s Disease. The functions and diseases of five Sense Organs are described to make us aware of the world around us.
Section II “Mind-Body Relationship” is an important Chapter of this book. Dr Saraon describes mind-body interaction process: “Human mind has enormous healing power by controlling thoughts, improving, and expediting the healing process. Some proven methods, such as relaxation meditation, visualization, humor, and biofeedback can keep one healthy and young for life”. He describes the techniques for management of Stress, which are quite popular in India, for example, Meditation, Visualization, Massage, Yoga, Music, and Laughter. Towards the end of this Section, the author pleads for improvement of Immune System of body, boosting Memory, reduction of Salt and Sugar in diet, stopping of Smoking, reduction of Alcohol consumption, and enjoying Love Life.
Section III is devoted to “Human Nutrition”. According to author: “Nutrition encompasses all the interactions that occur between organisms and food, such as ingesting, digesting, absorption, transport, and assimilation. There are 6 components of nutrition: proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, minerals, vitamins, and water”. All these 6 components and their composition and sources are described in detail. For example, author defines composition, function and utility of Proteins as follows: “Proteins are essential for the function, structure, and mobility of the human body. All the enzymes, hormones, antibodies, connective tissues, hair, visual pigments, and parts of the skin consist of proteins. Proteins regulate water and pH value. Proteins play a major part in the growth, development, and maintenance of body tissues. Proteins are made up of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and sulphur”. A similar description is given for Carbohydrates, Lipids, Minerals, Vitamins, Water, and Oxygen.
Section IV is focused on Exercise which is crucial to boost immunity according to some international studies. Physical fitness is important to prevent dozens of chronic diseases including heart diseases, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure etc. Author has stressed on regular exercise to boost immune system. Exercises for different organs of the body are demonstrated by diagrams. The goals and benefits of physical exercise are enumerated in this Chapter briefly:
Goals of Exercise
- To increase flexibility and joint movement with a wide range of motion using stretching exercises
- To enhance muscular strength and endurance
- To enhance cardiovascular fitness with aerobic exercise
- To improve body composition by burning fat and shaping the body.
On page 157, a short Bibliography is given by the author, mostly his own books on health care. I may suggest some improvements for forthcoming editions of this book. It will be useful if Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator is added under Diabetes Chapter in Section I. Formatting of text needs to be improved using uniform and appropriate fonts. Figures need lot of improvement and credit must be given to their source of origin.
I must congratulate Dr Harbans Singh Sraon for bringing out this highly USEFUL Monograph which will serve as “A Guide to Self-care, Nutrition, Exercise, Stress control for optimum Health and Longevity”. It is not a coffee-table book but written for earnest readers who care for their health and longevity. The book is low priced and available on Amazon portal. It is a quick and easy read for all age groups, especially for Senior Citizens.
