Human beings are said to be the most superior creatures of the world, and their objectives are said to be four-fold: righteousness, prosperity, satisfaction of carnal desire, and liberation. If you examine the daily behavior of men and women, you will see that all are trying to control one or more of there objectives. These objectives or complexes make human life move. Men want to live in order to enjoy these four things. And since, as far as we know, these four things are attainable only in the present life, and everyone wants to live as long as possible. But since the duration of life is not precisely in man’s control, so also the four objectives slip out of his control. Men do not always have the active strength to attain them. That is why robust health, courage, and a decent physique are essential to man. Endowed with health a man may conquer righteousness, prosperity, fulfilment of sex desire, and liberation. Health is a first step in all these attainments.

Health

Good health means a robust body, strength, and longevity. Two things are required to remain healthy and vigorous : the observance of hygienic habits, and treatment procedure. Diet is of prime importance in the first of these two. All life is formed of the same natural elements and takes in the same as its food. Inanimate nature maintains itself by natural law; animate things live by desire and effort. Due to their free-will and uncontrolled living, the life of animate things often breaks down and gets diseased. A small portion of nutritious food can often do more good to make up loss than a lot of unwholesome food. But sometimes nutritious food is not enough. The medicine is needed.

Food and Hunger

The physical system is never inactive. Whether eating, resting, working, enjoying, or sleeping, the inner system is always active and incurs some loss for this activity. To make up this loss the system must take in something from outside. This is food. When the body gets exhausted by its movements, the nervous system calls for new energy to make up the loss. This call is known as hunger. If nutritious and wholesome food is not taken at the time of hunger, the physical and nervous system is shattered and health breaks down.

False Appetite

Sometimes undigested food remains in the stomach, causing an excitation of the nerves that produces appetite. This is false appetite. If food is taken at this time, it may bring disease, as the food inside the stomach is not digested. A simple diet, if it is digested, helps the body to improve, but rich food, remaining undigested, becomes poisonous. If the digestive track is in order, the food listed below take but a few hours to digest, becoming assimilated juices. Undigested food brings indigestion. Untimely meals disturb the secretions of the stomach; bad taste and loss of appetite  then ensure.

Diet

A man who wants to maintain good health should follow the laws of diet prescribed by Ayurvedic science.

Ayurveda says :

(1)     Water drunk before meals makes for indigestion and thin body. In the middle of the meal it increases hunger. After meals it brings on fatness and cough.

(2)    Food for the thirsty man an water for the hungry one are always dangerous. When the thirsty one eats, he gets stomach tumor. When the hungry one drinks, he becomes ascetic.

(3)    Excessive bile and air are neutralized by sweet juices, excessive cough and phlegm by bitter and astringent foods.

(4)    Insufficient food and unregulated fasting make the body week and thin. An over-heavy diet also makes us weak. A diet can become over -heavy by having too much of a good, even a light thing. Juices, balls mixed with hot water, and milk are not heavy foods. Cake is also generally heavy due to the mixture of  elements it contains. Half of our meal should be of heavy food, and then we should round off with as much light food as needed to give us satisfaction.

Exercise

We need both food and exercise to keep the body fit. Exercise is needed for digestion of the food. when machines are left idle, rust gathers on them. If, on the other hand, they are over -used, they disintegrate due to wear and tear. Still it is perhaps better to wear out than rust out. Our physical machine, the body, should be given a right amount of exercise. It is seen that inactive people get diseased, and over-zealous physical culturists die young. Exercise has the main purpose of keeping the heart and lungs normal. By exercise the beating of the heart becomes rapid and breathing power increases. When sitting idle, we should see to it that we are getting plenty of pure fresh air; otherwise lung disease may come. Amongst the exercise, walking running, horseback riding, sailing, and wrestling are most effective. A morning work makes the mind cheerful and lively; it also tones up the heart and flesh. Morning and evening walks totalling at least four miles should be sufficient even if other exercises are not pursued. We should exercise until the beating of the heart becomes rapid and perspiration appears on brow and joints.

Sleeping

After both mental and physical exercise we need sleep. After excitation of muscles nerves exhaustion sets in. Sleep mends the ravelled sleeve of care. Over-sleeping, however is not good. Sleeping for long hours brings depression, inertia, and slackness. Insufficient sleep brings week nerves, restlessness, loss of appetite, and indigestion. Health is thus reduced. Youths and generally active men need 6 to 7 hours sleep, a labor 8, children 10-12; a man of normal good health should go to bed by 10 p.m. and get up by 5 a.m.

Physiology

Elaborate knowledge of anatomy and physiology is the business of the medical student. Though the general public does not need elaborate knowledge, it ought to know a few essentials so that it can maintain good health.

After food is digested in the stomach, a whitish, watery substance is formed, called ‘rashadhatu’. This substance passes to the liver, where bile is added. From this mixture comes our blood. From blood is formed flesh, from flesh fat, from fat bone, from bone marrow, and from marrow semen. In this process a right admixture of the three elements is necessary. These three elements are known as bayu, pita, kafa; sometimes translated as air, bile, and phlegm. The function of these elements is to prepare the food for assimilation into the body. They also help in various other functions of the body; e.g. the passing of urine and stools. The human body can be compared with an engine. A running engine needs fire, water and air; without these it is no better than a piece of scarp. Air, bile and phlegm are the necessities of the body machine. Without them flesh is not produced and the brain, heart, and lungs become inactive. The body becomes a piece of scarp. When they are present in right proportions, the body remains in health. Irregularity of food and of enjoyment unbalance the proportion, and disease ensues. Then treatment is needed to restore the balance.