How to Cure Diseases with Natural Foods: Book Review

Original in Tamil by Dr M Anaiappan.  English Translation by JN Daamodharan. Part 1 Ed2 2000 pp 224 Rs 130/-. Part 2 Ed2 2005 pp126 Rs 120. Published by Good Health Foundation, Hyderabad.

General:

This book on natural foods and its use to cure diseases is a book on alternate therapy. The author advocates total avoidance of cooked food of any sort and recommends one to eat only fruits, nuts, pulses, vegetables etc - all in the raw form.

The book provides basic information on the following aspects:

•  Fruits and their medicinal uses
• Which fruits cure which of the diseases
• Usefulness of Natural foods
• Methods of preparing healthy foods
• Nature food plan (Time Table)
• Tables giving Salt content, nutritional values, vitamin contents of many natural food items
• Brief details about Nature Cure treatment.
  
  

Apart from the above useful sections/chapters the book also gives the following - these points require attention when the author brings out the next edition:

1) The chapter "What is the right food for human beings" is a haphazard collection/compilation of several hundred quotations, statements, extracts, comments, ideas, opinions from books articles newspapers periodicals etc. Though the content is useful, there is no particular order in these 40 pages.
2) A bibliography of some 63 books is given in the middle of the book. Only author and title are given. Details of publisher, year, edition, price etc are absent. If you want to buy a book the listing is not useful.
3) "A List of Nature Cure Hospitals in India" contains 33 institutions mostly in Tamilnadu. No Phone numbers or Email is given, which if furnished will make contacting easier.
4) The 40 page chapter of Diseases and treatment is most repetitive. The whole chapter can be summarized into far less number of pages.
5) As many as three chapters (60 pages - 17% of the two part book) contain only testimonials from patients who have benefited from Nature food therapy.
6) The chapter on usefulness of natural foods is very generic to be of any practical use. Few examples: "There will be no fear in Society", "Devotion to God will increase" "It is a great sin to cook and eat" etc
7) Some what costly for most people.

Summary: If you are a collector books on Alternate therapies you may buy it. If you want to buy only a few titles on this topic, you may want to wait for the next (improved) edition!

(Contact Publisher at: Plot 100 Road 7c Jubilee Hills Hyderabad 500033 Phone 23543613 & 23545231.