Tuberculosis Treatment

Tuberculosis is no longer considered incurable if it is tackled in the early stages. An all round scheme of dietetic and a vitality building program along the natural lines is the only method to overcome this disease. As a first step, the patient should be put on an exclusive fresh fruit diet for three to four days. Three meals a day of fresh, juicy fruits, such as apples, grapes, pears, peaches, oranges, pineapple, melon any other juicy fruit in season. Bananas, dried or tinned fruits should not be taken. For drinks, unsweetened lemon water or plain water either hot or cold may be taken. If losing weight on the all-fruit diet, those already underweight may add a glass of milk to each fruit meal.

After the all-fruit diet, a fruit and milk diet should be consumed. For this diet, the meals are exactly the same as the all-fruit diet, but with milk added to each fruit meal. The patient may begin with a litter of milk the first day and increase by quarter litter daily up to two to two and a half liters according to how the milk agrees with them. The milk should be fresh and unboiled, but may be slightly warmed if desired. It should be sipped very slowly. The fruit and milk diet should be continued for six weeks. Thereafter, the following dietary may be adopted:

Breakfast: Fresh fruits, as obtainable, and milk. Prunes or other dried fruits may also be taken, if desired.

Lunch: Steamed vegetables as available, one or two whole wheat chapattis and a glass of buttermilk.

Dinner: A bowl of raw salad of suitable vegetables with whole-wheat bread and butter. Stewed fruit or cooked apple may be taken for dessert.

At Bed Time: A glass of milk.

The chief therapeutic agent needed for the treatment of tuberculosis is calcium. Milk, being the richest food source of calcium for the body, should be taken liberally. In the dietary outlined above at least one litter of milk should be taken daily. Further periods on the exclusive fruit diet followed by a fruit and milk diet should be adopted at intervals of two or three months depending on the progress. During the first few days of the treatment, the bowels should be cleansed daily with the warm water enema and afterward as necessary.

Avoidance of all white bread, white sugar, refined cereals, puddings, and pies, tinned, canned and preserved foods, tea, coffee, condiments, pickles, sauces, must be followed.

The custard apple is regarded as an effective food remedy for tuberculosis. It is said to contain the qualities of rejuvenating medication. The Ayurvedic practitioner prepares a fermented liquor called sitaphalasava from the custard apple in its season for use as a medicine in the treatment of tuberculosis. It is prepared by boiling custard apple pulp and seedless raisins in water, on a slow fire. It is filtered when about one-third of the water is left. It is then mixed with powdered sugar and candy and also the powder of cardamom, cinnamon, and other condiments.

Complete rest of both mind and body as any type of stress will prevent healing. Fresh air is always and most of the time the patient should be spent in the open air and sleep in a well-ventilated room. Sunshine is also essential as tuber bacilli are rapidly killed by exposure to sun rays.  Other beneficial steps towards curing the disease are avoidance of strain, slow massage, deep breathing and light occupation to ensure mental diversion.

Water Treatment
Vital resistance can be built up by a carefully planned graduated cold bath routine twice a day. The intensity of the cold applications should be gradually increased to achieve satisfactory results. Care must be taken to avoid a chill.  A short hot fomentation with alternate short cold application to the chest and back, and in the stomach region or a neutral immersion bath (water temperature 98oF to 100oF) for an hour just before retiring at night is beneficial.