Prana Therapy — 4: The Procedures for Diagnosis and Treatment
The patient is made to lie down flat on the stomach on a soft mattress with a pillow below the chest to prevent any pressure on the chin and face. The patient is asked to rest comfortably with hands stretched comfortably on either side of the body. The therapist uses the index and middle fingers (Tarjani and Madhyama) of the right hand to feel the abnormalities in the spinal cord of the patient. Placing these two fingers on either side of the vertebral column, the therapist first feels the raised part of the vertebra below the neck; then slowly slides the fingers down the spinal column, carefully examining the parts of the vertebra for any (1) stiffness, (2) clot, (3) torsion in the nerves. The locations indicating any of these three symptoms are demarcated by different-colored markers.
Besides the above three symptoms, two more factors are required to be noted. Parts of vertebra showing any abnormal warmth or coldness are recorded. The therapist upturns his/her palm and feels the temperature of parts of the vertebra with the back of the four fingers. Normally there is a uniformity of temperature all over the vertebral column. Abnormalities in temperature are to be carefully recorded.
In context of Prana therapy, traditional methods of diagnostic analysis cannot help us in arriving at a conclusion. Whatever be the root cause of disease, in the discipline of Prana therapy the abovementioned five symptoms are taken as indications of malfunctioning in a diseased organ. Conversely, disappearance of these minor aberrations after therapy is taken as a sign of restoration of health.
How to Interact with the Patient
While interacting with a patient, certain basic principles have to be kept in mind:
1. Establish a Rapport: Do not meet the patient as a stranger. During conversation, treat the patient as an old acquaintance. Talk quietly, firmly and clearly. Interact with full sincerity and sympathy. Speak casually about the problems being faced by the patient. Sympathizing for discomforts relaxes the patient and a rapport is immediately established.
2. Inculcate Optimism: Never exaggerate the gravity of the disease. Such expressions as "Your condition is critical but soon you will get well" depresses the patient. On the other hand saying "You will find a quick relief in your condition and very soon you will be hale and hearty" uplifts the mood of the sufferer.
3. Be a Patient Listener: Let the patient himself describe his/her sufferings. Even if the patient talks irrelevantly, do not interrupt contemptuously. Pay full attention to what is being narrated and do not let the patient have the least impression that the disease is being taken up lightly.
4. Assure with Body Language: While interacting with a patient, look into his face — maintaining eye contact. If necessary, caress his/her head while talking or show some other sympathetic gesture like patting on cheek or back. It will have a miraculous effect on the mood of the patient.
5. Refer to Case Histories: Tell the patient about some case histories where similar disease had been successfully handled. The success stories of the therapist may be somewhat exaggerated but any impression of self-glorification should be cleverly avoided.
6. Make the Patient Aware of the Irrationality of Superstition: Often caretakers of patients are totally indifferent and ill-informed about the norms of food and living environment required for nursing a patient. Many practices following traditional notions deny the patients even the normal means of comfort. Illogical beliefs pertaining to nursing should be contradicted, giving logic and by quoting instances where such practices had actually harmed the patient.
Roots of Diseases Lie in the Digestive System
Considering the malfunctioning of the digestive system as the root cause of common diseases, the first step the therapist should take is to arrange for cleansing the digestive tract of the patient. Emptying the stomach provides a great relief to the patient. An overworked, weakened digestive system requiring rest should be provided relief by fasting. Drinking plenty of water during fasting is not harmful. On the contrary it proves to be doubly beneficial after completion of a fast because of removal of toxins from the body.
Where there is no problem in bowel-movements, the diet of the patient should contain some fluid and easily digestible contents. The most preferred diet would be that comprising milk, fruits and boiled vegetables. Otherwise, easily digestible liquid preparations like porridge or sago may be prescribed. For easy digestion, whatever is being eaten by the patient should be chewed adequately for mixing it with saliva. Drinking water too requires slow sipping. Ideally, it should take at least ten minutes to drink a glass of water.
"Both religion and science require a belief in God. For believers, God is in the beginning, and for physicists He is at the end of all considerations." — Physicist Max Planck
"The question of whether there exists a Creator and Ruler of the Universe has been answered in the affirmative by some of the highest intellects that have ever existed." — Charles Darwin