Laughter therapy, breathing exercises, uncooked food items and mass prayer marked Naturopathy Day and Gandhi Jayanthi celebrations here on Wednesday.
Organised by the Vellore district chapter of the International Naturopathy Organisation (INO), in association with the Gandhinagar Muthamizh Manram, the event had the audience destressing themselves by laughing out loud, which reverberated on the streets of Gandhi Nagar area where the function was held.
The speakers explained how fasting could cleanse the body and vegetables and fruits could act as de-stressing agents, preventing various diseases. M Dasarathan, general secretary of INO, said the event was to create awareness about leading a disease-free life through good food culture.
Chief guest M A Appan, a natural food activist from Sivasailam, cautioned the audience about the ill-effects of cooked food. “No living being relished eating cooked food except the humans,” he pointed out, adding that humans were the only species that consumed salt, oil and other preservatives in food. “Nature’s food must be consumed in natural form,” he pointed out. He highlighted the advantages of consuming fresh coconuts (thengampazham) and said it was not a ‘nut’ as termed by the British. He said it helped in reversing the damages caused by many diseases. He also attributed the increased violence and crimes in the country and elsewhere in the world due to wrong food habits. “Peace is a byproduct of good food culture,” he reasoned. He appealed to the youngsters to migrate from fast-food culture to nature-based food so that they could avoid diseases. Women too were advised to promote raw food culture in the family. “Live for yourselves and not for others,” Appan told the gathering.
R Santhanalaksmi, a practising naturopath, said wrong food and chemical medication were pushing the body towards a heath crisis. Tips to get over diabetes, rheumatic arthritis, etc., through breathing exercise were given by yoga expert S Anandan. He also demonstrated how certain ‘mudras’ helped in the secretion of insulin. Natural food items were also served to the audience at the end of the meeting.