The importance of mental symptoms has been very well recognised in the homoeopathic treatment of chronic diseases. In taking the case history every care is taken to note the mental symptoms of the patient and in the preparation of prescription utmost importance is given to the mental symptoms.Dr. M.L. Sehgal in his Revolutionised Homoeopathy takes into account only the mental symptoms of the patient to the exclusion of all physical symptoms in the preparation of homoeopathic prescription.It is common knowledge that some persons are so sensitive to pain that they would raise great hue and cry even with the prick of a thorn, while some persons would undergo the worst of physical torture without the least murmur. This shows that there is no relation between the physical disease and the mental state of a person. It is not the ailment which matters, it is the feeling of the ailment which is important, and the feeling of trouble emanates from the brain.It is therefore necessary to remove the feeling of ailment from the brain, if the patient is to be cured.  For proper treatment of a patient, the mental state of the person has to be rectified. A Japanese doctor successfully treated many cases of cancer by simply convincing the patient that he was not suffering from cancer. One of his cases was reported thus: A patient whose swelling on the throat was diagnosed as cancerous after biopsy of a tissue and was given an appointment for operation on a certain date went to see this doctor.   “What”? said this doctor,”who told you this is cancerous”?   He felt the swelling with his hand and proclaimed that it was only an eruption which would suppurate and open in a couple of days and after discharging the pus, the swelling would subside. Such was the magic of the doctor’s confident tone that the patient was convinced that he had no cancer and the previous diagnosis of the experts was wrong. True, in a couple of days the suppurated eruption opened up, and the pus discharged. The patient was cured.According to this Japanese doctor, you have to remove the feeling of sickness from the mind of the patient and the physical symptoms of his disease would automatically disappear. Very often we come across patients who have heart trouble due to mental causes. Originally the trouble started with some gastric trouble. The flatulence with an upward pressure caused some pressure in the left chest. The patient was rushed to the nearest heart specialist. The E.C.G. was clear but the specialist advised the patient to come for another E.C.G test after a week, and meanwhile to take care. This advice to take precautions against heart trouble and E.C.G tests installs in the mind of the patient a doubt and fear that he has some heart trouble. In time this apprehension takes the form of certainty and the person becomes a heart patient.*21\308\8*

It is important to develop a healthy muscle tone before (if possible) and during the pregnancy. Supple and elastic abdominal muscles can stretch more easily and support the pregnancy better, assist in an easier birth and contract back into shape more quickly after the baby is born.Healthy muscle tone, as we have seen, is dependent on overall use. In the Alexander Technique we never think of one set of muscles working in isolation from the rest, and the way your abdominal muscles work is dependent on the way the whole body is used. The way that you are taught to use yourself in Alexander lessons – to keep the neck free and allow the back to lengthen and move as a whole, and using movements such as monkey, squatting and lunging for your everyday activities – promotes good tone in these muscles.However, our normal everyday activities may not include the whole range of movements required to tone up the abdominals, particularly if we lead a sedentary lifestyle, with all its activity-saving conveniences. Therefore, we recommend that you practise some abdominal exercises during this time when extra demand is being put on them.Details of commonly taught exercises can be found in a number of general books on pregnancy and childbirth. However, there are some exercises that we strongly advise you against. These include all kinds of ‘sit-ups’ with straight legs, and straight leg raises with both legs extended, both of which can cause back strain and unnatural ligament and nerve elongation, weakening the lower back.Some exercises are safe, however, and these can usually be practised throughout pregnancy. A note of caution: if any of the exercises cause pain or discomfort you should consult your midwife or doctor. Remember that in the later stages of pregnancy, exercises done lying on your back may cause restrictions in the blood flow to both you and your baby as the weight of the uterus falls on to the main blood supply. If there are any signs of dizziness, shortness of breath or discomfort, stop and change position. These exercises can also be used for getting back into shape after the baby is born.The exercises should not be practised as a quick routine but with direction and conscious control. Breathing is a very important consideration in any kind of activity. Move slowly and gently enough to allow smooth and continuous breathing. Do only a few of each at one go, and always finish with an Alexander resting position. It is not how many times, how quickly or how strenuously you do them that counts – it is how well you do them that makes them really effective. We also advise you, if possible, to ask your Alexander teacher to take you through these exercises to help you maintain your directions while doing them and to make sure that you are not harming yourself.Two beneficial abdominal exercises that we recommend are both done in semi-supine. The first is to lie and gently rock the legs from side to side; in the second, one leg at a time is gently extended in a sliding motion and then returned to the bent-knee position. Hip-hitches or tail-wagging on all fours is another well known and safe exercise.*43\346\2*

Boils or carbuncles are swellings of the skin, which often develop around the hair follicles. Sometimes there is just one, but often there are more. It is a painful condition and arising from toxins in the bloodstream, again mostly due to the wrong foods. In these cases the best course is often a revision of the diet, and frequently I also advise a period of fasting, as this allows the body to detoxify itself. I can assure you that any patient who suffers from boils or carbuncles with regularity, will be more than willing to co-operate. As always, proper elimination is necessary for good health. When the nervous system is confused by a misunderstanding of our physical ailments and our anatomy, the circulation of the blood is always interfered with and this, in turn, causes constipation. The framework of the body must be seen in its entirety and it is not only the bowels, the lymph glands, the nerves, the arteries or the veins that need help. It is possible, and even likely, that there are more than one or two factors that require attention.This is also the case with varicose veins which result from blockage of the ventricles (or veins) that return the blood to the kidneys and heart. A circulatory system with abscesses, varicose veins or haemorrhoids, is usually a sign of an inefficient bowel function and diminished elimination. Some people tell me in all sincerity that they have no bowel problems, yet, when quizzed, they tell me that they have a bowel movement every second or third day. Nevertheless they don’t consider this unusual. One of the basic rules of good health is that whatever is imported, ought to be exported within a period of twenty-four hours. Abscesses, boils, carbuncles, etc. cannot be expected to disappear unless the toxicity problem has been resolved.*31\147\2*