Page:A Short History of Aryan Medical Science.djvu/69

V.] of food is soon digested. Physical exercise is the surest means of getting rid of sluggishness. It is always beneficial to those taking food rich in fats. It is most wholesome during spring. Exercise after dinner or after sexual intercourse is injurious. It is not recommended at all for one suffering from asthma, consumption, and chest disease. Over-exertion is deprecated. There are various kinds of physical exercises, in-door and out-door. But some of the Hindoos set aside a portion of their daily worship for making salutations to the Sun by prostrations. This method of adoration affords them so much muscular activity that it takes to some extent the place of physical exercise.

Perfumed oil should be rubbed over the body, especially over the head, ears, and soles of the feet. Medicated oils diminish fatigue, promote strength, comfort, and sleep, and improve the colour of the skin, keep it soft and healthy, and thus contribute to the prolongation of life. The anointing of the head with oil prevents, or helps to cure, diseases of the scalp, and assists the growth of hair. Similarly, dropping oil into the ears prevents ear diseases. The ear-