What was wrong with Amir Shakkar, and what unusual cure did Sai Baba prescribe for him?

Amir Shakkar was afflicted with rheumatism and sought deliverance from his sorrow and illness from Sai Baba. As described in Chapter 22, after Amir narrated his illness in detail, Baba gave him a unique remedy. Instead of a physical medicine, Baba's cure was His word: He instructed Amir to stay steadily in the Chavadi. This was despite the fact that Amir was suffering from joint pain, and the Chavadi was a damp, cold, and dilapidated place, making the instruction seem counterintuitive for his condition.