CONSTIPATION IN CHILDREN

Madhu a mother of Aurush, came to me last week with very tensed face. Her child was 2 years old and was suffering from constipation. The child was very irregular in passing stools few days back but from last one week he had very severe problem once in 2 or 3 days he passes stools with very difficulty. Even after sensation of defecation Aurush unable to pass stool due to the severe pain and he cry during passing stools. They tried some home remedies like giving Banana etc. no improvement.

The other associated problems were bloated stomach, loss of appetite, pain in the abdomen, intestinal gas with foul smell and belching. When I did the physical examination of the body I found inflammation in the anal region which was very red and very sensitive to touch. When I started taking history I found these below as cause for the constipation.

1. Very irregular Diet
2. Biscuits and bakery foods
3. No Ghee and Oil use etc.
4. Oil fried foods like chips and lays

Then I conducted a simple treatment at my clinic. I massaged Castor oil to his lower abdomen (part below the umbilicus and above our genital organ)  and back (same area in the back of the body) for 5 minutes and gave him hot water fomentation. Immediately he got the sensation of stools and passed the stools. 

(Note: Hot water fomentation - Take one big bowl of hot water and dip a cotton towel and squeeze it. Then put the same hot towel on the area where you applied the oil for 2-3 minutes with few seconds of intervals)

Then I advised them to do the same everyday in empty stomach(best time is morning).  The next step was to stop all the foods which cause constipation and told them to give him rice gruel for next two days to add 1 teaspoon of Butter or Ghee to his food. Use only hot water for drinking. Apply butter to the anal region 2-3 times a day. Within 3 days the child was in normal condition. 

Here actually due to the dry food his intestine was completely dry and no ghee or butter was there in his food. The bakery foods and oily foods will cause indigestion and leads to constipation. Due to the hard stool very sensitive anal region was damaged and it was paining. 

Please try and find the amazing benefits. 

If you find it successful please right to me on comment space as it will benefit other blog readers and even me to educate myself. 

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how to get rid of pain during menstruation?

Menstruation is a natural process in fertile women. The menstruation commonly starts at the age of 14(Menarche) and ends at 45(Menopause). This is a monthly cycle in which 3-5 days bleeding per vagina will be there. 90% of these women do have one or the other problem related with the menstruation. It may be Preponement, Postponement, Pain, Heavy bleeding, Scanty bleeding, weakness, nausea, vomiting, Headache, Sleeplessness, Constipation or diarrhoea, Acidity, gaseous distention etc. Not only these physical signs and symptoms but the psychological problems like mood swing, anger, depression, anxiety, restlessness etc. In all these, “Pain” is widely affected problem. Still she bears these pains and does her job (personal, professional, social) very promptly without fail. We should salute her. This is my small gift to give her the comfort which is need of the hour.

 If we ask any doctor “What is the cause behind all these problems?, “Hormonal imbalance” and the treatment starts to balance the same. Have we ever gone beyond “Hormonal imbalance”? Have we tried to find out the reason behind “Hormonal imbalance”? No. If yes very few start finding the reason behind it and I would say they become successful.

The cause can be broadly classified into

1.       Food

2.       Lifestyle

3.       Medications

Food

1.        Normally the food we eat in this too fast life is the actual cause for all these problems. The Pizza, Burger, Bakery foods, fried foods like Lays, Kurkure and the food kept in the fridge. First of all these foods are heavy for digestion so the undigested or semi-digested food block the healthy channels of the body. The blocks will hamper the easy movement of body fluids, hormones etc. The target organ will not get the adequate supply of hormone, blood and other essential chemicals for their normal functioning. These in turn cause less function or loss of function of the particular organs.

2.       The next question comes to our mind is what food we should have. Here we have to be very careful. The food which is accustomed to us like ex. Costal Karnataka people have red rice, South Karnataka people have ragi, north Karnataka Jawar etc. These foods are not only accustomed but the environment is also suits them. If those people suddenly change his/her food then the disease process starts. The pizza, burger are not our part of meal. They definitely cause the problem.

3.    Not only the food type but quantity, time, preparation method all counts. Ex: Same food (ragi balls) if kept in the fridge and used next day then it is again a poison for the body.

The food should be limited, fresh, Hot, Mixed with or prepared by adding some ghee or oil will keep the body healthy and improve the health.

4.       Frequently having food – One should not have anything before completely digesting the earlier food.

Life style

1.       Late night sleep

2.       Day time sleep

3.       After having food running or doing work or sleep

4.       Having bath after food

5.       More exercise

6.       Not taking rest during the menstruation

7.       Not following the regimen during and after pregnancy

Medications

1.       Preponement and postponement pills

2.       Induced or forceful Abortion

3.       D&C or D&E

4.       Copper T

5.       Hormonal pills

6.       Hormonal injections etc.

These will affect the normal functioning and cause the menstrual problems.

What is the remedy?

When we know the cause of the disease then it is very easy to cure. So here I have given detail explanation about the problem. Next comes how to find the relief?

1.       Take adequate rest during the menstruation.

2.       Every day have oil massage bath in empty stomach. But one should not take during the bleeding period.

3.       Go to sleep early and reduce the works which increases your physical strain.

4.       Have the hot and fresh food with sufficient amount of ghee or butter.

5.       During menstruation if pain is present then prepare 30ml decoction of Jeera (Cumin seeds) and add 1 tsp of butter and drink sip by sip.

6.       Have Jeera rice, ghee rice which is fresh during the pain.

7.       Take 1tsp of Jeera and fry it with 10-15ml of ghee in low flame and them chew the fried Jeera along with ghee. After 3-5 minutes drink 30 ml hot water.

8.       Prepare the food adding small quantity of castor oil or use castor oil for applying chapatti etc.

9.       Have very hot water during food.

These are some of the home remedies which I have suggest to my patients. They will benefit very quickly and you can feel the drastic change.

But these are not sufficient, a continuous medication is very essential for which please visit any qualified AYURVEDA DOCTOR.

“Sarve janaha sukhino bhavantu”.

A small request to all my blog readers. I am choosing the topics of my clinical experiences. If you want to know about any topic please write to me in the comment section.

There is a good provision for all of you to be updated about the health issues. Please see the upper right hand side of my blog where you find an email box. Just you have to type your email ID there. Then you will get my future blog posts to your inbox automatically whenever I write a new topic. Please encourage me to write more.

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GHEE AND ITS BENEFITS

For the past couple of decades people have been guided to believe that food products such as oils, ghee, cheese etc are harmful for health. Notion in general seems to be that especially ghee may prove to be life threatening by causing serious health hazards such as heart related / blood vessel related problems and complications in cholesterol levels etc. well… is it for fact or are we being obscured of the real facts?

Ghee is not a poison; it is nectar for the mankind. The correct method of preparation of ghee, storage and consumption of ghee etc if followed, it will not harm the health rather improve the health. In general, any food item if we want to consume we have to think these factors. Does that food is required for me? How much quantity will be sufficient for me? Which is the right time to have? How long we can consume the food? The same things apply even for ghee. So any food item which is taken under control it will be beneficial and if it exceeds then definitely spoil it.

Now I would like to explore the benefits of ghee

1.       The first and foremost about the ghee is it is called as “Aajanma satmya” for the Indian subcontinent people. That means it is adjusted to our body physiology and anatomy and will always do well for the body. If it is so then it should have lots of benefits. Let us explore what are those?

2.       The ghee is called as “Sahasra veerya” means it contains 1000 times strength or regular consumption will increase our strength 1000 times. It may be exaggerated but definitely it will help a lot in improving our health and immunity.

3.       Ghee improves our “Dhi” (intellectual power), “Dhruti” (using the intellectual power effectively), “Smruti” (memory power). The healthy fat contents of the ghee help in nourishing the brain tissues and soothes brain tissue. 

4.       Ghee’s major benefit - it regularizes the digestion and improves the digestive fire. For abdominal discomfort, gaseous distention and constipation ghee along with hot and fresh food is a quick fix.

5.       Ghee improves the sexual power and increases the sperm count as well. It is the best aphrodisiac.

6.       Ghee also provides most of the cosmetic benefits like it glow the skin, improve the luster, slow down the aging process, and keep the skin young and wrinkle free. It provides protection to the skin from the bad rays of sun by covering skin by a thin oily layer.

7.       It is a best antibiotic and antimicrobial which removes all kinds of microorganism from the body.

8.       It is a good medicine for following diseases like emaciation, debility, sleeplessness, less sperm count, erectile dysfunction, early ejaculation, burn wounds, diseases encounter in pregnancy etc.

As the famous food writer  Michael Pollan explained, the best teacher of what’s healthy is not the food companies (because it is motivated to profit from cheap food that is often unhealthy); government (too often misguided an pulled in different directions by industry); or nutrition scientists (some admit their research techniques are flawed). The best teacher of what is good to eat is our historical culture, and as he put it, culture is a fancy word for mom and grandmother.

Now it is up to you to decide ghee is good or bad!

Please provide your valuable feedback in the comments below which will motivate me to write more on various topics.

Please wait for my next article………….

“How to prepare ghee?”

Take care.

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want to get rid of Allergic rhinitis? Follow these 5 rules!

want to get rid of Allergic rhinitis? Follow these 5 rules!

Anush 8 years old boy. He started getting cold and cough every fortnight when he was 3 years old. It continued for almost 5 yeas. Morning if he uses cold water for brushing, goes out of the house in misty weather, cold air or dust will again make his condition worst. His parents met all types of doctors and they followed all types of "pathy" available in Bangalore. Anush was same as before. 

His symptoms were

• Every day morning running nose or nasal congestion (Blocked nose)
• Occasional headache or heaviness in the head
• Nasal irritation
• Burning sensation in the eyes
• he sneezes 15-20 times in the morning
• expectorant in the morning hours is more with yellowish, green or white color
• Difficulty in breathing
• slightly increased temperature of the body
• Anorexia (less appetite for food or not feeling hungry)
• constipation etc.

A "Allergic rhinitis" patient typically do have these symptoms. There may be lot more.

Anush before coming to me

His parents some how managed with medicines but the problem was still present. Then doctors gave brand of "Allergic rhinitis" to Anush. As he was suffering from last 5 years it again re-branded into "Chronic allergic rhinitis" due to so and so allergens. Then it was diagnosed that these were the allergens which cause the problem so keep him away from cold water, dust, mist, cold air etc. 

You may be one among them who suffer from same disease. Some people are managing somehow, some are under long term medication and majority of people turn to Asthma patients. Your stage may one among these three. 

You may be regularly use inhalers, nebulizers or some medication which controls your mucous secretion, Along with that antibiotics, anti inflammatory etc. for quick relief from symptoms. Anush was using all those.

Did you really find any permanent solution for Allergic Rhinitis?. If YES please share. It would be beneficial for lacs of people. If Your answer is NO. I may be helpful for you. 

How I will Help you?

Your understanding about the disease may be wrong or you may be ignoring some of the important things which cause you allergic rhinitis or may be some other reason.  

Now I will help you to have a solution from Allergic Rhinitis.

When I went through the life style of these patients - all of them have five common wrong habits in their day to day life. You may be doing the same. May not be all but majority of them. If you avoid those small mistakes, you will be like any other healthy individual. 

The causes may be known to you but you may not aware of those. Check them.

1. Food consuming time and quantity

• having late night food
• Dinner heavy meal
• Evening heavy snacks and again night dinner 
• Untimely food in the night
• More intake of food than our capacity

This kind of routine will destroy your digestive power. The food wont digest properly and stays inside the body. In the long run you suffer from above problem. The main cause for Rhinitis is impaired digestion or your indigestion. 

Solution:

Maintain appetite

Improve digestion

Stop above said wrong doings

2. Day sleep

Day sleep again hamper your digestive power which leads to accumulation of the undigested material in the body and cause "Rhinitis".

So avoid day sleep.

3. More no. of times food intake

Now it has became a trend to have food after every 3 hours or they have some snacks, biscuits etc. It is a bad habit. It will lead you to rhinitis due to indigestion. 

4. water intake

Water is also a liquid food. Now a days people are having 4-6 ltrs. in a day. This is a wrong method. There is no fix amount of water intake for every individual. It is differ from individual to individual. A person has to take water in a limited quantity when he/she feel thirsty. If it is more than the normal to that particular individual then it will lead to indigestion.

5. Junk foods and change in food habit

Junk food is a major cause for almost all diseases. Gobi manchoori, All types of puri's, Fast foods, Noodles all are heavy to digest in our body. If these food didn't digest properly in your body lead to allergic rhinitis.

I advice always to have food which are accustomed to us by birth. Ex. North Indians use Mustard oil, parota, Dal etc regularly. South Indians use Rice, Sambar etc. If south Indians start using Mustard oil, Paratha regularly (It is not his natural food by birth), will cause haematuria (Blood in the urine), Blood from the nose, anus etc.

This article emerge a question in your mind how the indigestion will be the cause for "Allergic rhinitis"? right!!!!!!! But it is true. A living creature like man, dog, elephant etc find a suitable place which is comfortable for it to live a life without any trouble. Same way If you create healthy environment for allergens in our body, they reside in your body and start diseases. If your body is clean, healthy then there is no allergens. The misquotes, rodents are present near dirty places. Because these places are comfortable for them to grow. Same way our body become a comfortable place for the disease producing allergens due to undigested food accumulation. 

Conclusion 

So avoid these habits. follow the normal life style and see the difference in you. Write to me your experiences and if you have any question regarding the above topic then feel free to ask me.  

Now Anush is healthy. He is leading a happy life.  

First try it. Then judge it. Don't come to a conclusion without trying something. If still you have doubt about the usefulness of article I would suggest, Blindly follow whatever reveled here and then write to me about your experiences. 

  

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THYROID PROBLEMS & AYURVEDA TREATMENT

I usually choose the topics from clinical practice. Today this topic is based on my internship under my teacher (Doctor). 

I was doing my internship 4 years back where my teacher explained the thyroid problems by giving 2 examples of his clinical practice. Those cases I want to narrate in this blog. Before going through the details of these patients I too was in a confusion that really thyroid problems are curable? But my confusion quickly solved after following the patients for 6 months.

1st case History 

A girl of 19 year had a irregular Menstrual bleeding and sudden weight gain. She usually do had a pain in her lower abdomen before and during menstruation. When she went to the doctor, doctor advised her to go for thyroid hormone test. The report shows increased TSH (Thyroid stimulating hormone). From some source she got the information that Ayurveda medicine cure the disease and I got a good opportunity to closely observe and learn.

I got an opportunity to collect the history of the patient where we found history of postponement pills. We showed the case sheet to our teacher. He told us that postponement pills were the major cause for the problem.

These postponement pills alter the hormonal balance and which intern effects the pituitary gland function, this is the major gland which regulates menstruation(as it secrets FSH and LH, TSH is also secret from pituitary gland). - allopathy way of pathology.

What Ayurveda says is - if any one hold the natural urge which will lead to serious problems (urination, defecation etc), menstruation is a natural process if a person hold it by using the pills the unwanted material which should have been cleared out from our body will stay inside and start disease process. The uncleared tissues pile up every month due to irregularities and increase the body weight.

2nd Case History

A lady of age around 29, had a child of 1.5 year. Her problem were also the same as above. But here the cause of the disease was different. After delivery she doesn't followed the proper food and lifestyle and the final result was Thyroid problem. 

During pregnancy a lady won't menstruate for 9 months. So after delivery the bleeding will be there for 7-15 days. These 15 days a delivered lady has to clear body from the unwanted tissues. Then for next 30 to 45 days every day ample amount of ghee has to consume along with the hot and fresh food. The Ghee will provide strength to the Uterus and body, clear out the last remains of the unwanted tissues. Ghee increases the milk secretion (this is Ayurveda way of postpartum regimen). When these regimens followed she starts menstruation after 3 months and it will be regular. The major benefit is she will come back to the normal weight what she were having before pregnancy. 

The above lady not followed any of these and start the first menstruation after 8 month of her delivery and the subsequent months Menstruation were very irregular and  sudden weight gain was the next headache for her.

Unwanted tissues which were remain inside the body hampered the hormonal balance and resulted irregular Menses and weight gain. 

Here we can clearly say both of them welcomed the disease  by putting a red carpet as they could have been avoided. The cause seems very simple but the final damage was a mighty thing to treat.

Both of them underwent Ayurveda treatment and they are completely normal today. So follow the food and lifestyle and enjoy the healthy way of life.

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AYURVEDA - A SCIENCE OF LIFE

Now a days every where AYURVEDA gaining importance due to some miracles it made in healthcare. But some myths are still in the minds of the people about AYURVEDA. Today I want to clear those myths.

Myths

• Ayurveda is a medical science.
• The treatments effect is slow.
• Have to follow some stingy food and lifestyle regimens during the treatment.
• The herbs are used as medicines.
• It does not contain any side effects. etc

What ever told here are partially right but they are not 100% true. So I want to reveal the actual meaning of AYURVEDA.

What is AYURVEDA?
Ayurveda is a life science. If you consider our body as a Hardware then the Ayurveda is like a Software helps in Healthy running of the Body. 

The AYURVEDA word is made up of two words.
AYU + VEDA

AYU - means it is a healthy combination of "BODY, MIND, SOUL AND SENSE ORGANS". If these four are in good combination then the life will be healthy. If a small imbalance in these will cause a disease. 

VEDA - means "Knowledge". Here the knowledge of maintaining balance in the four factors of AYU. 

The SOUL is the leader and it resides in the BODY and do all its works through the help of SENSE ORGANS & MIND. Our SOUL will give instructions to the MIND, in turn MIND will perform the work using the BODY and SENSES. If all these four fundamentals are normal then the body will be healthy. 

This is the meaning of AYURVEDA. It looks spiritual but if we start exploring these theories we will get the actual knowledge. 

Please follow your mind and how it control your body. If your concentrate you will come out with the same that these four are essential ones.

Please give your valuable comments. 

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NASYA a daily regimen for healthy living

Dear Friends, I hope all are doing good. I wish keep healthy and spread the awareness about healthy living. I talked about "NASYA". Today my topic was regarding the same.

"NASYA" means what?

It is a type of procedure by which the oil, Ghee, butter, juices of the particular plant, powder of the herbs are put into the nostrils.

"naso hi shiraso dwaram" means the Nose is a way to Head and Brain. So any medicine if has to go to the head then it should be put into the nostrils.  

Types of NASYA

1. Daily

2. For the treatment in some diseases

NASYA as Daily regimen

Every day brushing the teeth, having bath etc are a daily routine of our life. In the same way Ayurveda says to keep ourselves healthy and competitive we have to follow the NASYA. 

Everyday after brushing the teeth every one should put 4 drops of coconut oil or Seasum or Gingilly (Til) oil in one nostrils followed by other nostril. First one should lay down on the bed and put the oil. After that take deep breath so that the oil should go inside. After 2-3 minutes the oil along with some phlegm come to our mouth. We have to spit it out. The phlegm will come for around 5 min with small intervals. Don't swallow it. When phlegm stops then take some amount of warm water and rinse the mouth for 30 seconds and expel it. 

Benefits

1. It provides strength to all the sensory organs. 

2. Improve the memory power of children.

3. Give strength to the hair root, controls hair fall and keeps the mind cool and controlled.

4. It is very helpful in sleeplessness, less sleep, disturbed sleep etc and keeps the body healthy by improving the quality of sleep. 

5. Keeps the allergy problem away. 

6. Strengthen the Nervous system.

NASYA as treatment

As treatment nasya is used in lots of diseases like Facial paralysis, hair loss, Migrane, ENT diseases etc. While doing NASYA as treatment it should be under Ayurveda medical Practitioner supervision. Because it includes lots of procedures. 

NASYA is one among the "PANCHA KARMA". So before going for it pre procedures have to follow like Head and face massage then steam to the same. The drops put into the nostrils are 10-15 in each. After the procedure "Dhooma" therapy have to be done. The fumes of herbals are given to the patient to take inside mouth and nose. 

Please give your valuable comments. 

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Allergic Rhinitis and its treatment

In the month of march I have blogged regarding the same topic. Now I want to share a new typical case of Allergic Rhinitis and how I handled it successfully.

Mr. Abhilasha aged 25 came to me one month back on Sunday at around 11.30 am to my clinic at bangalore. He was a Software engineer native of Mumbai now working in Bangalore. His problems are

1. Nasal congestion while getting up from the bed

2. Continuous sneezing

3. Heaviness in the head

4. Body ache

5. Frequent throat infection

If eat cold items the problem will shoot up. He was living with these problems from last 2 yeras.

Now history of the patient

He born and brought up at Mumbai (Economical capital of India), now working in Bangalore (IT capital of India). Both cities climatic condition are different. He was adjusted to the hot weather of Mumbai but now this cold and pleasant weather of Bangalore (Pensioners paradise) is not at all suits him but some how he is managing.

His lifestyle

1. Very irregularity in food timing

2.Late night food 

3. Evening heavy snacks

4. 4-6 ltrs of water consumption

5. Morning bath after having food

6. Usually eat cold stuffs

All of the above will hamper his digestive power which is key for our immunity.

Pathogenesis (How a disease develops):

When our digestive fire is low, food consumed wont digest completely and some semi digested material will start accumulating inside the body. This undigested material will start interfering in the other systems of the body. This will create an healthy environment for infections.  They easily stay their and start the diseases.   

If you know the cause and the problem then treatment is very easy because the diagnosis is very important. 

My treatment to Mr. Abhilasha

First line of Treatment

1. Corrected his lifestyle by advising him

i. Three times a day at a particular fix time have to take food according to his digestive capacity. While having food one should have to feel hungry i.e. the earlier food should be completely digested. 

ii. Have to take dinner before 8.00 pm and afterwards no food.

iii. Skip the evening snacks as it will hamper the dinner.

iv. Excessive intake of water is a major cause for allergic rhinitis. Water should be taken whenever necessary i.e. when we feel thirst. The hot water is always best.

v. One should not have to take bath after food. It is mandatory to take bath in empty stomach i.e. always better to take in morning time.

vi. Restrict cold stuffs.

Second line of treatment

1. I have prescribed him medicines to cure the disease.

In my next Blog I write about a treatment called "NASYA". It is one among the panchakarma  treatments of Ayurveda.

If you want more information please write to me.

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Indigestion in the party or function try this

Hai Friends I Hope All of you are Healthy.

Two days before I went for a Lunch organised by our Doctor group. While eating I have consumed some more food which was really tasty. But within two hours my stomach got upset. 
1. The stomach was full with gas (Bloating stomach)
2. It was heavy (something filled inside) and I was feeling very uneasy.
3. Slight pricking pain was there in the abdomen region. 
4. Continuous belching.
5. Slight burning sensation was there in the stomach.

Then I went for quick fix solution. I have already made a mistake of eating more than the limit. 

To come to the normal stage I used these 2 methods and became perfect within next morning.

1. Cumin seed 1/4th teaspoon and 50 ml water and prepared the decoction. Had it sip by sip. Within 10 minutes my bloating of stomach relaxed. (You can also try this - take 1 teaspoon of cumin seed and chew inside the mouth for about 5 mins. The juice of cumin seed and our saliva will mix and form a liquid. Degluate (swallow) the juice. It will quickly clear the gaseous distention of the stomach and reduces the pain.)


2. In the night for dinner I was not feeling much hungry to have any food. But it is not advisable to skip a meal especially night meal. I prepared the rice gruel which is very easy for digestion. While preparing the gruel I added 1/4th teaspoon of coriander seed powder  & cumin seed powder. While having the gruel again consumed cumin seed decoction. Next day morning I was completely perfect. 

Rice gruel preparation
Take 50 gms of rice & wash it 3-4 times and add 500 ml of water and boil it on the low flame. Add cumin and coriander seed powder. When the rice is completely boiled use it for eating. You can add small amount of salt for taste while eating.

friends try this. 

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PREVENTIVE AND PROMOTIVE HEALTH

PREVENTIVE &  PROMOTIVE HEALTH

Health

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. It is a Definition agreed by the WHO.

According to ancient texts of Ayurveda Sushruta Acharya quotes

xÉqÉSÉåwÉÈ xÉqÉÉÎalÉ¶É xÉqÉkÉÉiÉÑqÉsÉÌ¢ürÉÈ |

mÉëxɳÉÉiqÉåÎlSìrÉqÉlÉÉÈ xuÉxjÉ CirÉÍpÉkÉÏrÉiÉå ||

Our body is made up of 3 doshas(Vata, Pitta & kapha), 7 dhatus (Tissues) ie Rasa(Fluids of the body), Rakta(Blood), Mamsa(Flesh & Muscles), Meda(Fat), Asthi(Bones & Cartilages), Majja(Bone marrow), Shukra(Sperm)  and 3 malas(Body wastes) ie stools, Urine & Sweat. (These are gross correlations. Exact match is not possible). When these (Dosha, Dhatu & Mala) are in normal state, our digestive power is good, soul, Mind & sensory organs are normal then this state is called as Healthy State.

Health is related deeply to lifestyle. Ideal health will however, always remains a mirage, because everything in our life is subject to change. Health may be described as a potentially – the ability of an individual or a social group to modify himself or itself continually, in the face of changing conditions of life, not only in order to function better in the present but also to prepare for the future.

Importance of Health

Many people do not realize the importance of good health, and even if they do, they may still disregard it. Whether we work at home or in an office, we need good health in order to perform our duties well. When people talk about health, they usually refer to the condition of the body. However, health does not merely mean being free from physical pain or the symptoms of disease. The mind is of crucial consideration in the overall assessment of wellbeing.

The necessity of good health is universal. To keep ourselves fit for the present and future, health is crucial. Unfortunately, today’s younger generation’s lifestyle is filled with greed and materialistic need and for this sake healthy lifestyle is taking a hit.

The proverbial “Health is wealth” seems to have faded away in the wave of modernization, and this is especially true in cities/metros.

Cause for a disease:

The cause for any disease can be broadly classified as follows:

1. Food (Ahara)

2. Lifestyle (Vihara)

Food

If we analyze the food pattern of our country, it changes from one place to another. Ex: In Karnataka – South Karnataka population eat more Ragi and Rice, North Karnataka – Jawar,  Costal and Western Ghat Karnataka - Rice. This kind of difference in food habits is due to the geographical condition. Our body is adjusted to that particular food. If person suddenly starts consuming other foods for which he is not accustomed, it will end up with one or the other disease. Due to this kind of food miss-match, people are ending up prey to major diseases.  

Especially urban population is consuming western foods like Pizza, Burger, Sandwiches, Macaroni, Barbecue, Pasta, Cheese and Noodles etc. which are not suitable for our body. But the drastic change in food pattern is causing lots of lifestyle related diseases like Diabetes Mellitus, Heart Diseases, and Obesity etc. Now the researchers are finding the cause as the food.

Everything we eat does one of two things: it either nourishes us or poisons us. Food that has been over-processed and contains preservatives acts like slow poison. The entire modern food handling process, where emphasis is on long shelf life, is turning our food into poisons. In order to keep the body healthy, it is fundamental to follow a wholesome diet, consisting of fresh food, Milk, Ghee etc.

Lifestyle

The effect of globalization is showing the prosperity of Indians in terms of increased income and change in lifestyle. The people are striving for materialistic needs, such as lucrative income, status, a big house, an expensive car, jewelry and so on, because they believe these things will make them happy. But actually they are ruining their health. In the middle age they suffer from High Blood Pressure, Diabetes Mellitus, Obesity, Heart Diseases, Back ache etc. The diseases are further aggravated by work pressure, less sleep, stress, no exercise etc.

The mindset of the people is changing. They think if something goes wrong, health insurance, life insurance will take care.  No one thinks about the preventive health.

Preventive Health

Preventive health is the science and art of helping people change their food, lifestyle to move toward a state of optimal health. Preventive healthcare involves measures taken to stay free from disease, maintain the health without consuming any kind of medicines. That means modifying the food and life style which suits a person.

Ayurveda sciences motto is

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Maintain the health of a healthy person and cure the disease of a diseased person. Here more importance is given to the Preventive health.

 

Dinacharya (Ideal daily regimen)

Dinacharya is the Sanskrit word for daily regimen, “Din” means day and “Charya” means to follow or to close to. The daily routine recommends good hygiene, moderate exercise, healthy diet, efficient elimination of wastes and a positive mental outlook. Ayurveda states that in order to be optimally healthy we should tune our bodies to nature’s master cycle. This Dinacharya can be subdivided into 4 parts in a day ie Morning, Noon, Evening and Night regimens.

The day starts from morning getting up from the bed, 45 min. before the sunrise. It helps to keep ourselves healthy by balancing the tri Doshas. Especially for students this is a good time for study. In the night our brain gets good rest. So morning the grasping power will be more. But it is very important to know the digestion, what we eat in the night should be completely digested. But it is not compulsory for the diseased person.

Then brushing the teeth, scraping the tongue to clean the mouth should be our next priority. After food consumption it is better to brush the teeth.

Passing the urine and bowel as the urge arises. Drinking coffee or water, Cigarette smoking, Tobacco chewing are bad habits to get the urge in the morning time.  

Massaging with oil all over the body called as “Abhyanag” (oil massage) to be done every day, especially apply oil on Head, Ears and sole of the foot. Oil Massage should start from head and ends at leg. During massage our stomach should be empty. Morning time is the best time for Abhyanga. Mustard oil, Gingilly oil, Coconut oil or Castor oil cane be used for the body massage according to the availability.  Gingilly oil is said to be the best oil for the Abhyanga.

Oil massage will rejuvenate the body and its tissues, improves the blood circulation, liquefy the toxins, removes the tiredness, improves the eyesight, increases the skin complexion, gives strength to the hairs and gives good sleep. Its main benefit is it slows the ageing process.

Then a small session of “Vyayama” (exercise) to keep the body fit. The exercise should be stopped when moderate amount of sweat comes from axilla & forehead region. Too much exercise is not good for the health. The exercise should be half of our body strength. Exercise keeps the body light and enthusiastic, increases the appetite, clear the extra fat, and improve the physique.

The exercise followed by “Snana” (warm water bath) to clean the body externally. But one should not put hot water on the head as it weakens the power of sensory organs. It is very important to have bath in empty stomach. The everyday bath will helps in removing tiredness, gives freshness, improves appetite, aphrodisiac, rejuvenator, gives strength, and cures all the skin diseases.

 

Everyday one has to consume “Ahara” (food) two or three times a day. In between one should not take food which will cause digestive problems. There are 12 laws for food consumption explained by Acharya Charaka.

1.      The food should be fresh.

2.      The food should be hot,

3.      With unctuousness (sufficient amount of ghee etc),

4.      One should have food when he feel hungry,

5.      As per our requirement,

6.      The food which is accustomed to us by birth,

7.      The eating place should be clean and calm,

8.      Food liked by us,

9.      Consumption should be neither too fast nor too slow,

10.  Without speaking and laughing,

11.  With good taste,

12.  While having food concentration should be on the food which we consume.

If a person follows these regimens then he/she will be free from all kind of digestive problems.

In the Afternoon one should not sleep, as it will cause obesity, disease related to head and neck, indigestion, heart diseases and diabetes etc. If he/she wants to sleep then sleeping in sitting posture will not cause any harm. Children, aged, diseased can sleep whenever necessary. Evening one can use the time for walking, social meeting etc. which will boost the mental health. The night meal should be before 7.00pm. The person should give a gap of 2 hours after dinner to go for bed.

Night sleep is very necessary as it provides good health, improves the quality of life, gives strength, increases the sexual power etc. Otherwise it will lead to emaciation, body ache, fatigue, giddiness, restlessness, depression, indigestion (ill effects of not sleeping in the night). The persons who don’t sleep in the night (night shift etc) should take half of the night sleep in the morning in empty stomach. Then they have to take an oil massage and bath to free from ill effects.

These daily regimens if a person follow regularly without fail then he can be free from all diseases. If any disease attacks then the person can get rid of it very quickly as his immunity power will be of strong than any one else. The body quickly reacts against the disease causing factor and corrects on its own. The body resistance power against the diseases will be boosted by these daily regimens.

 

Rutu Charya (Seasonal Regiomns)

According to Indian calendar there are 6 rutus (1 rutu = 2 months). They are

Vasant - spring

Grishma - summer,

Varsha – Rainy season,

Sharad – autumn or after rainy season and before winter season

Hemant & Shishira – Winter & Cold and Dewy season

 

 

 

Hemanta Ritu (Winter Season) & Shishira Ritu (Cold and Dewy Season)
Diet	Lifestyle
Sweet, sour and salt taste food can be taken. In this season the digestive activity becomes more powerful. Wheat/gram flour products, milk products, sugarcane products and corn/edible oils can be taken as a part of food.	Massage with oil. Udvartan (body massage with fine paste/powder of kumkum (kesar) etc.) Exercise (vyama). Clothing-leather, silk and wool. ·        Exposure to sunlight and fire to keep yourself warm
Vasanta Ritu (Spring Season)
Easily digestible food. Barley, honey, roasted meat; mango juice can be taken as food. Beverages such as asava (fermented infusion), arista (fermented decoction), sidhu (fermented sugarcane juice), and honey mixed with water and water boiled with extracts of chandan (sandal wood). Avoid hard to digest and cold food, sour, sweet and fatty food.	Physical exercise. Dry massage. Nasal medication can be taken. After massage bath with karpura/chandan/kumkum. ·        Avoid sleeping during day time.
Grishma Ritu (Summer Season)
Sweet, light, fatty and liquid food can be taken. Boiled rice with meat soup, food contains more water like green gram dal can be taken in food. Drink cool water.	Anoint body with chandan paste and take bath with cold water. Stay in cool places. ·        Wear light cotton dresses.
Varsha Ritu (Rainy Season)
Easily digestible food to be taken. Pulses, meat juice, soups, old grains and mastu (thin water of yoghurt) can be taken in food.	Panchkarma should not be done. Perfumes can be used. Avoid sleeping at daytime, exertion and too much exposure to sunlight.
Sharat Ritu (Autumn Season)
Bitter, astringent and sweet taste can be included in food. Take easily digestible food like rice, green gram, aamla, honey and sugar. Avoid heavy food, spicy, curd, oil, strong liquors.	·        Massage with chandana powder. ·        Bath with warm water. ·        Pearls give soothing effect from aggravated pitta.

Importance of Rutu Charya

According to the change in the climate our food pattern should change to adjust with the nature. The availability of the food in the nature also matches it. But people who do not follow these suffer from diseases during the change in the season it may be from summer to rain or winter to summer. If these regimens are followed then the body will slowly adjust with the nature and climatic change and we can live free of disease. The food and life style modification will help in boosting the immunity.

In this way Dinacharya and Rutucharya are essential for the preventive health.

Promotive Health

Promotive health is nothing but improving our health to optimal level. Here comes the “Rasayana”.

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The things which increase our health and help us to reach the utmost healthy state are called as Rasayana. It may not be food, Medicine; even may be our good deeds.

The benefits of Rasayana

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The Rasayana provides long life, good memory, intelligence, health, slows the ageing process, improves the complexion of skin, gives good voice, gives strength to the body and sense organs, and improves the oration. If a person gets these benefits from the rasayana then surely it will promote the health.

Every day we eat lots of food, we do lots of work, go out etc, in this lifestyle however careful we may be but sometime we go wrong and those small mistakes are enough to start diseases. Slowly the body mechanism will hamper and in the long run it leads to diseases. Ex. If we eat something bad (Not good for our body), and the bad food what we eat will not digest properly. The undigested material (AMA) will remain in the body. The same will accumulate when ever we take wrong diet (The foods which are not accustomed to us). One day the unwanted material present in the body starts problem. Here the Rasayana helps in regularizing the body mechanism and keep the body free from unwanted materials by throwing them out naturally.

 

The rasayana is divided into 3 parts

1. Kamya Rasayana – Here the regimens are followed for a particular thing like improving the lifespan, improving memory power etc.

2. Naimittika Rasayana – Here disease specific medicines which not only cure the disease but helps in keeping the body against ill effects of the disease by which improves the immunity.

3. Ajastrika Rasayana – Here the particular food have to take every day to keep our self healthy. Ex. Every day consuming Ghee, Butter, Milk, Rice etc.

Apart from these our behavior also acts as a Rasayana. Which is called as

Achara Rasayana

This is a branch of Ayurveda which cure the disease without the treatment and improves the health. Here our good deeds towards other human beings, animals and all the live creatures in the world will boost our health, i.e. “ACHARA” – our deeds (good for us and to society). Our social life, social concern will also helps in building good health.

Now a day the medical scenario needs preventive and promotive health practice which is lacking. People should keep themselves healthy than going for the treatment for the diseases. If we keep our body clean and healthy then no disease will ruin us. So always “PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE”.

Some of the Preventive and Promotive procedures in day to day life

Night Duty – Many people work in the night. It is not good for the health but unavoidable. So we can reduce the ill effect by following some procedures. Every day have to take oil massage bath and then go for sleep in day time on empty stomach. After getting up have light food which should be mixed with Ghee or Butter.

Sports person – These people train for around 8-10 hours a day. Such people require to follow following to avoid overstress. Oil massage Bath, good sleep in the night, food containing more Ghee, Butter, and Sweets etc will keep the body tissues competent for long time and improve the stamina.

Untimely food – This now a day very common especially those who are in sales. Sometime it is unavoidable. So always better to keep dry grapes, sugar candy. Whenever a person feels hungry or if it is a launch time but he can’t have the lunch in those situations eat some dry grapes or sugar candy. These will not hamper the digestion but prevent the person from gastritis.

 

Recipe in Varsha Rutu (Rainy season)

Due to heavy rain our digestive power will be very weak. So the food should contain ingredients which improve our digestive fire.

Pepper Rasam

5-10no. of pepper seeds, 200ml water, 1 minute pinch of Asafoetida (Hingu), 1 tsp of Ghee, 3 tsp of jaggery, sufficient amount of salt are the ingredients required. First prepare the decoction of pepper seeds with water in low flame. In the middle add 3 tsp of jaggery. Then give the seasoning (tadka) by using Ghee and Asafetida. Use it as a drink or as rasam with rice.

Kokum Soup

Dried Kokum fruit 10 no., Ghee 2 teaspoon, Sesame seeds 1 teaspoon, Curry leaves 10-15, Black pepper powder 4 pinches, Salt, 2 teaspoon Jaggery.

Take 500 ml of water and add dried kokum fruit. Boil this in low flame for about 15min. The co lour of the preparation will turn into dark red. Add jageery and salt and mix well, stop the flame. Now give seasoning using Ghee, curry leaves, Sesame and pepper powder.

It is the best appetizer and digestive. It can be used as soup in rainy season. It clears the cough, clear mucus stuck in the throat. Open up the nasal airways. Improves the taste. If a person is fat it is the best food and medicine to reduce the fat but should not be used every day.   

 

                      kokum fruits                                                   Dried Kokum fruits

Note: It is mainly available in coastal Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. In Bangalore available in all Mangalore stores.

Recipe in Grishma and Sharad Rutu

In both these rutu’s the atmospheric temperature will be more, so the more water loss through sweating. Here the fruit juices, natural soft drinks are good for the body.

Panak Panchsara

Draksha (Dry grapes or munakka), Madhuka (Mahula or Mahua or Madhuca indica), Khajura(Dates), Parushaka (Wild date palm or Phoenix pusilla) and sugar candy are used all in equal quantity. Soak them in water for 1 hour and then squeeze and mash the contents, filter and drink. It provides instant strength, removes the tiredness and good for the health in Grishma and Sharad Rutu.

Coconut rice gruel (Kayi halu ganji)

100 gms of grated coconut, boiled rice 200gms, water 500ml, salt sufficient amount, 1tsp butter. Put the grated coconut in the mixer and get the paste. Put the paste in a white cotton cloth and separate the juice from it. Now in a small vessel add coconut juice, boiled rice, and water and boil it in a small flame. Stop the flame after 10 minutes. Add sufficient amount of salt. For taste and flavor add Cumin (Jeera) and Coriandum (Dhaniya) powder each 5 pinch in quantity. While eating the gruel add butter.

 This is the best food recipe in the summer and autumn season. It gives strength to the digestive tract, gives relief from acidity, keeps the body cool, and protects the body from hot climate.

Butter Amla Bath

2-3 teaspoonful of butter, ½ teaspoon Cumin seed powder (Jeera), ½ teaspoon Coriandum (Dhaniya) powder, 1 bowl of boiled rice, 5 teaspoonful of Amla powder (Indian gooseberry). First melt the butter in a pan in low flame and fry Jeera powder, Dhaniya powder. Finally add Amla powder and salt. Then mix them well. Stop the flame after 2 minutes and add 1 bowl of boiled rice and mix well.

This is helpful in the summer and autumn season. This can be used in gastritis, ulcers in the stomach, bleeding while passing stools etc. It keeps the body clean and improves the immunity power. It is a good rasayana which keeps the body away from diseases.   

Pomegranate Rasam 

2 Pomegranate fruits, ½ bowl grated coconut, 1 teaspoon Jeera (Cumin seeds), 1 teaspoon Dhaniya (Coriandum) seeds, Salt and water. Remove the external cover of the pomegranate and take all the seeds of the same. Add grated coconut, Jeera, Dhaniya & salt then grind in the mixer by adding sufficient amount water. Finally give seasoning (tadka) with ghee.

This is an excellent food for summer and autumn season. It improves appetite, light for digestion and reduces the weight. It is a good food for heart patients, Diabetic, liver problems and aged. It not only digests easily but gives the strength to the body.

Tinospora cordifolia (Guduchi, Amruta balli) dry curry

5 leaves of Guduchi, 1 bowl boiled green gram dal, 1 green chilly, 2 teaspoon Ghee, curry leaves 10, Turmeric powder 5 pinches, sesame seeds 1 teaspoon & salt.

First boil the Guduchi leaves in water for 5 min. filter the water & collect the leaves. Fry green chilly, curry leaves and sesame seeds in ghee. Add Guduchi leaves which was boiled previously and fry it. Now mix boiled green gram Dal and fry well.  Add sufficient amount of salt.

This can be used as curry with chapati, roti etc. It not only acts as food but good for the diabetics. It purifies the blood, improves the taste. The liver problem patients can use it daily with the food. It is a best food for the Typhoid, malaria and dengue patients. The Tinospora cordifolia is a proven antipyretic.

Digestive Kashaya For all seasons

5 teaspoon Coriandum seed (Dhaniya), 1 Teaspoon Cumin seed (Jeera), 1 gram Ginger, 5 pinches Black pepper, 4 Cardamom (Elayachi) external cover removed.

Mix all the above and prepare a coarse powder. Store the powder in an air tight container.

Mix 1 teaspoonful of this coarse powder into 200 ml of water and boil till it turn into a decoction. Add sufficient amount of sugar for sweetness. Then filter the decoction. Now add 50ml of milk and use as a drink. In place of Coffee or Tea it can be used. This drink is widely used in Coastal Karnataka.

The Drink is best Appetizer and digestive.  The above preparation can be used in the rainy and winter seasons. In summer and autumn season one has to slightly modify the ingredients. Don’t add Black Pepper & Ginger.

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