Kaumara bhrityam

Ayurveda discusses childcare under Kaumarabhritya.When they start mingling with other kids and start going to school,children are ready to explore new world of activitieswith great enthusiasm.One way of ensuring that all the desired results are achieved is to enhance the learning ability of our children. Ancient Ayurvedic Texts such as ‘Charaka Samhitha’ and ‘Ashtanga hridayam’ have discussed the various aspects of mental ability, which are dhi (learning), dhriti (retaining) and smriti ( recollecting). When these three are well coordinated in a child, he is bright and any missing link makes him weak in studies.
Ayurveda gives utmost importance to the food that is consumed by the growing children. As far as possible, they should be given freshly cooked food. Excess intake of highly processed junk foods, frozen foods and tinned foods can actually bring down the IQ of the children. Children require protein abundantly for their growth and protein rich food should be included in the diet. Inclusion of small amounts of spices such as turmeric, pepper etc. would be helpful for better digestion.
In addition to the regular nutrient food as discussed above, children can be given certain Ayurvedic Remedies such as Brahmi grthm, Saraswatha grthm etc. to boost their memory power. These grthas have the ability to transport the goodness of the herbs contained in them to the brain and other parts of the body.
It is said, love is to be shown. Let your love for your children be seen and felt by them. Who will not like to have a gentle massage by the mother? The affectionate magical touch of the parent, coupled with a few drops of a medicated oil (lakshadi thylam etc.), on alternate days (or at least on weekends) can do wonders for the kid. It enhances blood circulation and the natural immunity.
Another factor as important as food is sleep. Researches conducted in this regard have shown that sleep deprivation can severely hamper the brain's ability to learn new things. An experiment showed that people who fail to get a good night's sleep before studying new information remember roughly 10% less than their well-rested counterparts. In today’s world, where children are glued to the TVs and Computers for a long time, they compromise on their time for sleep. For a child to start a day energetically, it should be ensured that he gets a proper 8 hours sleep on the previous night. Sleep disorders can play a havoc in the ‘dhi – dhriti – smriti ’ ability of a child. Since diet and sleep are inter related, the last food of the day (dinner) should be taken at least 1 ½ - 2 hours prior to bed time. Lack of sleep can lead to digestive problems too.
Therefore, following a disciplined and healthy food habit, physical activities and sleep is all the more important for a child as they are in the growing stage.

AC, are you listening?

A patient of mine called me today from a far off place to say that the medicine I prescribed was quite effective and that he would like to complete the course and get fully recovered. Medicines are effective, but seldom does a patient calls a Doctor to convey that. When you are fully alright and are busy with the daily chores of life, where do you have the time to think of the Doctor?

Well, this patient of mine had approached me for the first time with a complaint of piles. This is one of the diseases wherein Ayurveda is more effective than anything else. Along with internal medicines Avagaha(sitting in a tub with warm water) and infiltration of oil into the anus are also done. I prescribed Chirivilwadi kashayam, Abhayarishtam and Guggulupanchapala choornam for him. After about 2 weeks, he said he was relieved a lot and asked me to prescribe further medication. At this stage, he can continue the kashayam along with Suranadi lehyam/chargyeradi ghrithm as his digestive power (jatharagni) is normal. A patient with low digestive power (manda jatharagni) should take the grithm in small quantity.

A family friend of mine, AC, was heard telling that he was under medication for piles. Didn't speak to him for a long time, and I really do not know how he is now. AC, listen, even after trying out everything else, you still can approach a good Ayurvedacharya to get fully recovered.

Age Related Atrophic Changes

xxxx A senior colleage of my hubby had called last evening. His mom, who is about 79 yrs has been bed riddedn for some time. She was admitted to a Super Speciality Hospital and all check ups were done. She is diabetic and hypertensive. The problem with her is that she doesn't get proper sleep, gets angry very easily, becomes very adamant at times etc.

xxxx She is going through Age Related Atrophic Changes, as her Doctor had diagnosed and mentioned in her discharge sheet. They suggested she could be taken to a psychiatrist, as they had nothing more to do.

xxxx The term 'Atrophic changes' originates from the Greek word 'atrophia' which means 'lack of food'. The word 'atrophy' in English means 'to gradually become less effective or vigorous'. In Ayurveda, treatment for this includes both internal and external medication. Internal medicines include Kashayas, Arishtas, Gritha & Lehyam. These are administered taking into consideration the digestive power of the patient.

xxxx

xxxx External Therapies include Pizhichil, Navarakizhi, Dhara, Nasyam etc. But these kinds of Panchakarma therapies are normally not done for patients above 70 years of age, All she can do is to take internal medicines like Brahmyadi Kashayam, Sukumara Kashayam, Manasa mitra Vatarkam etc. Grithas and Arishtas cannot be given as she is diabetic. She can also do some physiotherapy.

xxxx More than any medicine or therapy, what she requires at this time is a lot of people around her to chat with, to crack jokes with, and to put simply – to keep her mind happy. These are the circumstances we are reminded about the significance of a joint family !!

OUSHADHA MATRA-Dosage of Medicine

मात्राया नास्त्यवस्थानं दोषमग्निं बलं वयम्
व्याधिं द्रव्यम् च कोष्ठश्च वीक्ष्यमात्रं प्रयोजयेत
xxxx In Ayurveda the dose to be administered depends on so many factors.Those factors include dosha,the digestive power of the patient,strength of the patient,his age,the disease and the ingredients of the yoga(medicine to be prescribed).
xxxx It was Sharangdhara in his book 'Sharandhara Samhitha', who described the dose calculation along with all the necessary factors for determining doses.

Dhanya's 'Garbhopadrava'

Hi.. That was a long pause of course.. In fact, Unniyettan asked me, "what' happened.. initial activism stopped?" Doesn't matter, I'm back again.
What brought me back again is my friend Dhanya’s second pregnancy. Good news. The not-so-good news is that she's in the hospital for the last few days.

That's 'Garbhopadrava'. Ayurveda discusses in detail about various Garbhopadravas, such as nausea, vomitting, anorexia (loss of appetite), retention of urine etc. So there's nothing uncommon and absolutely nothing to worry if she vomits a little. But the problem is she vomits more than what she eats.. That landed her in the hospital.

'Garbhini Vyakaran' describes the Ayurvedic way of managing pregnancy. The physician attending to the ‘Garbhini’ has to be very careful as he has to keep in mind the protection and nourishment of both the foetus and the mother. The pregnancy period, totally 40 weeks or roughly 10 months, can broadly be divided into three stages, the first stage being 1-12 weeks, second 13-28 weeks and the last 29-40 weeks. Ayurveda prescribes special routine for each month during the period of pregnancy. However, one has to be utmost careful during the first stage and the last. During the initial three months, importance is given to stabilize the pregnancy and it is advisable to take juicy fruits, tender coconut water etc. for the nourishment of the embryo. It is during this period that the baby forms its various organs.

This being her second pregnancy, Dhanya knows the importance of taking nutritious food, going for light exercises, keeping herself happy always etc.. But unfortunately, she’s forced to take all the ‘nutrition’ through pipe!! Yes, she’s not able to eat properly due to excessive vomiting. This is normally controlled by tablets or sometimes injections. She must include a lot of green & leafy vegetables in her diet to ensure the required supply of Vitamin B 12, Vitamin C, and Calcium. If not able to eat, probably she can go for homemade soups made of fresh vegetables. Stress is given to ‘home made’ because, the ingredients in the soup powders available in the market which are added for taste & smell and the preservatives therein are not all that good for Dhanya, especially during this period. She must, as far as possible, avoid colas, tinned food products and maida products, such as porota, bread etc.

Let’s wish her good times ahead..

Eat Iron ..

Friends, why do we need Iron? Oh, sorry, we all use iron in our daily life, but I mean, why does human body require Iron?
About 60% of the iron in our body is present in the blood cells. It is this iron that helps blood cells to carry oxygen from lungs to various organs in the body, and obviously, when iron levels are down, oxygen consumption goes down, which in turn results in fatigue, sort of headaches etc. Serious deficiency of iron in the blood cells lead to anaemia. Now we know why we do not have sufficient energy when we need it – lack of iron. Human body requires its own share of iron to maintain proper energy levels.
So, iron is present in human body. But it’s not that sufficient quantity of iron is stored safely in a locker. We all lose iron (though a small amount) in our daily chores of life. Those who exercise vigorously, athletes and other sports persons are likely to lose iron through perspiration, while women of all categories lose a lot of blood cells during menstruation.
In the case of a pregnant woman, it is very important to have sufficient iron intake to ensure proper blood supply for the mother and the child. Though normally physicians prescribe iron tablets for pregnant women, it can be done away with, if iron rich food is included in the diet of the expecting mother.
Since iron is abundant in most of the vegetables, we have a wide choice for iron intake. Green leafy vegetables, cabbage, beans, green peas, cereals, bitter guard etc. are good sources of iron. Non vegetarians can have seafood like sardines, shrimp, etc and eggs to ensure iron intake. Milk, pomegranate, sesame seeds, black grape fruit and ghee are also good iron sources. Honey is good in the treatment of anaemia, thanks to its large iron content.

What's your New Year Resolution ?

To break it or otherwise, I suggest we all should have a New Year Resolution this year. That we'll keep ourselves physically fit for the whole year. ( For the next year, we'll renew the resolution on the next New Year eve!). I said "to break it or otherwise..", because, they say well begun is half done. Something is better than nothing you see.. However, I'm sure, once you start reaping the benefit of keeping yourself fit, you'll never think of breaking the resolution.

Well.. for all those who already follow a regular exercise schedule, let the resolution be to carry on the same with more enthusiasm, and for all those who never thought of exercise (and for those who only 'think' of exercise, like my hubby), let the resolution be that - I start regular exercise from TODAY. Your body will thank you tomorrow, because it helps you age well!

The first thing we should understand is, regular exercise schedule is a necessity for human body, as is regular food habits. How easily most of us excuse ourselves asking where's the time? All that is required is just half an hour's brisk walking, which is reasonalbly sufficient for a healthy body. (Of course, for tougher fitness freaks there are organ specific exercises).

John F Kennedy once said "Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity"