It's world malaria day

It's world malaria day today. Malaria is found in hotter climates, where the mosquitoes thrive most. Malaria is normally spread by the mosquitoes, of course, the female ones, as the male mosquitoes are known to be 'vegetarians'. The malaria parasite, deposited by the mosquito when it bites a human being, gets multiplied rapidly and starts affecting the Red Blood Cells, thereby weakening the body, and the body develops high temperature. Ayurveda calls this i.e. Malaria as 'Vishama jwara'. Common symptoms of 'Vishama jwara' are known to be fever with shaking chills and headache, tiredness, nausea, muscle pains etc. Since the symptoms are similar to any other common fever, unless properly diagnosed and medical care is taken, things could turn serious.
This 'Vishama jwara' is one which affects the lever too, as the parasite grows there and gets strengthened. Therefore, it is very important to cleanse the system when stricken by malaria. So, what do we do to cleanse the system? Simple. Follow strict regimen of diet, comprising of rice gruel (ganji), boiled (or raw, wherever possible) vegetebles and fruits. Avoid spicy food. The idea is to see that the food taken in is easily digested.
According to Ayurveda, Neem Oil is a good remedy for 'Vishama jwara'. And our own Tulsi. The juice of handful of Tulsi leaves, mixed with 2-3 black pepper can be taken to keep the disease under control.

Hegde Sir met with an accident

XXXOur family friend and my hubby's colleague Hegde Sir met with a small accident the other day. The bike rider, who hit him during his morning walk immediately took him to AJ Hospital. Thank god, it was nothing serious. Small bruises here and there, and a small cut, which had to be stitched.

XXXWhen I heard that the accident happened just near to the SDM Ayurveda Hospital in Bejai, I thought for a while - why was he not taken to SDM? Don't Ayurveda Hospitals entertain accident cases? Are they not equipped for that? Or do the people think that Ayurveda is all about Panchakarma, massages and Kashayas?

XXXThink for a while - ancient India has seen plenty of battles between the umpteen number of countries that existed those days. Who treated all those who were wounded in the battle field or in other accidents, when modern medicine or allopathy was not even heard of ? The picture above shows a surgery being conducted in Ancient India by Shushrutha, who is known as Father of Surgery.

XXXA peep into the 'Shushrutha Samhitha', the oldest known surgical text, should be enough to understand how deeply surgery was discussed in Ayurveda in those days. Shalya Tantra is a branch of Ayurveda which discusses Surgery extensively, including poorva karma (pre-surgery), Sashtrakriya (surgery) and paschath karma (post-surgical) treatments. It is quite apparent that despite having such a rich heritage, Ayurveda was given a step motherly treatment by the policy makers, pre-independence as well as post-independence, of modern India, in their enthusiasm to encourage modern medicine.

Lazy..? Oh, that's Kapha Dosha!

XXXYep.. too long a gap, that was. I was a bit lazy to scribble something here, mainly because of the long journeys I had to undertake during the last month. When you are physically tired, you don't feel like sitting and typing! Well.. have you ever wondered why do we feel lazy at all? Reasons of being tired physically and mentally apart, Ayurveda says that the increase in 'Kapha Dosha' can make you lazy. Symptoms of increased Kapha Dosha are anorexia (decreased digestive power), excess salivation, heaviness of the body, excess sleep etc.
XXXNow, any guess, what would be the best remedy for increased 'Kapha Dosha'? Regular exercise ! So all those who skip exercises claiming to be lazy, now know what should be done.. Increased Kapha Dosha is also treated with Vamana (purification of the lungs and stomach through medical emesis) and Virechana (purification of the entir body through oral medicine). Where Vamana is not possible, theekshna Virechana is used. Aragwadadi Kashayam and Lohabhasma are also given for this Dosha. One thing to be kept in mind is to refrain from sweets.

"Sarvendriyanam Nayanam Pradhanam"

The eye being highly sensitive and delicate organ it is protected by different means:(1)it is situated inside a hard bony cavity.(2)Eyelids,eyebrows and eyelashes protect the eye from foriegn bodies and external particles.(3)Soft tissue behind the eyeballs protects from contusions.However in spite of all these protective measures there are chances of injuries by the foriegn bodies.
Ashtasthana Pareeksha in Ayurveda is the common examination methods for the diagnosis of a disease.Drishti is included in Ashtasthana Pareeksha which means that eye is both functionally and diagnostically important.Each systemic disease has its own ophthalmic manifestations.For eg. in mumps there is inflammation of lacrimal glands,in fungal infection there is inflammation of lids,in thyroid fever there is inflammation of optic nerve are a few to be mentioned.
'Prevention is better than cure' is a saying that is very important in case of eye diseases.Preventive methods include:
(1)Simple medications:are simple procedures that can be daily practised like Anjana(medicine is applied on the inner surface of the lid)Nasya(medicine is applied through the nasal cavity)Kabala(medicine is filled in the mouth to such an extent that we can shake it) etc.
(2)Habitual factors:Siroabhyanga(oil is applied to the head),snanam(taking bath),adequate sleep etc.
(3)Diet:is an important factor.Spicy and salty foods should be avided.Amalaki and black grapes are good for the eyes.
(4)Mental status:We should try to avoid stess,strain,extreme worries and anger and keep the mind cool and calm.
Some Tips:After journey always wash face and eyes with cold clean water.Before going to bed keep eyes and feet clean.

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 !!