Ayurveda and Yoga in Oakland, Berkeley and Bay Area

Ayurvedically-inspired tips on avoiding swine flu - H1N1

With all the swine flu news and fear, I thought his might be useful for everyone.  

 

Very cool, Ayurvedically-inspired tips on avoiding swine flu (stuff that also applies to avoiding other flus), from a highly-qualified doc. A good time of year to pass this info on to everyone...

 

Prevent Swine Flu - Good Advice

Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist) having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital , Bombay Hospital , Saifee Hospital , Tata Memorial etc.. Presently, he is heading our Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (W). 

 

The following message given by him, I feel makes a lot of sense and is important for all to know.

 

The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is. 

 

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu): 

 

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications). 

 

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap). 

 

3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt).  H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method. 

 

4. Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water.  Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.

 

5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in anti-oxidants (Amla and other citrus fruits).  If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption. 

 

6.  Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, etc) as you can.   Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

 

Some common Ayurvedic recommendations/herbs that are very helpful for flu/cold/cough/sore throat:

 

Gargle:  with 1/4 tsp salt+1/2 tsp turmeric water.  Boil the salt and turmeric in water for a few minutes, let it cool down and use when warm.  (make sure you don't use the turmeric powered settled in the bottom of the pot).  Very helpful for sore throat and colds.

 

Neti pot (nasal rinse):  with 1/8 tsp salt+1/4 tsp turmeric water.  Boil the salt and turmeric in water for a few minutes, let it cool down and use when warm.  (make sure you don't use the turmeric powered settled in the bottom of the pot).  Very helpful for sinusitis, chronic colds and congestion.

 

Chyawanprash: Rejuvenating and immunity boosting herbal Jam with 45 anti-aging herbs and vital minerals. Chyawanprash has been used for thousands of years to help enhances metabolism, strengthen immunity and support proper lung function.  It is a well known considered to be one of the most health promoting and "anti-aging" product in Ayurveda.  This delicious herbal jam is rich in anti-oxidants and can be enjoyed daily to strengthen the body and help against the harmful effects of a stressful lifestyle.

 

Triphala: This is one of the most important detoxifying and rejuvenative herbal formulas in Ayurveda. It has been used for thousands of years to promote internal cleansing, improve metabolism and nourish tissues.  It is a combination of "three fruits" Amalaki, Haritaki and Bibhitaki, which are an important part of many classical healing compounds.

 

Sitophaladi + Mahasudarshan (also used as a broad spectrum anti-biotic in Ayurveda) herbal mixtures: if you have green/yellow mucous.

 

Trikatu or Talisadi herbal mixture:  white or thick sticky mucous.

 

Fresh Ginger tea also very helpful when you are suffering from a cold.  Also helps improve digestion and appetite.  

 

Interesting article: "Common links in Swine Flu deaths"  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/31/CDC-Says-Kids-That-Die-From-Swine-Flu-Have-Coexisting-Bacterial-Infections.aspx

 

I suggest you pass this on to your entire e-list.  You never know 20 who might pay attention to it - and STAY ALIVE because of it.

 

Having trouble sleeping? Consider these natural remedies

Insomnia or problems with sleep can fall under one or more of the following:

• Trouble falling asleep
• Problem sleeping through the night
• Waking up too early in the morning
• Not feeling well rested even after sleeping 7 to 8 hours at night

Insomnia and fatigue are considered amongst some of the common health problems facing people today. More and more people are experiencing sleep problems secondary to increased stress levels caused by hyper-active lifestyles and lack of balance in their daily lives.  Sleep problems have been linked to various health problems, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and depression.

According to Ayurveda sleep problems are due to aggravation of Vata Dosha (energetic principle of movement, catabolism, etc, comprised of Space and Air). It is an increase in Vata Dosha in the mind or nervous system secondary to a hyper-active lifestyle (always on the move and multi-tasking), poor eating habits (eating Vata provoking foods - dry, rough, cold, hard foods on the run and/or at irregular times) and an overactive mind that is always planning, thinking and worrying.

Health benefits of drinking water from a copper cup...modern day proof for the ancient health practice.

Interesting article supports widely used practice of drinking from, eating in and cooking with Copper, Silver and even Gold cups, plates and pots in India.  Ancient Ayurvedic practices hold true to testing in the modern age.

Water kept overnight in a copper cup and consumed first thing in the morning.  Beneficial for reducing excess Kapha and fat.  Good tonic for liver, spleen and the lymphatic system.

Silver is benficial for reducing excess Pitta or inflammatory conditions.  Improves strength, stamina, anti-bacterial, antiseptic and disinfectant.

Gold for strengthening heart, nervous system, improve stamina and to improve mental faculties.  Gold is best used for Vata and Kapha constitutions.  It has heating properties and thus should be used sparingly for Pitta constitutions.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2009-07/21/content_8454628.htm

Medicine Buddha

Medicine Buddha or Bhaiṣajyaguru

In his Teachings on the Medicine Buddha the Ven. Thrangu Rinpoche discusses the position of the Medicine Buddha's two hands:

Kapha (Water and Earth) Diet

Kapha Diet Guidelines

The food we eat is that unique aspect of our life that we have almost total control over. Because we are what we eat, according to Ayurveda, it can be a very powerful tool for balancing and for promoting and maintaining health. One ancient authority says that food is our medicine – a good regimen of diet is worth a hundred drugs but no amount of drugs can overcome a poor regimen of diet. Generally, one should eat warm, freshly cooked foods. We can use the tastes in food as a guide to what qualities those foods have. For example, foods which have bitter, pungent, and astringent tastes have those qualities (especially lightness, dryness, and warmth) necessary to balance kapha qualities of heavy, cold, oily, etc.  We will give below examples of foods with these tastes common in our culture. This information has been provided by Dr. Lad, in his book: Ayurvedic Cooking for Self Healing (www.ayurveda.com) and Maya Tiwari in her book A Life of Balance (www.wisearth.org). These books are good resources of knowledge and recipes. Please note that agreement about the qualities of foods is not universal. Another important point is that a list of balancing foods is not a blanket proscription for kapha to totally avoid the foods with tastes of sweet, sour, salty (heavy things).  Rather, do eat foods having these other qualities to help promote balance in the emotions and in the physiology but eat them less often and in smaller quantities. The foods to favor (everyday foods below) will provide a theme of influence but in a gentle and sustained way.

PITTA & KAPHA BALANCING DIET

PITTA & KAPHA BALANCING DIET GUIDELINES

The food we eat is that unique aspect of our life which we have almost total control over. Because we are what we eat, according to Ayurveda, it can be a very powerful tool for balancing and for promoting and maintaining health. One ancient authority says that food is our medicine -- a good regimen of diet is worth a hundred drugs but no amount of drugs can overcome a poor regimen of diet. Generally, one should eat warm, freshly cooked foods. We can use the tastes in food as a guide to what qualities those foods have. For example, foods which have bitter, and astringent tastes have those qualities (especially dryness) necessary to balance both pitta and kapha qualities of liquid and oily. We will give below examples of foods with these tastes common in our culture. This information has been provided by Dr. Lad, in his book: Ayurvedic Cooking for Self Healing. This book is a good resource of knowledge and menus. Please note that agreement about the qualities of foods is not universal. Another important point is that a list of balancing foods is not a blanket proscription to totally avoid the foods with tastes of sweet, sour, salty (heavy things).  Rather, do eat foods having these other qualities to help promote balance in the emotions and in the physiology but eat them less often and in smaller quantities. The foods to favor will provide a theme of influence but in a gentle and sustained way.

 

Pitta (Fire and Water) Balancing Diet

Pitta (Fire and Water) Balancing Diet - Reduce heat and inflammation

The food we eat is that unique aspect of our life which we have almost total control over. Because we are what we eat, according to Ayurveda it can be a very powerful tool for balancing and for promoting and maintaining health. One ancient authority says that food is our medicine--a good regimen of diet is worth a hundred drugs but no amount of drugs can overcome a poor regimen of diet. Generally, one should eat warm, freshly cooked foods. We can use the tastes in food as a guide to what qualities those foods have. For example, foods which have sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes have those qualities (especially cooling and dryness) necessary to balance pitta’s qualities of hot, sharp, oily, etc. We will give below examples of foods with these tastes common in this culture. This information has been provided by Dr. Lad, in his book: Ayurvedic Cooking for Self Healing. This book is a good resource of knowledge and menus. Please note that agreement about the qualities of foods is not universal. Another important point is that a list of balancing foods is not a blanket proscription to totally avoid the foods with tastes of sour, salty, pungent. Rather, do eat foods having these other qualities to help promote balance in the emotions and in the physiology but eat them less often and in smaller quantities. The foods to favor will provide a theme of influence but in a gentle and sustained way.

Vata (Space and Air) and Pitta (Fire and Water) Balancing Diet

The food we eat is that unique aspect of our life which we have almost total control over. Because we are what we eat, according to Ayurveda, it can be a very powerful tool for balancing and for promoting and maintaining health. One ancient authority says that food is our medicine--a good regimen of diet is worth a hundred drugs but no amount of drugs can overcome a poor regimen of diet. Generally, one should eat warm, freshly cooked foods. We can use the tastes in food as a guide to what qualities those foods have. For example, foods which have sweet tastes have that quality (heaviness) necessary to balance the vata and pitta quality of lightness. We will give below examples of foods with these tastes common in this culture. This information has been provided by Dr. Lad, in his book: Ayurvedic Cooking for Self Healing. This book is a good resource of knowledge and menus. Please note that agreement about the qualities of foods is not universal. Another important point is that a list of balancing foods is not a blanket proscription to totally avoid the foods with tastes of sour, salty, pungent. Rather, do eat foods having these other qualities to help promote balance in the emotions and in the physiology but eat them less often and in smaller quantities. The foods to favor will provide a theme of influence but in a gentle and sustained way.

Vata Balancing Ayurvedic Diet Therapy - Helps with constipation, insomnia, etc.

The food we eat is that unique aspect of our life which we have almost total control over. Because we are what we eat, according to Ayurveda, it can be a very powerful tool for balancing and for promoting and maintaining health. One ancient authority says that food is our medicine--a good regimen of diet is worth a hundred drugs but no amount of drugs can overcome a poor regimen of diet. Generally, one should eat warm, freshly cooked foods. We can use the tastes in food as a guide to what qualities those foods have. For example, foods which have sweet, sour, and salty tastes have those qualities (especially heavy and oily) necessary to balance vata qualities of light, dry, cold, rough, etc. We will give below examples of foods with these tastes common in this culture. This information has been provided by Dr. Lad, in his book: Ayurvedic Cooking for Self Healing. This book is a good resource of knowledge and menus. Please note that agreement about the qualities of foods is not universal. Another important point is that a list of balancing foods is not a blanket proscription to totally avoid the foods with tastes of bitter, pungent, and astringent.  Rather, do eat foods having these other qualities to help promote balance in the emotions and in the physiology but eat them less often and in smaller quantities. The foods to favor will provide a theme of influence but in a gentle and sustained way. 

Chronic Low Back Pain

Most cases of chronic low back pain and especially with sciatica (lower extremity radicular symptoms) are due to disc related problems.  Ranging from disc bulge or prolapse to degeneration of the disc secondary to injury or wear and tear.  Resulting in pain arising from the disc/joint/nerve/muscle complex.  Have to keep in mind various factors contributing to these problems: