Ayurvedamagazine

Category: Ayurveda Stories

  • Kerala panics, Nipah virus case confirmed by government – Ayurveda proposes management

    Kerala Health Minister KK Shylaja has confirmed one case of Nipah virus infection. A 23-year-old has been diagnosed of being infected with the virus in Kerala’s Ernakulum. Last year, in an outbreak in the state, Nipah virus had claimed 17 lives.

    Here, Ayurveda & Health Tourism magazine proposes how this disease can be managed with the help of Ayurveda.

    What is Nipah virus?

    Nipah virus was first identified in 1998 in Malaysia and pigs were identified as the intermediate host. It spread to humans after they came in contact with pig feces and excretions.

    Later Nipah virus showed up in Bangladesh in 2004, where humans became infected with NiV as a result of consuming date palm sap that had been contaminated by infected fruit bats.

    According to the World Health Organisation, Nipah virus or NiV infection is a newly emerging infectious disease that causes severe illness in both animals and humans. The natural host of the Nipah virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family, Pteropus genus.

    The symptoms of Nipah virus range from asymptomatic to fever, headache, drowsiness, disorientation, mental confusion, and coma. Treatment is focused on managing fever and neurological symptoms and offering full support.

    Preventive Measures

    • Avoid contact with pigs and pig handlers, bats and horses.
    • Maintain personal hygiene and intensive hand washing practices.
    • Avoid consuming raw fruits and fruits should be washed thoroughly and peeled or cooked properly.
    • Avoid eating or buying fruit and vegetables at unhygienic places or fruit fallen on the ground.
    • Consume only well cooked clean homemade food till the outbreak settles down.
    • Avoid unpasteurized juices.
    • Preferably use N95 mask while travelling or working in public places to avoid person to person transmission.
    • Person, who generally comes in contact with potentially infected animals, including laboratory personnel and health-care workers, should wear protective clothing, impermeable gloves, masks, goggles, and boots.
    • Patients infected with NiV should be isolated and barrier nursing should be used while caring for infected patients because the virus can be transmitted from person to person.

    Ayurvedic Management

    • Measures should be taken to strengthen the immune system through healthy dietic habits.
    • Amlaki Rasayana 3 gm, twice a day with water.
    • Ashwagandadi Avaleha 10 gm twice a day with lukewarm milk.
    • Haridra khand 5 gm twice a day with lukewarm milk.
    • Samshamani vati 500 mg twice a day.
    • Tulsi 3-5 leaves should be consumed a fresh or in tea twice in a day.
    • Indukantha kashay 10 ml with 40 ml of warm water twice a day before food.

    Symptomatic Management: Under the supervision of Ayurvedic Physician

    For Fever, Headache, and Myalgia

    • Amritottar kashaya 30 ml twice a day
    • AYUSH- 64/Sanjivini vati 2 tablet thrice a day.
    • Bilwadi gutika 2 tablet twice a day.
    • If symptoms of upper respiratory tract involvement is present-AYUSH-64 with Tribhuvan Kirti Rasa.

    High Fever with early neurological symptoms

    • Swarna Sutshekhar Rasa 125 mg twice a day with honey for 7 days.
    • Swarna Malti Rasa 125 mg twice a day with honey.

    For Hydration

    • Shadang Paniya/Drakshadi kwatha

    Neurological symptoms with complications

    • Refer to the Higher Centre.

    Note:

    • The dose and duration of the treatment may be decided by the physician according to the age and condition of the patient.
    • This advocacy is for information only. However, the heath seekers may approach a qualified registered Ayurveda medical practitioner for necessary advice.

  • “Drink Milk: Today and Every day.”

    World Milk Day is observed every year on June 1. The theme of the World Milk Day this year is “Drink Milk: Today and Every day.” World Milk Day is intended to provide an opportunity to bring attention to the activities that are connected with the dairy sector. World Milk Day was established in 2001 by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nation to recognise the importance of milk as a global food.

    Every year new countries join along to mark their celebrations and in 2018, over 586 events were held in 72 countries. Various campaigns are organised which highlight the importance of milk for the overall health of a person. It also raises awareness of dairy’s part in healthy diets, responsible food production, and supporting livelihoods and communities. The events publicize the activities of milk industries around the world.

    Objective of the day

    • To provide information about the need and importance of milk in a human being’s life.
    • Various activities are organized on this day to raise awareness about milk and milk products.
    • To celebrate the contribution of milk and dairy products in several industries, the economy and people’s lives.
    • To educate people about the nutrients present in the milk like calcium, protein, vitamin B2, potassium, iodine, etc.
    • Several promotional activities about milk and its importance are launched by the International Dairy Federation on its website online.

    Here are some facts on how milk should be consumed

    • Milk should never be had right out of the refrigerator. It is good to always boil milk before consumption.
    • Heating the milk makes it more digestible and easier for consumption as it changes its molecular structure.
    • Adding a pinch of ground turmeric or black pepper, cinnamon stick, ginger or cardamom with warm milk reduces the heaviness of the milk and any mucus-causing side effect.
    • Milk consumed with curd or salt or meat is bad combination. It is better to team it up with almonds, rice or dates.
    • The quality of milk greatly depends on the way the cattle are treated. It is always better to buy milk from companies that treat their animals well and feed them organically.
    • Support local cattle farmers who treat the cattle with reverence and feed them right.

    Tricks to get your child to drink milk without fuss

    • Develop your child’s taste for milk

    If your child does not like to drink milk, you can opt for some dairy-based alternative foods like yogurt and cheese. Your child will get the required nutrition and may gradually develop a taste for milk too.

    • Try milkshakes

    Instead of plain milk, you can make your child drink milk in the form of milkshakes and smoothies in a variety of flavours he or she likes.

    • Tweak the taste of milk

    If your child doesnot like the smell of milk, you can tweak the taste a little bit by adding vanilla essence or some mixes.

    • Get a personalized mug

    You can encourage your child by getting him or her a quirky personal mug and straws and reserve its use for drinking milk only.

    • Start with small quantities

    To develop the taste, start giving milk in small quantities first and focus on getting your child to drink it all. You can increase the quantity of milk gradually.

    • Play games

    You can play some drinking games with your child to encourage him or her.

    • Teach by example

    Join your child in drinking milk for a few days. This will motivate them further.

    Enjoy your milk. Happy Milk Day!

    • Ayurveda & Health Tourism

  • World Asthma Day

    World Asthma Day (WAD) is organized by Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) towards increasing awareness about asthma and its management across the world. It is observed every year on first Tuesday of May. On this day activities are carried out throughout the world to motivate asthma patients to keep their asthma under control.

    The theme for WAD 2019 is STOP for Asthma: where STOP stands for Symptom Evaluation, Test Response, Observe and Assess, and Proceed to Adjust Treatment.

    Facts–

    • According to World Health Organization (WHO) 235 million people suffer from asthma globally.
    • Asthma is one of the major non-communicable diseases. It is also the most common chronic disease in children.
    • Asthma cannot be cured but appropriate management can control the disorder and enable people to enjoy good quality of life.
    • Some children with milder forms of asthma don’t have their symptoms with age but symptoms can return without warning.

    Asthma is a disease characterized by recurrent attacks of breathlessness, wheezing, chest tightness, and cough that vary over time in their occurrence, severity and frequency.

    During an asthma attack, the lining of the airways swell, causing the air passages to narrow and thus reducing the flow of air into and out of the lungs.

    The exact cause of asthma is not completely known, though genetic factors with environmental exposure to certain inhaled substances are found to be risk factors for developing asthma. The common risk factors are house dust ,mites in bedding, carpets and stuffed furniture;  pollution and pet dander; pollen and moulds;  tobacco smoke; chemical irritants in workplace.

    Viral infections, cold air, extreme emotional arousal such as anger or fear, and physical exercise, certain medications (such as aspirin and other non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, and beta-blockers which are used to treat high blood pressure, heart conditions and migraine) can also act as triggers for asthma. Urbanization has also been associated with an increase in asthma.

    Asthma can be diagnosed with the help of clinical history and breathing tests (pulmonary function test-Spirometry). There is no cure for asthma, but symptoms can be controlled with effective asthma treatment and management. Asthma can be managed by taking medicines as directed by medical professional and learning to avoid triggers that cause asthma symptoms.

    Regular exercise can help reduce asthma symptoms. Physical activities are just as important for someone with asthma as they are for someone without asthma though it is important to control asthma before being active. Asthma affects people of all levels of society such as athletes, leaders, celebrities and ordinary people and they live successful and active lives with proper management of asthma.

    Know more about asthma at www.nhp.gov.in/

    References-

    https://ginasthma.org/wad/

    https://www.who.int/features/factfiles/asthma/en/

  • British star Emma Thompson seeks Ayurveda treatment at Dr. Mathai’s

    Emma Thompson who acted as Sybill Trelawney in the Harry Potter series was in India lately to take up a 21-day rejuvenation package at Dr. Issac Mathai’s Holistic Center in Bengaluru.  It is also understood that the 59-year-old has taken Lousie Parker as her fitness and lifestyle guru. Lousie Parker is known to have launched her own wellness retreat last year in the stunning Swiss village Saas-Fee. We hear that Thompson who checked out just two days ago, learnt of Dr. Mathai’s programme from Prince Charles, with whom she shares a close friendship. This is her second visit to the clinic; she was here two years ago as well.

  • World Cancer Day 2019: Delhi Hospital Assures Cancer Treatment with Ayurveda, Yoga

    New Delhi: A charitable hospital in the national capital is providing treatment to cancer patients using ayurveda and yoga along with dietary and lifestyle changes.

    Ahead of World Cancer Day on February 4, the founder of Ayurvedic Cancer Treatment Hospital, located in West Punjabi Bagh area, said the facility raises awareness on combating the disease and many patients help in spreading its name through word of mouth as well.

    “Many patients come to us after having lost all hope in allopathic treatment. We use a four-pronged approach — lifestyle and food habit changes, ayurvedic medicines and yoga,” its founder-president Atul Singhal said.

    Asked about the efficacy of ayurvedic medicine on cancer, he said, “Our patients are our biggest testimonies. They feel the benefit and tell it to others, or make videos and post those online.”

    “For medicine, we use ‘panchgavyas’, mixture of five products of cow, and we use yoga to aid in recovering.

    “We change their lifestyle and food habits and ask them to forego some of them for treatment. So, instead of wheat we tell them to eat barley, black pepper instead of red chilli, jaggery instead of sugar, etc,” Singhal said.
    The 52-year-old said he started the facility after losing his mother to cancer in 2011.

    “My mother battled cancer for three years and finally succumbed to it. So, I wanted to do something about it and I have faith in our ancient medicinal system of ayurveda. So, in 2013, we first started Ayurvedic Cancer Treatment and Research Centre which became Ayurvedic Cancer Treatment Hospital in 2015,” he said.

    Run by a trust, the 20-bed facility has three permanent ‘vaidyas’ (doctors) and a staff of about 15 people for other ancillary jobs, Singhal said.

    “Irrespective of a patient or his other family’s economic status, we offer treatment based on just a token sum of Rs 11,000. If a patient is poor, we ask for less amount or none if they are very poor. Our idea is to keep it a charitable cause and not a commercial one,” Singhal said.

    The founder of the hospital said, the facility is run under a trust which has 21 trustees, including members from well-known trading families.

    “We also get funds from philanthropists and some patients, after treatment, or their family members give some endowment which helps in running the hospital,” he said.

    Singhal said patients come from all parts of the country, especially from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, and even Jammu and Kashmir. He claimed that some patients also come from abroad.

    He said the token sum is applicable for 11 days only, and after that Rs 1,000 is charged per day, as the number of beds are limited beds.

    “We are planning to expand and make it a 100-bed facility,” Singhal said, adding, two union ministers have visited the facility so far.

    World Cancer Day, organised by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and celebrated each year on February 4, is an opportunity to rally the international community to end the injustice of preventable suffering from cancer.

    This year’s theme, ‘We can, I can’ acknowledges that everyone has the capacity to address the cancer burden, according to WHO. PTI KND

  • KGMU-Arogya Bharti’s ayurvedic med prevents encephalitis cases among kids

    Gorakhpur: A team of King George’s Medical University doctors and volunteers of Arogya Bharti, a voluntary organization, held a camp in Bharsar village of Sahjanwa on 7th September; 2018 and administered ‘Swarna Prashan,’  an ayurvedic medicine to children to prevent encephalitis.

    Swarna Prashan, developed by a team of KGMU doctors and Arogya Bharti volunteers , has proven to be successful in controlling encephalitis in the five villages of Sahjanwa area.

    KGMU vice chancellor, ML B Bhatt said, “Since January, a team of 12-15 KGMU doctors have been organizing a medical camp at Bharsar village every month for free medical check-up of people from nearby villages. Children upto 15 years are given Swarna Prashan drops. The CHC and PHC in the area informed that no encephalitis case was reported since children were given the medicine. Bharsar village was among the worst hit villages of eastern UP, where atleast 30-40 children were hit by encephalitis.”

    Eastern UP has been hit by encephalitis since many decades and has killed thousands of children. Arogya Bharti secretary Dr. Abhaynandan Tiwari said that Swarna Prashan is made of swarna bhasma, cow ghee and other medicines. CHC incharge of Bhrasar village, Dr. Rudra Narayan and village head Prem Nandani also confirmed that there has been no case of encephalitis in the village this year. KGMU’s outreach programme incharge, Dr. Sandeep Tiwari, MLA Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, BJP leader Upendra Shukla and MLA Sheetal Pandey were also present on the occasion.

    Dr. Tiwari said that the results of swarna prashan in Bharsar village have been sent to Ayush ministry and UP government has sent it to central government so that it could be used in other encephalitis-hit areas where sanitation and water conditions are poor.

  • Lakshmikutty Amma receives Padma Shri for traditional medicine practice

    Meet Lakshmikutty Amma, a 75-year-old woman from the Kallar forest area. She is well-known for practicing traditional medicine and has recently received the country’s fourth highest civilian honours Padma Shri Award for her breakthrough in practising traditional medicine.

    “I feel happy that my country accepted me. I haven’t felt happier. The District Collector called and informed me that I was selected for Padma Shri. I am in this field for last 50 years and the Kerala government recognized my work and awarded me as well. A few of the people had claimed that I would win the Padma Shri award,” says Lakshmikutty Amma.

    Amma also writes poems, dramas and is a teacher in folklore academy. She revealed that she got this knowledge from her mother who was a traditional midwife.

    She belongs to Kaani tribe and can remember more than 500 varieties of medicine. She has attained the education of 3rd form and knows Sanskrit.

    Amma, whose husband died two years back, stays alone in the forest and grows medicinal plants around her house. Her two sons passed away and the third one is working in the Railways.

    “My mother was also a traditional medicine practitioner. She was a midwife. My mother passed down the knowledge to me. I keenly watch the nature, it has all the remedies. Even animals and fish have medicinal power,” she added.

    However, Amma who has been awarded so many honours, lives in difficult circumstances.

    “There is no road to my home. It was approved in 1952, but the work hasn’t started till now,” she said.

    Amma said she hopes the government will consider it.

    “We have to travel many kilometres through the forest. There are wild animals including elephants. People cannot bring patients in time. Hence, I request the government to do something about it,” she added.

    Amma said that she can treat snake poison as well.

    “My son died due to snake poison, so I gained all the knowledge I could on it. When one is injected with poison it is important to suck it out at the earliest, but with no roads and no hospitals nearby, it is a dangerous issue in the village as we live amidst wild animals,” she said.

    Source: ANI

  • Ayurveda cures cancer patient

    Ayurveda proved the answer to Hari Nath, an Indian chemical engineer from New Zealand, whose immune system was wrecked by chemotherapy.

    This cancer patient was underweight by 20 kilograms and in a wheelchair when he travelled to India for a solution to the painful recurring throat ulcers he developed after being treated with intravenous chemotherapy for non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

    He said he tried everything modern medicine had to offer, including controversial drug thalidomide, at hospitals in Bangalore and Kerala, but nothing worked apart from high doses of the steroid prednisone, which worsened his diabetes, and left him prone to infection and in an emotional tailspin.

    “After a year of unsuccessful struggle and a life with pain killers and antidepressants, the feeling of hopelessness crept in and I googled to search for a naturally occurring steroid equivalent and stumbled across a herb called ashwagandha (witheria somnifera) used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine over thousands of years for improving immune system,” he said.

    Shortly after starting to take the herb, Mr Nath began to feel better.

    Within a week he was able to halve his steroid dose without the ulcers coming back, and a month later his blood tests began to show a remarkable improvement.

    Since then he’s discovered that clinical trials using ashwagandha to treat cancer patients were in progress in the United States and India, and patents pending in the US and Japan.

    “I had contacted the concerned head of clinical trials and was told that they had several positive feedbacks from cancer patients on ashwagandha,” he said.

    In November last year he was finally able to return home to New Plymouth and has been ulcer and cancer-free since.

    “Now I am hoping for a long remission and possibly a complete cure,” he said.

  • Dr. NPP Namboothiri, an Ayurveda doyen, breathes his last

    Known as a visionary in Ayurveda and a pioneer in ayurvedic ophthalmology, Dr. NPP Namboothiri passed away on 7th February 2018 in Koothattukulam. He was 68 and had been on treatment following an illness for the past few months. He is well-known as the brain behind Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre.  He is the son of renowned Ayurveda physician Brahmashri Parameswaran Namboothiri.

    After acquiring a professional qualification in Ayurveda, he was in government service for around 3 decades and during this period he made a name for himself as an Ayurvedic ophthalmologist. During his tenure, he was able to treat and cure many eye diseases that other medicinal methods had failed to cure. After retiring from the government service, Dr. NPP Namboothiri along with his elder brother Sri N P Narayanan Namboothiri laid foundation to Sreedhareeyam, the Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre, in Nelliakkattu Mana

    Among his many national and international accolades were the Vocational Excellence Award for outstanding achievements in the field of Ayurvedic ophthalmology presented by Rotary International in 2002, Rashtriya Rattan Award for outstanding individual achievements and distinguished services to the nation conferred by the Global Economic Council in 2003 and the Pride of India award presented by the Global Economic Council in 2004. Namboothiri is survived by wife Jayasree P Namboothiri and children Dr Sreekala, Sreeraj, Dr Sreekanth and Sreedevi. The cremation was held on Wednesday evening with full state honours.

  • Documentary on Indian Ayurvedic Doctor

    Ayurveda is one of India’s cherished treasures troves for over decades. Many gurus of Ayurveda have taken efforts to spread this medical system globally. One such guru is Dr. Vasant Lad whose efforts in taking Ayurveda globally has been finally recognised. As a mark of recognition of his efforts, he has been accepted as the first person to bring Ayurveda from India to the US most successfully and feature-length documentary “The Doctor From India,” has been made on him in the US. This documentary is  directed by Jeremy Frindel and is a fascinating story of Lad’s mission to bring the ancient healthcare system of wellness from India to the West in the late ‘70s. It is now acquired by Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber, reports Deadline.

    In this meditative, immersive portrait, with interviewees, including Indian American author and Ayurvedic practitioner Deepak Chopra, Frindel documents the life and work of Lad who, fulfilling his destiny as foretold by his family guru, became a holistic health pioneer, helping to bring Ayurveda, which was almost unknown when he first arrived in the West, to become one of the most prominent alternative health systems in the world today.

    A native of India, Lad was a professor of clinical medicine at the Pune University College of Ayurvedic Medicine for 15 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Ayurvedic medicine and surgery from the University of Pune and a master’s degree in Ayurvedic science from Tilak Ayurved Mahavidyalaya. Lad’s academic and practical training include the study of Allopathy (western medicine) and surgery as well as traditional Ayurveda.

    In 1984, Lad founded The Ayurvedic Institute in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Since 1986, the institute has been based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Lad serves as the director of the institute.

    Lad has written 11 books on Ayurveda as well as hundreds of articles and other writings. With over 500,000 copies of his books in print in the U.S., his work has been translated into more than 20 languages.