Prameha (Diabetes) – How to control the deadly disease

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder in which the body is unable to make proper use of glucose resulting in hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) and glycosuria (sugar in urine). Poorly managed diabetes can lead to a host of long-term complications like Heart attacks, strokes, blindness, nerve damage and even impotence in men.

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Diabetes can be controlled and it has been verified by various studies. As per Ayurveda There are 20 forms of this disease: 4 are due to Vata, 6 result from Pitta, and 10 are caused by Kapha. But prameha is mainly kapha dosha disease.

Causes

• Diet- increasing kapha dosha such as sugar, fats, potatoes, rice
• Lack exercise
• Mental stress and strain
• Excessive sleep etc.

Symptoms

• Excessive urine formation & Frequent urination
• Burning of palms and soles
• Increased hunger
• Excessive Thirst
• Sweet taste to mouth etc.
• Weight Loss
• Blurry Vision
• Wounds that take time to heal
• Skin Infections
• Unexplained extreme fatigue

Remedies

• Diet planning- is the cornerstone of managing diabetes.The diabetic diet is an otherwise normal balanced diet, with a few modifications and proper spacing between food intakes. Avoid diet increasing kapha dosha such as sugar, fats, potatoes, rice. Avoid alcohol
• Daily exercise- One of the methods to heal prameha include strenuous exercises. Regular exercise in any form is a must. In 'Yogasanas' - Forward bending asanas like 'Paschimottanasan','Halasan' etc. are effective
• Restrict and reduce weight
• Avoid sleeping during daytime.
• Avoid smoking
• Try to reduce stress by implementing & practicing Yoga

Useful herbs

• Jambhul (Eugenia jambolana) Powder from jamun core is useful.
• Gurmar(gymnema sylvestre)
• Sagar gota (Ceasalpinia crista)
• Bel (Aegle marmelos)
• Shilájit
• Turmeric
• Neem
• Triphala

Liver Cirrhosis - Ayurveda can help cure this

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What is Liver Cirrhosis: Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver that occurs as a result of chronic liver disease. People who have cirrhosis, the cells of the liver are damaged and can’t repair themselves. As liver cells die, scar tissue forms. When this scar tissue builds up, blood can’t flow through the liver properly.

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It is caused by:

• Excessive Alcohol consumption
• Conversion from hepatitis C or hepatitis B
• Disorder of excretory system of Liver
• Consuming any harmful chemicals etc.

Major symptoms are:

1. Weight Loss or Weight Gain abnormally
2. Nausea
3. Symptoms similar to Jaundice like yellowing of palms, eyes etc
4. Loss of appetite
5. Visible blood vessels on skin
6. Fatigue or weakness

Ayurvedic Remedies:

• Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna) - This is the most useful medicine for this disease. The bark is useful as an anti-ischemic and cardioprotective agent in hypertension and in ischemic heart disease. It also has a tonic effect in cases of cirrhosis of the liver
• Boerhavia diffusa (Punarnava) - An alcoholic extract of whole plant Boerhavia diffusa given orally exhibited hepato-protective activity against experimentally induced carbon tetrachloride hepatotoxicity.
• Eclipta alba (Bhringaraj) - It is the main herb for treating liver disorders. It is normally given after mixing with ethanol in same quantities and it helps the liver by regulating the levels of hepatic microsomal drug metabolising enzymes
• Tinospora cordifolia (Guduchi) : This herb is used to treat HIV/AIDS, other immune diseases, and pita diseases. It is used as a blood purifier, to treat fever, and to aid recovery from fevers. It is also used for jaundice, digestion, constipation, hemorrhoids, dysentery, and cancer
• Glycyrhhiza (licorice or Mulathhi) : Licorice root has been used in both Eastern and Western medicine to treat a variety of illnesses, including liver disease.

Jewels from a rare herbal garden in India

Recently, I got the opportuntity to visit a large and ancient herbal garden in the himalayas and it was amazing to see lot of plants that I always wanted to see but could not, because they were not available anywhere around. One such herb was Bahera or Terminalia bellirica which is also known as Vibhitak, Aksh , Karshfal or Kalidrumu in Sanskrit. This is very useful herbal plant for many disease conditions. It helps to cure hair fall, increase eye sight and improve eye pain, reduce fever due to kapha, reduce hridya vaat etc.

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Bahera, as it is popularly called, acts more beneficially id it is mixed with some other material. Like if it is taken after mixing with sugar (shakkar), the laar issue form mouth goes away completely. Likewise, it can altogether remove cough (be it dry or otherwise) if taken as mixed with goat's milk with black salt.

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It is found in all of India (though I could not see it earlier so closely) and it's tree is 60 to 80 feet in height , straight and dark brown in colour. The flowers are white or yellowish 3 - 6 inches long and are in groups. The fruit is half inch in diameter and looks like a pentogon after it dries up.

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It is also known as tridosh-har but it is mostly used in kaph related problems. It is also very useful ingredient of most famous formulation ‘Triphala' which is useful in acidity and constipation. It removes excessive ‘kapha' which is main cause of loss of appetite. It removes the coating of ‘kapha' from the intestines and aids in the proper excretion of juices. Other than the problems stated above, it is also seen to help in curing potency issues in men, diarrohhea and high fever.

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In the next posts, I will discuss on more rare herbs and their uses as medicines.

Arthritis or Joint Pains - A common disease

Joint pains or Arthritis is a common problem these days. Whenever winter comes, it increases. According to Ayurveda mostly pains are caused by the aggravation of vata (air), dosha. Arthritis is a condition which is caused by accumulation of Ama and aggravation of vata. Ama is a toxic by-product of improper digestion. When the food we eat is not digested completely by the digestive fire, it produces a toxic substance called Ama. This Ama circulates in the whole body and deposits or gets collected at the sites which are weaker.

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It causes many diseases in the body depending on the location of deposition. For example, dangerous asthama is one which is caused by deposits in the lungs. If it deposits in the intestines it causes dysentery. When it deposits in the joints and at the same time there is aggravation of vata, that means if biological humor air is also disturbed, it results in a disease called Ama vata. This Ama vata is arthritis. Thus the patient generally has a weak digestion. A history of wind and constipation is usually found in these cases. People who overeat or eat too much fried foods, sweets, meats etc. and have no or very little physical activity can develop this problem.

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Symptoms:

The main symptom of this disease is severe pain in the affected joints. The muscles, ligaments, synovial membrane and cartilage get inflamed and the movement of the joint becomes extremely painful, specially in cold, windy and damp weather. If the condition is not treated properly, the joint becomes immobile and this may ultimately lead to deformity of the joint. Sometimes it is associated with fever. Infact, these days fever has become a regular part of arthritis symptoms and it raises the infection levels in the body shown by allopathic pathological test ESR.

Cure: Ayurvedic herbs are quite successful in curing the arthritic joint pains and there are a lot of herbs that can be used here. Some of them are:

• Ashwagandha - Also called as winter cherry in the west. This is one of the wonder herbs as stated by Ayurveda and curing joint pains is just one of the uses of this one.
• Alflafa - The tea of alfalfa reduces the joint pains considerably specially in the early stages
• Dandelion - Magnesium is something which is required for proper mineralization of the bones and dandelion is rich in magnesium. It's use make the bones stronger and joint pains can be prevented
• Vishwagarbha taila - If the joint pains are due to trauma, then Vishwagarbha taila is prescribed for external application over the region where the joint pain is felt. For internal administration, the patient can take rasnadi guggulu.

Above are few curing herbs for joint pains but as they say prevention is better than cure and it is more than 100% right in case of joint pains. Certain good living habits can make sure that arthritis can be delayed by at least 10 years and hence 10 more years of comfort

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Hast Mudra - Gyan Mudra, Pran Mudra and Surya Mudra

Gyan Mudra - As the name suggests, this mudra has it's most number of benefits in the Gyan or Knowledge field. If used regularly, this Mudra increases the memory of children and adults alike (with varying degree of success though) and also increases the concentration and intelligence. Not only this, it also reduces the negative thoughts content in the mind and hence reduces mental tension which is the root cause of multiple diseases. Other diseases where this Mudra is proven beneficial are headache, lose temper and insomnia.

How to practice this Mudra - Join the tip of thumb and index finger keeping all other fingers straight as per the picture shown here. Practice this for 30- 40 minutes in one stretch continuously or in 5 - 10 minutes periodical stretches in a way that you are able to practice this for at least 30 - 40 minutes total in a day for better results.

Pran Mudra - This Hast Mudra helps to improve the eyesight and is particularly helpful in reducing myopic vision rather than hypermetropic vision. Not only this, it is also beneficial for other eye related ailments like glucoma. This also helps in improving immunity of body to fight with diseases and help the body to keep itself fit and full of energy. We can also overcome our hunger or thirst during fasting by practicing this.

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Important - For better results in Insomnia, practice this mudra in tandem with gyan mudra
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How to practice this Mudra - Join the tip of little finger, ring finger and thumb keeping all other fingers straight as per the picture shown here. Practice this for 30- 40 minutes in one stretch continuously or in 5 - 10 minutes periodical stretches in a way that you are able to practice this for at least 30 - 40 minutes total in a day for better results

Surya Mudra - Surya Mudra is quite advantageous in reducing obesity, mental tension and blood cholestrol level. Diabetic patients must do this Mudra becasue this also helps in curing diabetes. This mudra is also seen as beneficial in lever disorders and improves digestion power of body. Since this increasses the heat level in the body, we should not practice this for a long time in summer season. It is also advisable that a physically weak person should practice this under proper guidance.

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How to practice this Mudra - Keep the tip of ring finger at the root of thumb and press the same finger with the thumb. All other fingers should be kept straight in this Mudra as per the picture shown here.

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Hast Mudra - Prithvi Mudra and Apaan Mudra

Prithvi Mudra - This mudra has been proven as most beneficial for improving digestion. Since, there is a big number of diseases related to digestion, it works as a wonder to reduce all of them. It is most effective in preventing diseases that are due to deficiency of vitamins and minerals as better digestion improves the capability of body to absorb these nutrients in the system. In addition of this, regular practicing of this mudra improves the body strength and balances the body mass index. It also helps in bringing back the lost glow in the skin and increases the activeness of body.

How to practise this Mudra - Join the tips of thumb and ring finger keeping all other fingers as straight as per the picture shown here. Practice this for at least 30- 40 minutes in one stretch continuously or in 5 - 10 minutes periodical stretches in a way that you are able to practice this for at least 30 - 40 minutes total in a day for better results.

Apaan Mudra - This mudra helps in curing diseases due to apaan vayu like constipation, retention of fecal matter in the rectum, piles, gulm etc. It helps in removing the toxins from the body through sweat. Apaan Mudra is seen to be helpful in curing heart diseases, kidney diseases specially retention of urine and dental problems.

How to practise this Mudra - Join the tip of the thumb with the tips of middle finger and ring finger keeping rest fingers as straight as per the photograph shown here. Practice this for at least 30- 40 minutes in one stretch continuously or in 5 - 10 minutes periodical stretches in a way that you are able to practice this for at least 30 - 40 minutes total in a day for better results.

Hast Mudra Series - For a disease free life

Often, we take lot of medicines for number of dieseases either for curing it or for preventing it and multiple times it is seen that these medicines backfire at older age when we start seeing their aftereffects in body. Yogasan came as a breather for all those who want an alernative for taking medicines and yet remain free of diseases. Hast mudras are the next generation of yogasan and have multiple benefits.

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Our universe is made up of five tatvas viz. Aakash, Vayu, Agni, Jal and Prithvi. Likewise our body is also madeup of same five tatvas and whenever the proportion or the placement of these tatvas change in our body, it becomes prone to diseases. Right proporation of these tatvas in our body is called as Samsthiti and it becomes Vishamstithti whenever the proportion changes. These 5 tatvas controls the internal secretion of glands and hence proper functioning of internal organs. The five fingers in our hands also represent these 5 tatvas and we can alter the proporation of these tatvas to the right combination by exercising few mudras made with the helps of these fingers. Let us see which finger represent which tatva:

Thumb: Agni

Index Finger: Vayu

Middle Finger: Aakash

Ring Finger: Prithvi

Little Finger: Jal

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Now, we will go through few Hast Mudras below:

• Vayu Mudra - This mudra is beneficial for all the 80 types of vatvyadhis like arthritis, paralysis, cervical, joint pains, gastric troubles etc. It strengthens the backbone and improves blood circulation. This mudra can be exercised by keeping the index finger at the root of thumb and pressing the thumb lightly on the index finger. All other fingers should be kept straight. Given picture shows the correct form of this mudra :

Medo - Vridhi / Sthaulya

Medo - Vridhi / Sthaulya, which is also called as motapa in Hindi and Obesity or Over weight in English is one of the most found disease in human beings.



It is caused by accumulation of extra fat in different parts of body. Hips, belly, thighs and breasts are more prone to it. Medo-Vridhi itself is a deisease and it causes many other diseases in the body like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, arthitis among main ones.



This is mainly due to bad eating habits and people are getting mor and more conciuous about this now a days. But in most cases, they do not follow the best practices but take the easier routes like going to gymnasiums, exercising a lot or dieting which leads to nutritional deficiencies in body. Wrinkles and dark circles start appearing on the skin due to improper diet intake. Moreover, they again gain weight after they stop dieting. Another myth in this is that start taking juices. We need to know that juices contain more sugar content and no roughage. Roughage is extremely important in digestion and prevents constipation. We all know that extra sugar leads to obesity. Taking frutis instead of juices is much better option as it fills the stomach and sugar consumed is also much less.



Yes, exercising is an effective way to reduce weight but we need to know that males amd females have diferent metabolism. While males can burn fat doing high intensity exercises, females burn more fat by doing low intensity long duration exercises.



I will not go into what to eat, when to eat and what exercises are more helpful in reduction of weight but will touch upon certain foods or home remedies that can help us reduce weight and get rid of obesity. Some of them are:

• Include oatmeal into daily food


• Take lemon juice + honey + lukewarm water empty stomach early morning


• Start consuming aloe vera (plant shown in picture) juice twice a day (15 ml per day) - This can be mixed with water also in 1 to 4 ratio


• Decoction of triphala (1/2 cup) early morning empty stomach


• Include yoga and pranayam as part of daily life for at least 20 minutes per day


• Brisk walking has also given very good results in curing obesity

Medicines

1. Guggulu - it plays an important role in reducing obesity


2. Take shudh guggulu with warm water


3. Triphala guggulu


4. Medohar guggulu


5. Arogyavardhani vati


6. Chandraprabha vati

All medicines are required to be taken under supervision of registered ayurvedic medical practitioner.

Shwasa Rog or Damaa or Asthama

Shwasa Rog is also known as Damaa or more popularly as Asthama. As name suggests, it is a type of breathing problem. It is a disease of respiratory system in which bronchial tubes (which carry air to lungs) get inflammed. In this condition, the patient needs to exert more effort during expiration. In other words, we can say that expiration is forceful.

Shwasa Rog is mainly of two types viz. Kshudra shwasa and Tamak shwasa. Kshudra Shwasa or dyspnoea (difficult breathing) on exertion is a mild type of shwasa rog whereas the symptoms of Tamak Shwasa are paroxyms of dyspnoea, cough, flushed face, increased respiratory rate, darkness in front of eyes and relieved feeling when phlegm (cough slime) is coughed out.

Line of treatment:

1. Raise patient's head and shoulder by backrest or by putting pillows
2. Keep the patient away from allergens (dust, pollens, animal fur, smoke etc.) and irritants (ciggarete, chemicals etc.)
3. Stop kaph-vardhak aahaar like curd and take lukewarm water for drinking
4. Massage chest with til ka tel (sesame oil) mixed with sendhav lavan (salt)
5. Perform prastar sweda by using hot stone wrapped in a cloth after the massage or in case the stone is not available then it can be done by using an utkarita (roti) of black til powder kneaded with milk (add urad atta or wheat atta) and tying the utkarita on the chest of the patient

You will observe that by doing the above, thick mucous starts melting and patients starts getting some relief.

Important Home Remedies:

• Use powdered dried ginger or pippali with honey twice a day
• Swarasa (fresh juice) of vasa mixed with honey
• Decoction of yashtimadhu, saunf, choti ilayachi and mishri - this mixture can also be used in tea
• Apamarg kshar with honey or with warm water

Popular Medicines:

1. Ras: Shwasa kuthar ras and Shwasa kas chintamani ras
2. Asava & Arishta: Kanakasava, Vasarishta, Vasa-asava
3. Avleha: Chitrak haritaki avaleh, Chyawanprash avleha, Vasa-avleha
4. Churan: Talesadi churan, Sitopladi churan, Eladi churan
5. Vati: Khadiradi vati, Lavanagadi vati

In addition of above, there is a plant that we all can grow in our houses or kitchen gradens, which has been proved as one of the best medicines for curing even acute asthama. I am giving the photograph also here for quick reference. This plant do not need any special care and once grown, it will take it's own nutrients from earth and it needs only normal care as in for other plants. The usage of this plant is also very simple. The leaves of this plant should be chewed in the morning without eating or drinking anything for continuous 7 days and then leave it for another 7 days. Make sure that you swallow the chewed leave with warm water. Start chewing the leaves (one leave everyday) again after 7 days and do it for 7 days again. Repeat the process 3 times and even the acute asthamtic patients will see the results. Some patients get much better results if they chew the leave with one balck pepper grain and then swallow both with warm water.

The use of this plant has some side effects and after effects also and they range from ulcers on the tongue to increased blood pressure so it is recommended that an ayurvedic physician is consulted before starting to use it.

Caveat: Patients need to make sure that the medicines are taken under the supervision of registered ayurvedic medical practioner.