INSOMNIA AND AYURVEDA

Hi friends,

    Still finding difficult for falling or staying asleep.According to National sleep foundation , in USA two third of Americans have trouble with falling or staying asleep. While Adolescents have troubles in falling , adults are struggling for staying asleep.
      Insomnia is defined as chronic complaint of unsatisfactory sleep despite having chance to sleep. It includes difficulty in falling or staying asleep, waking up too early and not refreshing sleep.
        Due to insomnia ,one may experience fatigue, low energy ,irritability, difficulty in concentration and  low performance at work.
        Everyone had this experience in life. When u r having exams ,due to anxiety one can't sleep. It is okay but if u are experiencing it frequently , u need to see a doctor.
         Ayurveda states, sleep is very important for healthy life. Sleep is not merely physical relaxation but it also needed for hormony of many bodily functions
          According to Ayurveda, insomnia is due to aggravation of Vata and Pitta. Here are some tips to help you get asleep.
1. Start your dinner with homemade and fresh sweets.
2. Add 2 tsp pure cow ghee to plate.
3. Avoid salty, sour and spicy food items.
4. Take care of your digestion and bowel
5. Avoid daytime sleeping
6. Have glass of Buffalo milk while sleeping
7. One can add soup of nonveg food
8. Use fragrance which you like in bedroom
9. Avoid any electromagnetic gadgets in bedroom
10. Arrange dim light or darkness in bedroom
11. Avoid use of internet after dinner
12. Instruct your mind to be calm, here you can have help of yoga
13. Practice deep breathing and relaxation exercises
14. Do head massage with medicated oil or plain coconut oil.
15. Foot massage with coconut oil or ghee will be helpful.
16. Have full body massage with oil.
17. One can practice  putting drops of warm oil in both ear
18. Shirodhara is best for insomnia.
19. One can have Panchakarma like Basti,Nasya and Virechana by consulting Ayurveda doctor.
20.Try to control your thoughts, the continuous chain of it keeps mind alert.
21. To be content is very important for sound sleep.
23. Restrict use of alcohol.Research says thought it is used as sedative , chronic use leads insomnia and disturb the sleep pattern.
24.Smoking is bad for your sleep, so stop it.
25. Restrict use of tea and coffee after evening.
26.Add nutmeg, cumin seeds, poppy seeds in food.Desserts containing nutmeg and poppy seeds will help to fall asleep.
27. If you are taking medications for any health problem and experiencing insomnia,consult your physician.
   It will take time to regulate your sleep cycle.But it will definitely in few months.Go to bed and try to sleep on regular timings. If you don't feel ,still lie down. Don't engage yourself in other work.If problem is severe consult physician.
Afterall sleep is golden chain that ties our health and body together.

Ayurvedic Tips for Rainy season

                   

At last its raining , after long, hot and lethargic summer. Now it's green and refreshing everywhere.
This is transition from hot climate to cold and damped one. In this season there is tendency of Vata aggravation, so one may experience bloating, gases and aggravated pain.
Here are tips to maintain health and balancing vata.
1. Get up early and do mild to moderate exercise according to capacity. Avoid exertion.
2. Practice Nadishuddhi pranayam.
3. Prefer warm water for bathing.
4. Dry powder massage prior to shower will keep skin healthy.
5. Use dried cotton cloths.
6. Avoid cold air, coldrinks and frozen food.
7. Keep your body warm and dry
8. Daytime sleeping is condemned
9. It is important to take care of your feet in this season. Always keep them dry and warm.Massage them with warm seasame oil at least once a week.
9. As it is vata dominant season , one should do oil massage to all over body at least once a week
10. Daily oil massage to head is recommended.
11. In this season, digestive power is poor. So one should prefer light, warm and fresh food.
12. Though due to coldness, one may tempted for fried food. Avoid it.
13. Prefer boiled, steamed or roasted food seasoned with spices like dry ginger, cumin, anise and black pepper. Avoid raw form of food.
14. Use roasted grains.
15. Add soups of vegetables and lentils.
16. Avoid leafy vegetables.
17. Add 1 tsp of cow ghee to food.
18. Nonveg food should be consumed at morning only preferably roasted or soups.
19. Preserved food should be restricted like canned juices, dried fish etc.
20. Soups seasoned with oil or ghee and added with salts and sour ( lemon,kokam and tamarind) are best while it is cold.
21. One should prefer warm water for drinking.
22. In this season water is contaminated so avoid outside food and drinks.
23. It is best season for Basti. Basti along with full body oil massage and medicated steam is best for controlling and pacifying vata. Healthy persons should undergo this Panchakarma Procedure to Balance Vata.
It is good for neuromuscular disorders and many more.for more details consult your Ayurveda doctor
Happy Monsoon!!!

Summer Tips From Ayurveda

Hi friends, it is time of farewell to spring and welcoming summer. Time for prickly heat, bad odour of sweats, dry skin and exhaustion. This time , let beat the heat with simple Ayurveda tips. These small things will bring big change.
1.Get up early in morning & do some relaxing exercises, but avoid exertion.
2.Practice sheetali or sitkari or nadishuddhi Pranayam daily. It will protect your body from heat.
3. Prefer cold showers.Use rose water or essence of sandal or khas in your bathing water.
4.You can use chandan, khas, spiked ginger lily , dry rose petal, dry orange peel, kushta like herbs for dry powder massage, it will reduce bad odour.
5.Use light fragrance perfume or ittar.
6. Use pure cotton clothes of light shades.
7.Add sweet , sour and salt taste in your diet.
   Add curries and salads.
 8.welcome adequate desi cow ghee in your diet.
9.Diet should be light to digest, liquids are preferable.
10.Avoid spicy, dry  and oily diet like snacks, farsan and bhajiyas.
11.Use vegetable having sweet in taste & bulky.
12.Use adequate seasonal fruits.
13. Have plenty of fluids.Avoid tea,coffee or carbonated drinks. Instead have homemade lime water, raw mango drinks or kokam sharbat. Tender coconut is also beneficial.
14. Abhyanga i.e. oil massage with oils having cool herbs or coconut oil is good for skin, it relieves fatigue.
15.Avoid liquor in summer, if unavoidable have much diluted.
16. Avoid direct exposure to sun. Use scarf, goggles and Suncoat. Protect your head from heat.
17. Take adequate sleep, one can have naps during the day if feels exhausted.
18.Avoid curd in summer.
19. Water boiled with cumin & coriander seed will help to relive burning sensation.
20. If there is complain of burning frets, one may massage frets with ghee or coconut oil.
21. For exertion one may use amla oil or coconut oil for head massage. It will improve sleep.

Follow above tips & make your summer happy.

ALLERGIC RHINITIS AND AYURVEDA

Hi friends seasonal changes are associated with respiratory tract infections and so the allergy. This time you are not alone ,we will fight  to this with Ayurveda. Forget the strips of anti-allergic drugs. Lets make our immunity more stronger .
1. Have warm fresh food. Say no to refrigerated food and cold drinks though they are tempting.
2. Add soups to your dinner , specially chicken, goat, moong, horse gram or raddish soup with teaspoon of cow ghee and  a pinch of mixture of black pepper, dry ginger and long pepper powder.
3. Prefer warm water to drink and bath.
4. Due to cold , one may complain low appetite , for that one can have a pinch of above mixture with honey.
5. In acute attack ,Have cup of milk with a teaspoon dry ginger powder or ginger paste
6.  Welcome a teaspoon of cow ghee in your lunch.
7.   Avoid dehydration or over hydration. Avoid drinking excess of liquids like juices,cold water,  smoothies, milk shakes and beverages specially at night.
8.  Have light food in dinner, prefer soups and bhakari or fulka
9.  Take care of digestion. Avoid overeating.
10. Avoid to have chilled or cold beverages after just coming from outside
11. Don't forget to use garlic for seasoning.
12.  Always respond to call of nature
13.  Try to regulate sleep. Avoid late night awakening day sleep and Excess sleeping .
14.  Some toiletries, perfumes, deodorants, perfumed sticks and substances have strong smell, it can trigger sneezing , so avoid it.
15.  Do moderate exercise but don't get exhausted.
16.  Protect your head properly from cold.
17. Avoid direct exposure to cold air or vent of AC or  fan.
18.  Avoid swimming in cold weather.
19.  Put 2 drops  of warm seasame oil in each nostril at night or apply it to inner skin of nose before leaving home.
20.  If there is congestion,go for steam .
21.  Gargle with warm water if there is throat congestion .
22.  Do head massage with warm oil if there is headache.
23.  Panchakarma like Vaman, Nasya, Basti, Dhoompan , shirobhyanga are useful. For details consult the Ayurveda doctor.
24.  Don't ever neglect this condition, it can lead to sinusitis, low immunity, eye diseases, cough, asthma, deafness, ear diseases, anorexia, bad breath ,fever and hoar voice.
25.  One can consume herbs like turmeric, tulasi, sunthi and medicines like chyavanprash for boosting immunity by consulting Ayurveda doctor.
So bye bye Allergy , stay healthy.

Piles and Ayurveda

Hi friends, we all know piles are engorgement of the veins of anal canal. Constipation and wrong diet habits are the  main culprits. Persons consuming processed food are at greater risk. At Initial stage , one recovers with diet and lifestyle modifications and medicines, but advance stage may needs surgery. The worse thing about it is, it has recurrence after medication and even post surgeries.
Here are some tips which will help to cure and prevent piles.
1. Take care of your digestion , avoid food which causes indigestion
2. Instead of cheese or butter use homemade butter
3. Have 1 tsp of cow ghee with meal
4. For non vegetarians,Prefer soups instead of spicy curries
5. Dry food should be avoided
6. Avoid spicy, sour and salty food
7. Fresh homemade buttermilk after meal is beneficial
8. Avoid food with preservatives
9. Whole grain flour should be used
10. Have easy to digest food which helps in regular excretion ,in proper quantity.Avoid overeating or fasting. Both are problematic.
11. Soups of vegetables, pulses, rice and curries are preferable.
12. Use onion in diet raw or cooked
13. Avoid excess of tea,coffee or chilled drinks.
14. For improving digestion one can use kokam, amla, berries or pomegranate while cooking. It will also increase taste .

15. Avoid sitting for long while, driving bikes for long distance or sitting on uneven surfaces.

16. Do exercise in moderate quantity.

17.  Avoid suppressing urge of defecation and  improper use of laxatives

18.  For pain , have sitz bath in warm water

19. If there is burning sensation at anus, apply ghee

20. Panchakarma like basti, blood letting definitely helps. For details consult your Ayurveda health professional

21. Ksharkarma, ksharsutra are ayurvedic surgeries for piles now accepted worldwide. One can consult about it to your doctor.

22. Drink sufficient water and don't suppress thirst.

At last take care of your diet and be healthy.

Asthma and Ayurveda

New statistics showing that there is increasing number of newly diagnosed patients of asthma  with no family history. Inspite of nutritious food, air conditioners and cleanliness , it is still going up. In last four years, sales of anti-asthmatic  drugs is increasing by 45% in India.
So where is missing key?
According to Ayurveda, asthma is the progressive stage of neglected respiratory problems specially rhinitis and cough. Ayurveda can help definitely here. How? Here are simple tips for asthma .

1. Avoid  refrigerated food, cold drinks and cold air.
2. Have always warm, fresh and easy to digest food.
3. In dinner, prefer soups of veggies, pulses or rice.
4. Daily abyanga specifically to chest and back with warm oil followed by warm shower will definitely help.
5. Don't skip meals.
6. Avoid drinks at bedtime.
7. Have a teaspoon of ghee in meal.
8. Say no to heavy food like dairy ,sweets, fried foods, chocolates and heavy food.
9. Have regular flour than multipurpose flour.
10. Most important is to take care of constipation.
11. Practice yoga under guidance.
12. Putting 2 drops of warm sesame oil in each nostril while leaving home ,it will arrest direct contact with dust.
13. Have sufficient sleep and avoid late night awakening and day sleeping.
14. Panchakarma will surely help to restore health, for details ask your Ayurveda doctor.

So breath easy n stay healthy