Awesome Apple

Do you feel tired even when you have not done a spot of work but have been sitting or lying around?  Do you feel lazy and not  interested in  the affairs of your family?  Do you think your memory is not as good as it generally is ? Or are  you depressed without a cause?  So much so that you do not want to live anymore and  even contemplate  suicide?

If you are experiencing the above mentioned symptoms, most likely  your nerves are sending out  distress signals that their energy is discharged and  they  need  to be recharged-a job done by a substance called glutamic acid. This chemical controls the wear and tear and the energizing of the entire nervous system, and when it is not synthesized well in the body, the nerves  send out these messages.

To counter all those unpleasant symptoms try taking  an apple . This fruit has certain chemicals that ensure perfect synthesis of glutamic acid  which will maintain the health of your nervous system with a high level of energy and enthusiasm.

Not just for the nerves, apple is a fruit with many  other wonderful benefits. First, its low PH  stimulates saliva secretion which cleanses the mouth and prevents gum diseases. Secondly, as it is highly alkaline, if taken after a non-veg meal, it prevents fermentation of food in the digestive tract which in turn counters  gas, acidity, and stomach ulcer. And lastly, it  prevents and controls diarrhea. Its pectin swells up and engulfs the diarrhea causing bacteria while its malic acid inhibits bacterial growth.

So take an apple everyday and feel the difference. The person who started ‘An apple a day…’ was not exaggerating!

RESPONSIBLE PREGNANCY

A person's  psyche is formed mainly in the mother's womb.I have experienced it myself.
I was born in the pre- independence  days when communal tension was at its peak. My father, only twenty  at that time, was a student in Calcutta, while my young mother, pregnant with me was living in a small town in Odissa with my grand parents.Calcutta was then riot torn and one day my father was forced to go into hiding.Those days communication being very poor, he was unable to inform anybody at home.When no news came from him for a couple of days, my mother panicked and started having nightmares.And even after my father returned home unharmed she could not shake off her fright or her disturbing dreams.which continued throughout her pregnancy.

With time my mother;s feelings abated, but the harm was done. I grew up with an paralyzing fear for  that community. I thought it was normal. with everybody and hence  never  spoke about it  to anybody. But it was far from that. In my  peaceful hometown,  a different religion was regarded almost the same way as a different cast.. 

One day my mother witnessed  my reaction to something connected with that religion and  was highly concerned. It was then that we discussed it for the first time and  I realized the reason for my inexplicable  emotion. By then I was already into yoga, so I knew what to do. I worked on it  diligently  and managed to free myself from its grip. But there must be countless others in the world who are filled with  intense hatred and anger for their fellow human beings just because their mothers unintentionally  had some negative thoughts during their pregnancies, and have no means or motive to change that.

The  ancient masters of India were aware of the importance of a woman's mind during her pregnancy. and  also of the need to train  man at every stage of life to create a safe and sane society .Hence they had  formulated a code of conduct  called 'Samskaras' which was then woven into  religion for better  acceptance and adherence.

It may not be practical to follow all the 'Samskaras' in today's world, but if the women  guard their thoughts and practice  yoga and meditation during their pregnancy, it will go a long way in making everybody including their own progeny healthy and happy.

RECOGNIZE YOUR STRENGTH

In 1928,  Penicillin was discovered and caused  a worldwide excitement and relief.  But  in 1947,  the wonder drug  lost its sheen. It could not  kill  the same staphylococcus aureus bacterium it had once spelt doom for.  The microbes had developed resistance to the antibiotics.

The Global Report of WHO  April 2014  says that there is a serious threat of antibiotic resistant bacteria in every region of the world, and has the potential to affect anyone of any age in any country. When such bacteria invade a body, recovery takes a long time, and the risk of  death looms large. The disturbing fact is, not only more and more types of  bacteria are becoming drug resistant, many new types of microbes are attacking human body  and causing  serious diseases like Ebola, which  medical science is not able to contain. And there may be  other deadly infectious  diseases  in  store  for us in the future. But apart from hoping and  praying that  we will be  spared, we do precise little.

Why  should we  wait like sitting  ducks to be attacked and killed by these tiny organisms when nature has endowed us with the most powerful  bug killer?   It is  our own immune system that can kill any invaders. The proof lies with the various types of  vaccinations where weak or dead organisms are introduced to the body; and the immune system, after  recognizing the microbes, prepares  antibodies  to destroy them.  It is this mechanism that has helped human beings to survive the epidemics of plagues and yellow fevers of the past.

We can make our immune system invincible. All we need to do is,  give the system  what it  requires to be really healthy and strong. And they are vitamins A and C, plenty lot of fresh oxygen, abundant ‘prana’- the bio energy,  and a stress free mind. The absence of any of these factors  can weaken the immune cells.

Yoga, especially suryanamaskar and pranayama  are the best means to energize the  body  and strengthen the immune system while stress can be  released most effectively by relaxation techniques such as ‘yoganidra’ and meditation. For vitamin A,  fish, egg,  leafy, dark green, and yellow vegetables are excellent, while  amla (Indian gooseberry), rose, and oranges are the best sources of vitamin C .  This vitamin    should be taken in plentiful  as  it is a water soluble vitamin that gets out of  the body continuously through urine and perspiration.

Food Qualities

Apart from vitamins and minerals, food has other qualities too, which should be kept in mind while formulating one's dietary regime. To make it simple, one can go by their tastes. They are as follows-

Sweet- cold and produces moisture.
Saline- warm, helps digestion, and reduces wind.
Sour- cool and increases acid.
Bitter-cool and dry. Increases appetite and eliminates toxins.
Pungent-aids digestion
Astringent-cool and heavy

Managing Chest Pain

A sudden chest pain  is not necessarily the first sign of a heart attack. Many press the panic button at the slightest hint of it, and seek medical help urgently, only to realize that, it was nothing but a harmless stomach disorder; but, at the same time, many have lost their lives by mistaking an actual heart attack for gas trouble and not doing anything about it. Neither is a desirable situation and can be dispensed with by conducting a simple test  that will tell you the real reason behind the discomfort.

Take ½ cup of hot water; mix in 1tbs of honey and drink it. If it is a gas problem, the pain will start abating almost immediately. But if  it persists with the same or increased intensity, consider it a medical emergency.  In the mean time, till help arrives,  practice the following relaxation technique to minimize the damage. It may even stop the attack completely.

Lie down in Shavasana (corpse pose), breathe naturally,  and start counting your breaths backward from 100. Better still, if you have a ‘Yoganidra’ CD, play it and follow the instructions.

These practices are the ultimate relaxants,  which will quickly open up the coronary arteries that will  allow some blood to flow past the clot-if the clot is not too big- and reach the heart muscles. The heart tissues  will remain alive and the danger  can be averted.

If you are in a place where you cannot practice  any of the above, or if it makes you feel nervous, then do the following.

Sit  comfortably or lie down and relax your body.

Concentrate on your breaths. ( should be spontaneous)

Imagine you are breathing in from the left nostril, and breathing out from the right; and then breathing in from the right nostril,  and breathing out from the left. In a minute or so, when  this  pattern is established ,add a mantra to it-either ‘Om’ or ‘So-ham’. If the chosen mantra is ‘So-ham’,  mentally say ‘So’ as you breathe in , and ‘Ham’  as you breathe out. For  ‘Om’, repeat it   in your mind when you inhale, and again when you exhale. Continue  the process for as long as you can.You will be surprised at its effect !

Body Straight

It is absolutely necessary to hold the body straight for various reasons. Unfortunately, one rarely sees people with a straight posture. Most of us are always slouching, whether sitting or standing. This action becomes a habit, which gradually  shapes the back to a permanent stoop . And a stooping figure is not just aesthetically unpleasant, it a great health hazard, which many do not realize.

When we slouch , the internal organs get crowded.The lungs are cramped, the stomach is squeezed and the heart is pressured. This can hamper the smooth functioning of these organs and also harm them in the long run.

Secondly,the strain on the spine increases manifold when we stoop. This body part is the main pillar which supports our entire physical frame. It is  only when  the spine is held erect, the body weight is distributed evenly.

Last but not the least, each gland, each organ and each tissue in the body needs instructions from the brain to carry out its work. At the same time, the brain requires the body parts to provide it with datas, on the basis of which, it decides what orders to pass. All these to and fro messages are sent via the nerves travelling  through the spine. When the spine is crooked, the nerves within it are pressured, and the electrical flow carrying the messages is disrupted and weakened. The messages received by both sides now, can only be incomplete and inacurate. Consequently, the body parts do not function properly, and one's general health dclines. The corelation between spinal problems and ill health has already been noticed by scientists. For example, a lesion at the third and fourth vertebrae can lead to heart and lungs ailments; at the fifth and nineth thoracic ones, it can cause digestive disorders; and at the seventh cervical area it can result in mental or nervous system problems.

The habit to sit and stand straight should be inculcated from childhood, as once the spine has acquired a hard haunch, it is difficult to rectify it. But still, one should try to undo the damages as much as possible by practicing appropriate yoga that relaxes the spine thoroughly, re-aligns the vertebrae gently, and strengthens the back muscles that hold the spine.

　

　

Preventing a Heart-attack

It is common knowledge that stress is the biggest risk factor for a heart attack. Unfortunately, many do not realise, and do not admit that they are stressed. But a body check can reveal otherwise. The most common symptoms of stress are clenched hands, tight jaw, furrowed brows and lifted shoulders.

Stress does not make only the outer body tense but the inner parts too. Blood vessels constrict and tighten, which in turn can become hard and rigid with time. The stiffened arterial walls become amenable to tears, and the body tries to cover a tear with plaque. More tears appear and more plaque is formed, and one day, a piece of the plaque gets dislodged, and travelling to the heart blocks the passage. The blood supply to this vital organ is cut off, and a heart attack occurs.

The surest way to save the cardio-vascular system from damage, is to release the stress thoroughly on a regular basis so that the blood vessels remain pliable with  smooth arterial walls. Contrary to popular belief, recreational activities do not de-stress the system effectively. One needs a special technique to achieve that, and Meditation followed by yoganidra is the best means.It has been seen that, lactic acid, a stress hormone is eliminated from the body three times faster during meditation than during deep sleep.

It is important to practice a form of meditation suiting one's age, inclination, and body condition. Mantra repetition is an easy form that suits everybody. Take any mantra you like and repeat it audibly or mentally for 20-25 minutes. You need not concentrate on the mantra, but try to be aware of it throughout the practice.  You may repeat the process 2-3 times during the day. The beauty of mantra meditation is that, it does not require any particular posture. It can be done even while walking, but that is not advisable as it can distract the mind. To save time, you can practice it  while commuting, provided you are not driving yourself.



My book 'YOGA FOR A HEALTHY HEART' contains more on heart health & how to normalise high blood-pressure in a week