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Pamper yourself with a massage at home!

April 5th, 2011

Life is busy and we have no time to pamper ourselves in terms of taking care of our body. Working for many hours will lead to joint pains, backaches, headaches and so on. All you crave for is a massage all over your body which would relieve you of your internal body pains. If you have no time to go in for massages in parlours or wait for appointments, you could find a simpler solution for it – your home.

If you are wondering what is the right technique to get a massage or do a massage on yourself, then read on. These simple techniques will not only save you time and money but also get you out feeling rejuvenated and re energized to get back to our routine.

The massage will require the following:

  • 2-3 oz massage oil suited to your needs
  • Plastic squeeze bottle
  • Pot of hot water
  • Old cotton towel or mat
  • Paper towels

To begin, pour the required amount of oil into the squeeze bottle and close the lid tightly. Keep this bottle in the hot water pot so that the oil will warm up. Once this is done place the mat or towel on the floor in a comfortably warm room and stand on it. Pour the oil on to your palms and apply it systematically all over you body till the entire surface is anointed with the oil. Next, massage the oil into your skin, giving each part of your body adequate attention. Use up and down strokes over limbs and circular strokes over joints, chest and abdomen. Apply lighter pressure over chest and abdomen than over extremities. This process should take about 10-12 minutes. If you want a head massage as well, pour some oil onto the scalp and massage with your fingertips in outward circles.

Once you finish with the massage, close your eyes and relax in a sitting position and do deep breathing for 5 minutes. Then, pat excess oil with the paper towels, wipe off the oil off your feet so as to avoid slipping and take a warm shower with a soap free cleanser or gentle shampoo. Pat your body dry and follow it up with a gentle body lotion. The paper towels should be disposed after use. The mat or towel used should not be washed but disposed after using it for sometime since it will be filled with oil.

This is extremely relaxing and rewarding in terms of your energy levels. It keeps you going and doesn’t get you tired easily. It also takes care of your body aches and chronic work related pain. So take some time off and pamper yourself. You deserve it!

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Ritucharya- a seasonal food and lifestyle Calendar by BHU

April 5th, 2011

Each season is known for specific diseases that are prominent only in that particular season. People look into taking care so as to not be prone to falling sick. What if you have a calendar that tells you what to eat and how to live as seasons change so that you will never have to fall prey to the seasonal diseases again? This is the latest launch of the Banaras Hindu University – a calendar that will guide people to change their food and lifestyle patterns with changing seasons for better health.

Ritucharya: Science of Protection of Health, as the calendar is christened took six months to be designed and it brings into limelight the different types of food and lifestyle that goes well with the particular season. The Head of Department Prof. V.K. Joshi said that there are six seasons in the year and changing food patterns according to this is advisable. Prof. Joshi was assisted by Dr. Shivani Ghildiyal and her colleague Ramesh Chandra to come up with the calendar which will be made available for the public very soon.

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Shoo those dark circles away!

March 13th, 2011

Staying up late nights, over working, office and personal stress leaving dark circles under those pretty eyes of yours? Do not fret. What comes should eventually go. So will those dark circles.

Here are a few natural, chemical free, home remedies to hasten the process of ridding yourself of the dark circles.

  • Almond oil is a long known solution to various skin and hair problems. This will come in handy even for removing the dark circles. Take a few drops of pure almond oil on your fingertips, apply it around the eyes and massage gently for around 15 minutes regularly. This will eventually fade away the shadows lurking below the eyes.
  • Potatoes and cucumber doesn’t just help in cooling your eyes when you put the slices on your eyelids. The juice of both the vegetables taken in equal proportions and applied over the dark circles will help remove them gradually.
  • Mint is one of the most popular herbs that don’t just add flavour to your cooking. A few drops of mint juice applied around your eyes will make your eyes regain its lost brightness and remove the dark circles.
  • Tomato and lemon juice in equal proportions applied around the eyes will also help serve the purpose. You can also add turmeric and lentils to make a paste and apply this paste and wash off when it dries.
  • Lastly, we all know the uses of rose water for a lot of skin problems. This will come to your rescue even in ridding yourself of dark circles. Dip a cotton ball in rose water and apply it around the eyes to see effective results in days.

Now that you have so many easy options to get rid of those stubborn eye ghosts, all you have to do is relax, sleep well, drink lots of water, live a life which, if not stress free, is at least minimal of stressors and choose any of the aforesaid remedies.

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Ayurveda interns strike

March 13th, 2011

The Bachelor of Ayurveda Medicine and Surgery students went on a strike to mark their protest against the new internship scheme that was introduced by the Centre. The students were comprised of 64 Ayurvedic medical colleges across the state of Mumbai and they had congregated in Nasik in front of the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences to voice their displeasure over the decision.

The three month internship at urban civil hospitals was supposedly annulled which used to help them gain basic training and knowledge in casualty, accident, emergency, medico legal cases and intensive care unit cases as well. But now that this was cancelled, the students protested that this will bring down their practical training knowledge and experience. The interns have also approached their counterparts to help them with the protest and have formed the Maharashtra State Ayurvedic Interns Action Committee 2011-12.

The doctors and interns told that they would report to work only when the new internship pattern is changed. Nearly 400 interns took part in the protest.

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Cool it this summer!

March 12th, 2011

Winter has gone by and summer has hit early and it has given us no false hopes to be sober on us. It’s time, not only for cotton clothes and light fabrics but also to bring the moisture in your body systems to equilibrium. The sun is harsh and dehydrates you quickly and just consuming water may not be satisfying for the body. Here are a few home remedies that you can carry around wherever you go that will not only quench your thirst but will also hydrate your body and keep you going through the day.

The first thing that comes to mind is the old fashioned, but very popular Buttermilk. This is the most popular form of thirst quencher and you can get it at the comfort of your homes.  For that matter, yogurt in any form is an excellent body coolant. Buttermilk can also be made irresistibly tasty by adding a little bit of ginger, curry leaves, rock salt, mint and even chillies, if spicy is your thing.

Mint, by itself is a well-known coolant.  It can either be used directly by chewing a few leaves or by making a side dish such as chutney or by simply adding a few leaves into your ice tea or fruit juice. It not only adds on to the flavour but also brings down the excessive body heat.

If we get to Kerala, it’s not surprising to be served water which is yellowish in colour. The colour is the result of cumin seeds. Cumin is a fantastic solution, especially in humid places that will make you lose a lot of bodily fluids due to perspiration.

With all these, it is simply important to drink lots of water and protect yourself physically from the harmful rays of the sun.

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Baba Ramdev donated Rs 11 lakh to BJP ahead of 2009 elections

March 12th, 2011

“Political affiliations? Me? No, no.” Quiz Baba Ramdev on his political links and that is the reply you are most likely to get.

Baba Ramdev will float his own political party this year
But now, a Right to Information (RTI) query has revealed just how hollow Ramdev’s claim of being apolitical is. The information given in the RTI reply indicates the yoga guru’s inclination towards the nation’s principal Opposition party, the BJP.

Haridwar-based Patanjali Ayurveda Limited, an organisation helmed by Ramdev, had donated Rs 11 lakh to the BJP just before the general elections in 2009.

This information was provided by the Election Commission to the organisation Beyond Headlines, that had filed the RTI petition.

According to the commission, Patanjali Ayurveda had donated the amount to the party through a Punjab National Bank cheque (number 859783) dated March 8, 2009.

Afroz Alam Sahil, a Delhi-based RTI activist who obtained these details, said: “Ramdev is donating the money that he gets from his bhakts (followers).”

Officials of the Patanjali Ayurveda Limited rubbished Ramdev’s links with the BJP. “Baba Ramdev has nothing to do with the financial matters of the company. The organisation is being run by various followers of Baba Ramdev. He only looks after the quality and control of the products.

Moreover, the donations have nothing to do with Patanjali Yogpeeth, the main organisation headed by Baba Ramdev,” Patanjali Ayurveda’s managing director Acharaya Balkrishan Maharaj said.

“We have not done anything wrong. Whatever we have donated has been done legally. The decision to donate money to the BJP was taken by the management committee, which doesn’t need permission from Baba Ramdev,” Balkrishan added.

The BJP, too, tried to downplay the donations. “Baba Ramdev’s company has donated the money to us. We get donations from various people organisations as well industrialists. We had informed the income tax department as well the Election Commission about this. We don’t have any problem if anyone comes up with funds to help us,” BJP office incharge Shyam Jaju said.

But he added: “If someone is giving us donations, they must have some sympathy towards us and our ideals.” Ramdev had last year announced plans to float his own political party, Bharat Swabhiman. His party will field candidates in all 543 Lok Sabha seats.

The Divya yoga website lists the five targets that it wants to achieve as ” 100 per cent voting, 100 per cent nationalistic thinking, 100 per cent total boycott of foreign companies and complete support to swadeshi, 100 per cent organisation of patriots and to make a healthy, prosperous and cultured Bharat” by using yoga.

With Ramdev floating a political party, the BJP was believed to have been perturbed that Hindu votes would be split.

” Ramdev says he does not expect much from the BJP and is unlikely to enter into a coalition with the saffron party. Then why has he donated this much to it?” Sahil asked.

-India Today Online

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TCMC oppose state govt decision allowing practise of traditional healers without qualification

March 12th, 2011

The joint sitting of Travancore – Cochin Medical Councils has passed a resolution against Kerala government’s decision to exempt the traditional ayurvedic healers and self-learnt homeopathy practitioners from acquiring recognized qualifications and registering with TCM council.

The joint medical council comprises of members from the councils of modern medicine, Indian system of medicines and homeopathic medicine.

The council opined that the government order allowing the fake and unqualified practitioners to practice ayurveda and homeopathy is against the provisions of the Central Council of Indian Medicine Act 1970 and the Homeopathic Central Council Act, 1974. The council pointed out that the order is also against section 38 of the TCMP act 1953 as there is sufficient number of qualified practitioners in ayurveda and homeopathy in Kerala.

The Council, through the resolution, has urged the government to reconsider its decision and issue orders as recommended by the committees constituted by the government for the purpose. The government of Kerala constituted two committees in 2010 in order to suggest recommendations to put up criteria to give ‘B’ class registration to those who are practising traditional system and homeopathy on self study. The committee was asked to frame the criteria as per the provisions of state and central laws. The director of ayurveda medical education was the chairman of the committee and the registrar of medical council was the convener.

At the time of implementation of the state Act (Travancore Cochin Medical Practitioners Act 1953) those who were practicing without recognized qualification prior to 1.4.1953 for a continuous period of five years, there was provision to grant part-B registration. As per that provision, approximately 6080 part-B registrations were granted. But at that time since the Act was not implemented in Malabar area, the traditional healers of that region did not get this recognition. The committee observed that after the implementation of central act (Indian Medicine Central Council Act 1970) those who were practicing without legal sanction became illegal. The provision 17 (3) C of the central act provides right to continue treatment to those who were in the field from 1.10.1976, without recognized qualification.

The committee suggested that those who were practicing five years before 1953 as per the State Act and those who were practicing in Malabar area for a period of five years prior to 1.10.1976 as per Central Act, were eligible for getting B-class registration. The committee further recommended that in Malabar area permission could be granted only in accordance with section 17 (3) C of the Central Council of Indian Medicine Act.

The recommendation included that permission could be granted to those who had completed sixty years and they must be members of traditional healer’s family. Such family members’ occupation should be entered in the ration card as ‘Vaidyam’ (traditional healing). Another suggestion was that the government should grant a letter of permission after recording the name of the practitioner under section 17(3) C of the Central Act.

The government of Kerala issued an order on 21-2-2011 giving exemption to traditional healers of Malabar region from acquiring recognized qualification and registration with the Travancore-Cochin Medical Council.

-Pharmabiz

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Cure@Home, CDAC’S latest development

March 10th, 2011

Cure@Home, decision support system software is the latest development of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC). This is a Pune based C-DAC effort that was developed, keeping in mind the use of combined practices of various medicinal practices such as Aurveda, Allopathy, Yoga and Homeopathy. It is aimed for the common man to access preventive and curative healthcare solutions easily.

This software can be easily installed on PCs used either at home, work, clinics, schools and even public places. It brings together the ancient Indian systems of medicinal knowledge and combines it with modern products and technology to make the best of both worlds. At present, the software is made available in English, Hindi, Bengali and Assamese. Other Indian languages are to be made available soon.

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Weed is good!

March 9th, 2011

If you think weeds are unnecessary plants growing in your gardens and empty neighbourhood sites, think again. Not all weeds, though harmful, are useless to humans. One such weed is what is called the Bili Yekka in Kannada also called the Milkweed. The weed has got its name from the white, milky liquid that oozes out of the leaves when cut.

It is not a misconception that this weed has allergic effects on the skin and fatal effects when consumed internally. But every coin has two sides to it. So does Milkweed. The medicinal properties of this weed haven’t gone unnoticed by natural medicinal practices such as Ayurveda. The scientific name of this weed is named from a Greek root word which means the God of Medicine.

This weed has healing properties for cutaneous diseases, cough, ascites, asthma and other related respiratory disorders. It also acts upon intestinal worms, dyspepsia, paralysis, recurrent fevers, inflammations and tumours. It is also helpful in eating disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa. It acts as a cleansing agent in large doses.

So the common saying- Looks can be deceptive, may not be completely true for this weed. It is not only a very attractive plant to have in your garden, but also easy to maintain and have a lot of benefits. Leaving aside its harmful effects the weed can be of immense use and adds on to the beauty of your garden.

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Dandelion can curb digestive problems

March 8th, 2011

A busy day will mean no time to have a healthy full meal. Every day we wake up and rush off to our daily routines not paying enough attention to our nutrition. This might make us eat at fast food joints or off the streets which will eventually take its toll on our digestive systems. If you want to take care of these little problems that may have grater effects on your activities, a natural technique that you can follow daily in your diet at the comfort of your homes would be a good solution.

Dandelion is a natural product that might be the answer to your digestive problems. It helps in promoting the excretion of body wastes, salts and water from the kidneys. It helps in healthy and effective digestion of food. It is also used as an appetite stimulant and helps in reducing the feeling of being full, acidic or gaseousness and also help in bringing down the constipated feeling.

Dandelion roots and leaves can be used directly in your tea or even coffee. It adds a bitter sweet flavour which not only makes the beverage tastier but also healthier. Dandelion herbs and roots are available fresh or dried in a variety of forms, including tinctures, liquid extract, teas, tablets, and capsules. Dandelion can be found alone or in combination dietary supplements.

So bid goodbye to your stomach blues with dandelion and eat healthy!

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