Diet Cure For Common Ailments
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a chronic disorder, in which a person is unable to refrain from frequent and excessive consumption of alcohol for physical or psychological reasons. The World Health Organization has listed alcoholism as one of the three most deadly killer diseases of the 20th century. Alcoholism is also a very serious social problem. It often brings poverty and a certain amount of crime and frequently results in marital unhappiness and broken homes. It also leads to numerous traffic and accidents.
Alcohol is not a product found in nature. It results from decomposition and as such belongs to a family of poisons. Ethyl alcohol, the main intoxicating ingredient in wine, beer and distilled liquor is a toxic drug which depresses the brain and nervous system. Alcohol cannot be called a food for it enters the alimentary canal and is not changed or digested in any way. It is quickly absorbed in the blood stream and then travels to every part of the body, adversely affecting vital organs like the brain and liver. About 90 per cent of the alcohol is slowly oxidized in the liver and the remaining 10 per cent is eliminated by breathing and through urination. An average peg of whisky, 12 ounces of beer or 5 ounces of wine take one full hour to be oxidised in the liver
Symptoms
According to W.H.O., " Alcoholics are those excessive drinkers whose dependence on alcohol has attained such a degree that it shows a noticeable mental disturbance or interference with their bodily or mental health, their interpersonal relations and their smooth social and economic functions, or who show the prodromal signs of such development."
Alcoholics have a puffy face with bloodshot eyes, hoarse voice and rapid pulse. They are suspicious, irritable and over-emotional. Vomiting, delirium, impaired judgement and disturbed sleep are some of the common symptoms.
The chronic alcoholic, who would rather drink than eat, fails to get enough vitamins. The few vitamins acquired by him are drained out his system in the process of burning the alcohol in his body. Vitamin deficiency can lead to delirium tremens, convulsins, neuritis, disorders of the eyes and impaired memory. Excessive drinking often causes premature graying of hair due to vitamin deficiency. Chronic alcoholism results in a depletion of minerals in the body, particularly magnesium, which produces symptoms like tremor of the hands, feet and tongue, convulsions, mental clouding and sweating.
Alcohol tends to be habit-forming. The more you have, the more you want. The more you drink, the less you eat. Soon the body is out of gear, because it has been getting an unsuitable and inadequate type of fuel. Excessive drinking imposes a strain on the liver. It gradually destroys its functions and often causes cirrhosis of the liver. It leads to disorders of the stomach and bowels. It can cause brain damage as brain cells are often affected by it. Alcohol also affects the heart which becomes weak and flabby.
Causes
Alcoholism results from excessive drinking. Sometimes a person sinks comparatively rapidly into alcoholism and at other times, years may pass before a person becomes a full-fledged alcoholic. A person generally takes to drinking as a means to enliven social life, to overcome anxiety or to induce sleep. He becomes an alcoholic if he gets dependent on alcohol physically and psychologically. He resorts to heavy drinking because of his inability to deal with the stress and strain of life.
Dietary Considerations
The chronic alcoholic must first of all make a firm resolve to stop drinking. He should abstain from alcohol all at once for the habit cannot be got rid of in gradual stages. The most effective way to treat alcoholism is to build the body’s nutritional integrity so as to prevent the craving for stimulants like drinks. The patient should be put on a cleansing juice fast for at least 10 days in the beginning. During this period, he should have the juice of an orange every two hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The juice may be diluted with warm water, if desired. Nothing else should be taken as otherwise the value of the fast would be entirely lost. Alternatively, vegetable juices may be taken. Each day while fasting, bowels should be cleansed of poisonous matter thrown off by the self-cleansing process set up by the body. This can be achieved by a warm water enema.
During the juice fast, the patient will usually feel no craving for alcohol. This will give a good 10-days start towards breaking the drinking habit and will help remove not only the physical but also the psychological dependence. After the initial fast on juices, the optimum diet of vital nutrients is essential. Such a diet should consist of whole grain cereals, nuts, seeds and sprouts, fresh fruits and vegetables. The breakfast may consist of fresh fruits and milk. Steamed vegetables, whole wheat chappatis and butter-milk may be taken for lunch. The dinner may comprise a good sized raw salad and sprouts.
It is advisable that in the beginning of the treatment, the patient is given a suitable substitute to relieve the craving for alcohol if and when such a craving occurs. The best substitute drink is a glass of fresh fruit juice, sweetened with honey, if desired. In the alternative, wholesome candy may be taken. The patient should always have easily available juices, candy or other snacks to be taken between meals if he feels a craving for a stimulant. All refined foods such as sugar, white rice, macaroni products and white flour and meat should be avoided. The patient should eat several small meals a day in preference to two or three large ones and avoid strong condiments such as pepper, mustard and chilli. He should not smoke as this will only increase his desire for alcohol.
Dr. Roger J. Williams, a world renowed researcher on alcoholism from the nutritional point of view, states that if the alcoholic is supplied with certain nutrients missing from his body, the craving can be halted and even reversed. He has worked out a specific nutritional supplement containing the nutrients necessary for an alcoholic, which is as under :
Vitamins Minerals
Vitamin A : 20,000 I.U. Calcium : 300 mg
Vitamin C : 200 mg. Phosphate : 250 mg.
Vitamin D : 1,000 I.U. Magnesium : 100 mg.
B vitamins Copper 1 mg.
Thiamine : 4 mg. Iodine : 0.1 mg.
Riboflavin : 4 mg. Iron : 10 mg.
Pyridoxin : 6 mg. Manganese : 1 mg.
Niacinamide : 40 mg. Zinc : 5 mg.
Pantothenate : 40 mg.
B - 12 : 10 mg.
Choline : 200 mg.
Insitol : 200 mg.
Vitamin E : 200 mg.
In addition to proper nutrition, plenty of rest and outdoor exercise are necessary. The healthy condition of the appetite center, which controls the craving for alcohol is improved by exercise.
26 June 2009
Acne
Acne is perhaps the most common chronic skin disease. It is an inflammatory condition of the sebaceous ( that is, fat ) glands and hair follicles usually found on the face, the neck, chest and shoulders. Approximately, eight out of ten young people between the ages of 12 and 24 suffer from some degree of acne. It is closely related to the disturbance in the hormones experienced at puberty. The majority of patients recover between the ages 20 and 30 years. But it is still common in men over 30 years. In women, it rarely lasts beyond the early thirties and is normally worse before each menstrual period. The disease causes a great deal of embarrassment at an age when people tend to be sensitive about personal appearance.
The skin, covering the entire body, is a marvelous and intricate mechanism. It serves three main purposes, namely protection of the inner organism, regulation of body temperature and elimination of cell waste and systematic refuse. The skin is directly connected to and intimately bound up with the working of the whole system. All skin diseases, including acne, are the outcome of malfunctioning of the body as a whole.
Symptoms
Acne is characterized by the presence of comedones or blackheads, pimples, small superficial sebaceous cysts and scars. There are over half a dozen forms of acne. All of them are connected with the sebaceous glands or the glands connected with hair follicles. The most common form of acne is blackheads. The areas chiefly affected are the forehead, temples, cheeks, chin, the chest and back. In rare cases, almost the entire body may be covered with blackheads with extensive scarring.
Causes
All forms of acne have their origin in wrong food habits, such as irregular hours of eating, improper food, excess of starch, sugar and fatty foods. Chronic constipation is another major cause of acne. If the bowels do not move properly, the waste matter is not eliminated as quickly as it should be and the blood stream becomes saturated with toxic matter. The extra efforts of the skin to eliminate this excess waste result in acne and other forms of skin disease. Yet another important cause of acne is a devitalized condition of the skin resulting from unhygienic living habits. Other contributing factors to the disorder are excessive use of tea, coffee, alcohol and tobacco, strenuous studies and sedentary habits which lead to indigestion and general debility.
Dietary Cure
The treatment of acne by the administration of salves or ointment does not serve any purpose. They only suppress the action of the sebaceous glands temporarily. In nature cure, the main emphasis is on diet and certain water applications. To begin with, the patient should resort to an all-fruit diet for about a week. This regimen should consist of three meals a day, consisting of fresh juicy fruits, such as apples, pears, grapes, grapefruits, pineapples and peaches. Citrus fruits, bananas, dried, stewed or tinned fruits should not be taken. Unsweetened lemon or plain water, either hot or cold, should be drunk and nothing else. During this period, a warm water enema should be taken daily to cleanse the bowels and all other measures adopted to eradicate constipation.
After a week of the all -fruit diet,the patient can gradually adopt a well-balanced diet with a predominantly alkaline base. Emphasis should be on raw foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouted seeds, raw nuts and whole grain cereals, particularly millet and brown rice. Further, short periods on the all-fruit diet for three days or so may be necessary at monthly intervals till the skin’s condition improves.
Strict attention to diet is essential for recovery. Starchy, protein and fatty foods should be restricted. Meat, sugar, strong tea or coffee, condiments, pickles, refined and processed foods should all be avoided, as also soft drinks, candies, ice cream and products made with sugar and white flour.
The following diet should serve as a guideline :
Breakfast : Fresh fruits, and milk. For a change, dried fruits may be added occasionally.
Lunch : Steamed vegetables, whole grain bread or chappatis with butter and curd or butter-milk.
Dinner : A large bowl of raw vegetable salad and sprouts, such as alfalfa seeds or mung beans, with prunes or other dried fruit as dessert.
Two vitamins , namely, niacin and vitamin A, have been used successfully to treat acne. The vitamin therapy, comprising of niacin 100 mg. three times daily and vitamin A in large doses up to 50,000 units per day, should not exceed one month. Vitamin E is also vitally important for preventing scarring from acne and in removing old scars.
For local treatment, hot fomentation should be applied to open up the pores and squeeze out the waste matter. Then rinse with cold water. Sun and air baths, by exposing the whole body to sun and air, are highly beneficial. Washing the affected area with lemon juice has also proved helpful. Healing packs made of grated cucumbers, oatmeal cooked in milk and cooked, creamed carrots, used externally, have been found effective. Packs should be applied and kept on for half an hour and then washed off with cold water. A hot Epsom salt bath twice a week will be highly beneficial in all cases of acne. This bath is prepared by adding three lbs. of Epsom salt to 60 liters of water having a temperature of about 100 o F. The patient should remain in the bath from 25 to 35 minutes till he perspires freely. After the bath, the patient should cool off gradually.
The skin, covering the entire body, is a marvelous and intricate mechanism. It serves three main purposes, namely protection of the inner organism, regulation of body temperature and elimination of cell waste and systematic refuse. The skin is directly connected to and intimately bound up with the working of the whole system. All skin diseases, including acne, are the outcome of malfunctioning of the body as a whole.
Symptoms
Acne is characterized by the presence of comedones or blackheads, pimples, small superficial sebaceous cysts and scars. There are over half a dozen forms of acne. All of them are connected with the sebaceous glands or the glands connected with hair follicles. The most common form of acne is blackheads. The areas chiefly affected are the forehead, temples, cheeks, chin, the chest and back. In rare cases, almost the entire body may be covered with blackheads with extensive scarring.
Causes
All forms of acne have their origin in wrong food habits, such as irregular hours of eating, improper food, excess of starch, sugar and fatty foods. Chronic constipation is another major cause of acne. If the bowels do not move properly, the waste matter is not eliminated as quickly as it should be and the blood stream becomes saturated with toxic matter. The extra efforts of the skin to eliminate this excess waste result in acne and other forms of skin disease. Yet another important cause of acne is a devitalized condition of the skin resulting from unhygienic living habits. Other contributing factors to the disorder are excessive use of tea, coffee, alcohol and tobacco, strenuous studies and sedentary habits which lead to indigestion and general debility.
Dietary Cure
The treatment of acne by the administration of salves or ointment does not serve any purpose. They only suppress the action of the sebaceous glands temporarily. In nature cure, the main emphasis is on diet and certain water applications. To begin with, the patient should resort to an all-fruit diet for about a week. This regimen should consist of three meals a day, consisting of fresh juicy fruits, such as apples, pears, grapes, grapefruits, pineapples and peaches. Citrus fruits, bananas, dried, stewed or tinned fruits should not be taken. Unsweetened lemon or plain water, either hot or cold, should be drunk and nothing else. During this period, a warm water enema should be taken daily to cleanse the bowels and all other measures adopted to eradicate constipation.
After a week of the all -fruit diet,the patient can gradually adopt a well-balanced diet with a predominantly alkaline base. Emphasis should be on raw foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouted seeds, raw nuts and whole grain cereals, particularly millet and brown rice. Further, short periods on the all-fruit diet for three days or so may be necessary at monthly intervals till the skin’s condition improves.
Strict attention to diet is essential for recovery. Starchy, protein and fatty foods should be restricted. Meat, sugar, strong tea or coffee, condiments, pickles, refined and processed foods should all be avoided, as also soft drinks, candies, ice cream and products made with sugar and white flour.
The following diet should serve as a guideline :
Breakfast : Fresh fruits, and milk. For a change, dried fruits may be added occasionally.
Lunch : Steamed vegetables, whole grain bread or chappatis with butter and curd or butter-milk.
Dinner : A large bowl of raw vegetable salad and sprouts, such as alfalfa seeds or mung beans, with prunes or other dried fruit as dessert.
Two vitamins , namely, niacin and vitamin A, have been used successfully to treat acne. The vitamin therapy, comprising of niacin 100 mg. three times daily and vitamin A in large doses up to 50,000 units per day, should not exceed one month. Vitamin E is also vitally important for preventing scarring from acne and in removing old scars.
For local treatment, hot fomentation should be applied to open up the pores and squeeze out the waste matter. Then rinse with cold water. Sun and air baths, by exposing the whole body to sun and air, are highly beneficial. Washing the affected area with lemon juice has also proved helpful. Healing packs made of grated cucumbers, oatmeal cooked in milk and cooked, creamed carrots, used externally, have been found effective. Packs should be applied and kept on for half an hour and then washed off with cold water. A hot Epsom salt bath twice a week will be highly beneficial in all cases of acne. This bath is prepared by adding three lbs. of Epsom salt to 60 liters of water having a temperature of about 100 o F. The patient should remain in the bath from 25 to 35 minutes till he perspires freely. After the bath, the patient should cool off gradually.
Diet Cure For Common Ailments By VIJAY S ARYA
Diet Cure For Common Ailments
Introduction: Diet in Health and Disease
Your food shall be your medicine - Hippocrates.
Diet plays a vital role in the maintenance of good health and in the prevention and cure of disease. In the words of Sir Robert McCarrison, one of the best known nutritionists , " The right kind of food is the most important single factor in the promotion of health ; and the wrong kind of food is the most important single factor in the promotion of disease. " The human body builds up and maintains healthy cells, tissues, glands and organs only with the help of various nutrients. The body cannot perform any of its functions, be they metabolic, hormonal, mental, physical or chemical, without specific nutrients. The food which provides these nutrients is, thus, one of the most essential factors in building and maintaining health. The other essential factors is that , these nutrients must also be appropriately utilised by the body.
Nutrition, which depends on food, is also of utmost importance in the cure of disease. The primary cause of disease is a weakened organism or lowered resistance in the body, arising from the adoption of a faulty nutritional pattern. There is an elaborate healing mechanism within the body but it can perform its function only if it is abundantly supplied with all the essential nutritional factors. It is believed that at least 45 chemical components and elements are needed by human cells. An adequate diet must contain each of these 45 substances, called essential nutrients. Two of these nutrients are oxygen and water. The other 43 are classified into five main groups,namely, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, and vitamins. All 45 of these nutrients are vitally important and they work together. Therefore, the absence of any of them will result in disease and eventually in death.
Research has shown that almost all diseases can be attributed, directly or indirectly, to an undersupply of various nutrients. These deficiencies occur due to various factors, such as, the intense processing and refining of foods, the time lag between the harvesting and consumption of vegetables and fruits, the chemicals used in bleaching, flavoring, coloring and preserving foods and the chemical fertilizers, fungicides, insecticides and sprays used for treating the soil. Vitamin losses also occur due to the storage, paring and grating of vegetables, from soaking in water and from the heat of cooking.
One of the fundamental principles of nature cure is that most diseases have the same basic underlying cause, namely, the steady accumulation in the system of waste materials through years of wrong food habits. Apart from nutritional deficiencies, other factors contributing to this are a faulty nutritional pattern, constant overeating, excessive consumption of proteins and the body’s inability to properly digest them and sluggish metabolism. As wrong food habits is the most potent cause of disease, a healthy and balanced diet alone can prevent further accumulation of toxic waste matter in the system, purify the blood and allow all bodily structures to work at a high level of efficiency.
Research shows that diseases produced by combinations of deficiencies can be corrected when all the nutrients are supplied, provided irreparable damage has not been done. A well-balanced and correct diet is thus of utmost importance for the maintenance of good health and the healing of diseases. Such a diet, obviously should be made up of foods which, in combination, would supply all the essential nutrients. It has been found that a diet which contains liberal quantities of seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits would provide adequate amounts of all the essential nutrients. These foods have, therefore, been aptly called basic food groups and a diet containing these food groups as an optimum diet for vigour and vitality. This diet has been named the Airole Diet after its exponent, Dr. Paavo O. Airole, the internationally famous nutritionist and naturopathic physician. It is briefly described in the following lines :
Seeds, nuts and grains :
These are the most important and the most potent of all foods and contain all the important nutrients needed for human growth. They contain the germ, the reproductive power which is of vital importance for the lives of human beings and their health. Millet, wheat, oats, barley, brown rice, beans and peas are all highly valuable in building health. Wheat, mung beans, alfalfa seeds and soya beans make excellent sprouts. Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds , almonds, peanuts and soya beans contain proteins of high biological value. Seeds, nuts and grains are also excellent natural sources of essential unsaturated fatty acids necessary for health. They are also good sources of lecithin and most of the B vitamins. They are the best natural sources of vitamin C, which is perhaps the most important vitamin for the preservation of health and prevention of premature ageing. Besides, they are rich sources of minerals and supply the necessary bulk in the diet. They also contain anxones, the natural substances that play an important role in the re-juvenation of cells and prevention of premature ageing. Sprouted seeds are a good source of vitamin C and A. All seeds and nuts should ideally be eaten raw but those which can be sprouted, should be consumed in that form to derive maximum nutritional value. Some grains such as rice, wheat, millet, rye and barley can be cooked in the form of cereals and bread.
Vegetables :
They are an extremely rich source of minerals, enzymes and vitamins. However, faulty cooking and prolonged careless storage, destroy these valuable nutrients. Most of the vegetables are, therefore, best consumed in their natural raw state in the form of salads.
There are different kinds of vegetables. They may be edible roots, stems, leaves, fruits and seeds. Each group contributes to the diet in its own way. Fleshy roots have high energy value and are a good source of vitamin B. Seeds are relatively high in carbohydrates and proteins and the yellow ones are rich in Vitamin A. Leaves, stems and fruits are excellent sources of minerals, vitamins, water and roughage.
To prevent loss of nutrients in vegetables, it would be advisable to steam or boil vegetables in their juices on a slow fire and the water or cooking liquid should not be drained off. No vegetable should be peeled unless it is so old that the peel is tough and unpalatable. In most root vegetables, the largest amount of minerals is directly under the skin and these are lost if the vegetables are peeled. Soaking of vegetables should also be avoided if taste and nutritive value are to be preserved.
An intake of about 280 grams of vegetables per day per person is considered essential for the maintenance of good health. Of this, leafy vegetables should constitute 40 per cent, roots and tubers 30 per cent and the other vegetables like brinjals, ladies fingers and cauliflower 30 per cent.
Fruits :
Like vegetables, fruits are an excellent source of minerals, vitamins and enzymes. They are easily digested and exercise a cleansing effect on the blood and digestive tract. They are highly alkaline and contain a high percentage of water and a low percentage of proteins and fats. Their organic acid and high sugar contents have immediate refreshing effects. Apart from seasonal fresh fruits, dry fruits, such as raisins, prunes and figs are also beneficial.
Fruits are at their best when eaten in the raw and ripe state. Much of their nutritional value in terms of salts and carbohydrates is lost in cooking. They are most beneficial when taken as a separate meal by themselves, preferably for breakfast. If fruits are eaten with regular food, they should form a fairly large part of the meal. Fruits, however, make better combination with milk than with meals. It is also desirable to take one kind of fruit at a time. For the maintenance of good health, at least one pound of uncooked fruits should form part of the daily diet. In case of sickness, it will be advisable to take fruits in the form of juices. However, juices should be drunk immediately after their extraction as they begin to decompose quickly and turn into harmful substances.
Each food group should roughly form the bulk of one of the three principal meals. Fruits can be taken in the morning for breakfast ;seeds, nuts and cereals for lunch and vegetables for dinner. This order can, however, be interchanged to suit one’s requirements.
About 75 to 80 per cent of the diet should consist of foods in their natural uncooked sate, because cooking destroys much of the nutritional value of most foods. Sprouting is an excellent way of consuming seeds, beans and grains in their raw form as in the process of sprouting the nutritional value is multiplied. New vitamins are created and the protein quality is improved. Foods should be eaten only in their natural form, that is whole, unprocessed, unrefined and preferably grown organically, without chemical fertilisers and sprays. Organically grown fruits and vegetables contain more enzymes and have greater health-building and disease-preventing potential.
The three basic health-building foods mentioned above should be supplemented with certain special foods such as milk, vegetable oils and honey. Milk is an excellent food. It is considered as ‘Nature’s most nearly perfect food.’ According to Charak, the great author of the Indian system of medicines, milk increases strength, improves memory, revitalizes the body, maintains strength and promotes long life. The best way to take milk is in its soured form - that is, yoghurt and cottage cheese. Soured milk is superior to sweet milk as it is in a predigested form and more easily assimilated. Milk helps to prevent intestinal putrefaction and constipation. High quality unrefined vegetable oils should be added to the diet. They are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin C and F and lecithin. The average daily amount should not exceed two tablespoons. Honey too, is an ideal food. It helps increase calcium retention in the system, prevents anaemia besides being beneficial in kidney and liver disorders, colds,poor circulation and complexion problems. It is one of Nature’s energy-giving food. It is easily digested and assimilated.
A diet of the three basic food groups, supplemented with the special foods mentioned above, will ensure a complete and adequate supply of all the vital nutrients needed for health, vitality and prevention of disease. It is not necessary to include animal protein like egg, fish or meat in this basic diet, as animal protein, especially meat, always has a detrimental effect on the healing processes. A high animal protein is harmful to health and may cause many of our most common ailments.
Daily menu :
Based on what has been stated above, the daily menu of a health-building and vitalising diet should be on the following lines :
Upon arising : A glass of lukewarm water with half a freshly squeezed lemon and a spoonful of honey, or a glass of freshly squeezed juice of any available seasonable fruit such as apple, pineapple, orange, mosambi or grapes.
Breakfast : Fresh fruits such as apple, orange, banana, grapes or any available seasonable fruits, a cup of unpasturised milk and a handful of raw nuts such as almonds, cashew nuts and peanuts.
Lunch : A bowl of freshly prepared steamed vegetables such as carrot, cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes, squash or beans, using sea salt, vegetable oil, or butter for seasoning, one or two whole wheat chappatis and a glass of butter-milk.
Mid-afternoon : A glass of fresh fruit or vegetable juice or coconut water or sugar cane juice.
Dinner : A large bowl of fresh salad made up of vegetables like tomatoes, carrot, beet, onion, etc., with lemon juice dressing, any available sprouts such as alfalfa seed or mung beans along with one tablespoon of fresh butter, and cottage cheese or a glass of butter-milk.
Bed-time snacks : A glass of fresh milk or one apple. The above menu is a general outline around which an individual diet can be built. It can be modified and changed to adapt to specific requirements and conditions. The menu for lunch and dinner is interchangeable. Water should not be taken with meals, but half an hour before or an hour after meals. Milk, butter-milk and vegetable soups can be taken with meals.
Diseases can be overcome by sensible natural dietetic treatment. Disease is actually a self-initiated effort of the body to throw off the accumulations of waste materials which are interfering with its functioning. Since most conditions of ill-health are systemic in their origin and have the same underlying causes, the basic treatment is likewise the same. In the beginning of the dietetic treatment, the patient should undergo a short cleansing juice fast so that the body may throw off all the accumulated toxins and wastes. In this regimen, the person should take the juice of a fresh orange or any other juicy fruit diluted in the proportion of 50 : 50 with water. Alternatively, vegetable juices such as carrot, cucumber, beet and spinach may be taken. Each day, while fasting, the bowels should be cleansed with a warm water enema. In certain conditions, the patient may adopt an exclusive fruit diet for a few days in the beginning of the treatment instead of juice fasting. In this regimen, three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits such as oranges, grapes, grapefruits, apples, pineapples, peaches and pears may be taken at five-hourly intervals. After the short juice fast or the all-fruit diet as the case may be, the patient may gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet of three basic food groups, namely seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits as already outlined. Further , juice fasts or periods on the all-fruit diet may be undertaken at intervals of two or three months depending on the progress being made.
Introduction: Diet in Health and Disease
Your food shall be your medicine - Hippocrates.
Diet plays a vital role in the maintenance of good health and in the prevention and cure of disease. In the words of Sir Robert McCarrison, one of the best known nutritionists , " The right kind of food is the most important single factor in the promotion of health ; and the wrong kind of food is the most important single factor in the promotion of disease. " The human body builds up and maintains healthy cells, tissues, glands and organs only with the help of various nutrients. The body cannot perform any of its functions, be they metabolic, hormonal, mental, physical or chemical, without specific nutrients. The food which provides these nutrients is, thus, one of the most essential factors in building and maintaining health. The other essential factors is that , these nutrients must also be appropriately utilised by the body.
Nutrition, which depends on food, is also of utmost importance in the cure of disease. The primary cause of disease is a weakened organism or lowered resistance in the body, arising from the adoption of a faulty nutritional pattern. There is an elaborate healing mechanism within the body but it can perform its function only if it is abundantly supplied with all the essential nutritional factors. It is believed that at least 45 chemical components and elements are needed by human cells. An adequate diet must contain each of these 45 substances, called essential nutrients. Two of these nutrients are oxygen and water. The other 43 are classified into five main groups,namely, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, and vitamins. All 45 of these nutrients are vitally important and they work together. Therefore, the absence of any of them will result in disease and eventually in death.
Research has shown that almost all diseases can be attributed, directly or indirectly, to an undersupply of various nutrients. These deficiencies occur due to various factors, such as, the intense processing and refining of foods, the time lag between the harvesting and consumption of vegetables and fruits, the chemicals used in bleaching, flavoring, coloring and preserving foods and the chemical fertilizers, fungicides, insecticides and sprays used for treating the soil. Vitamin losses also occur due to the storage, paring and grating of vegetables, from soaking in water and from the heat of cooking.
One of the fundamental principles of nature cure is that most diseases have the same basic underlying cause, namely, the steady accumulation in the system of waste materials through years of wrong food habits. Apart from nutritional deficiencies, other factors contributing to this are a faulty nutritional pattern, constant overeating, excessive consumption of proteins and the body’s inability to properly digest them and sluggish metabolism. As wrong food habits is the most potent cause of disease, a healthy and balanced diet alone can prevent further accumulation of toxic waste matter in the system, purify the blood and allow all bodily structures to work at a high level of efficiency.
Research shows that diseases produced by combinations of deficiencies can be corrected when all the nutrients are supplied, provided irreparable damage has not been done. A well-balanced and correct diet is thus of utmost importance for the maintenance of good health and the healing of diseases. Such a diet, obviously should be made up of foods which, in combination, would supply all the essential nutrients. It has been found that a diet which contains liberal quantities of seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits would provide adequate amounts of all the essential nutrients. These foods have, therefore, been aptly called basic food groups and a diet containing these food groups as an optimum diet for vigour and vitality. This diet has been named the Airole Diet after its exponent, Dr. Paavo O. Airole, the internationally famous nutritionist and naturopathic physician. It is briefly described in the following lines :
Seeds, nuts and grains :
These are the most important and the most potent of all foods and contain all the important nutrients needed for human growth. They contain the germ, the reproductive power which is of vital importance for the lives of human beings and their health. Millet, wheat, oats, barley, brown rice, beans and peas are all highly valuable in building health. Wheat, mung beans, alfalfa seeds and soya beans make excellent sprouts. Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds , almonds, peanuts and soya beans contain proteins of high biological value. Seeds, nuts and grains are also excellent natural sources of essential unsaturated fatty acids necessary for health. They are also good sources of lecithin and most of the B vitamins. They are the best natural sources of vitamin C, which is perhaps the most important vitamin for the preservation of health and prevention of premature ageing. Besides, they are rich sources of minerals and supply the necessary bulk in the diet. They also contain anxones, the natural substances that play an important role in the re-juvenation of cells and prevention of premature ageing. Sprouted seeds are a good source of vitamin C and A. All seeds and nuts should ideally be eaten raw but those which can be sprouted, should be consumed in that form to derive maximum nutritional value. Some grains such as rice, wheat, millet, rye and barley can be cooked in the form of cereals and bread.
Vegetables :
They are an extremely rich source of minerals, enzymes and vitamins. However, faulty cooking and prolonged careless storage, destroy these valuable nutrients. Most of the vegetables are, therefore, best consumed in their natural raw state in the form of salads.
There are different kinds of vegetables. They may be edible roots, stems, leaves, fruits and seeds. Each group contributes to the diet in its own way. Fleshy roots have high energy value and are a good source of vitamin B. Seeds are relatively high in carbohydrates and proteins and the yellow ones are rich in Vitamin A. Leaves, stems and fruits are excellent sources of minerals, vitamins, water and roughage.
To prevent loss of nutrients in vegetables, it would be advisable to steam or boil vegetables in their juices on a slow fire and the water or cooking liquid should not be drained off. No vegetable should be peeled unless it is so old that the peel is tough and unpalatable. In most root vegetables, the largest amount of minerals is directly under the skin and these are lost if the vegetables are peeled. Soaking of vegetables should also be avoided if taste and nutritive value are to be preserved.
An intake of about 280 grams of vegetables per day per person is considered essential for the maintenance of good health. Of this, leafy vegetables should constitute 40 per cent, roots and tubers 30 per cent and the other vegetables like brinjals, ladies fingers and cauliflower 30 per cent.
Fruits :
Like vegetables, fruits are an excellent source of minerals, vitamins and enzymes. They are easily digested and exercise a cleansing effect on the blood and digestive tract. They are highly alkaline and contain a high percentage of water and a low percentage of proteins and fats. Their organic acid and high sugar contents have immediate refreshing effects. Apart from seasonal fresh fruits, dry fruits, such as raisins, prunes and figs are also beneficial.
Fruits are at their best when eaten in the raw and ripe state. Much of their nutritional value in terms of salts and carbohydrates is lost in cooking. They are most beneficial when taken as a separate meal by themselves, preferably for breakfast. If fruits are eaten with regular food, they should form a fairly large part of the meal. Fruits, however, make better combination with milk than with meals. It is also desirable to take one kind of fruit at a time. For the maintenance of good health, at least one pound of uncooked fruits should form part of the daily diet. In case of sickness, it will be advisable to take fruits in the form of juices. However, juices should be drunk immediately after their extraction as they begin to decompose quickly and turn into harmful substances.
Each food group should roughly form the bulk of one of the three principal meals. Fruits can be taken in the morning for breakfast ;seeds, nuts and cereals for lunch and vegetables for dinner. This order can, however, be interchanged to suit one’s requirements.
About 75 to 80 per cent of the diet should consist of foods in their natural uncooked sate, because cooking destroys much of the nutritional value of most foods. Sprouting is an excellent way of consuming seeds, beans and grains in their raw form as in the process of sprouting the nutritional value is multiplied. New vitamins are created and the protein quality is improved. Foods should be eaten only in their natural form, that is whole, unprocessed, unrefined and preferably grown organically, without chemical fertilisers and sprays. Organically grown fruits and vegetables contain more enzymes and have greater health-building and disease-preventing potential.
The three basic health-building foods mentioned above should be supplemented with certain special foods such as milk, vegetable oils and honey. Milk is an excellent food. It is considered as ‘Nature’s most nearly perfect food.’ According to Charak, the great author of the Indian system of medicines, milk increases strength, improves memory, revitalizes the body, maintains strength and promotes long life. The best way to take milk is in its soured form - that is, yoghurt and cottage cheese. Soured milk is superior to sweet milk as it is in a predigested form and more easily assimilated. Milk helps to prevent intestinal putrefaction and constipation. High quality unrefined vegetable oils should be added to the diet. They are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin C and F and lecithin. The average daily amount should not exceed two tablespoons. Honey too, is an ideal food. It helps increase calcium retention in the system, prevents anaemia besides being beneficial in kidney and liver disorders, colds,poor circulation and complexion problems. It is one of Nature’s energy-giving food. It is easily digested and assimilated.
A diet of the three basic food groups, supplemented with the special foods mentioned above, will ensure a complete and adequate supply of all the vital nutrients needed for health, vitality and prevention of disease. It is not necessary to include animal protein like egg, fish or meat in this basic diet, as animal protein, especially meat, always has a detrimental effect on the healing processes. A high animal protein is harmful to health and may cause many of our most common ailments.
Daily menu :
Based on what has been stated above, the daily menu of a health-building and vitalising diet should be on the following lines :
Upon arising : A glass of lukewarm water with half a freshly squeezed lemon and a spoonful of honey, or a glass of freshly squeezed juice of any available seasonable fruit such as apple, pineapple, orange, mosambi or grapes.
Breakfast : Fresh fruits such as apple, orange, banana, grapes or any available seasonable fruits, a cup of unpasturised milk and a handful of raw nuts such as almonds, cashew nuts and peanuts.
Lunch : A bowl of freshly prepared steamed vegetables such as carrot, cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes, squash or beans, using sea salt, vegetable oil, or butter for seasoning, one or two whole wheat chappatis and a glass of butter-milk.
Mid-afternoon : A glass of fresh fruit or vegetable juice or coconut water or sugar cane juice.
Dinner : A large bowl of fresh salad made up of vegetables like tomatoes, carrot, beet, onion, etc., with lemon juice dressing, any available sprouts such as alfalfa seed or mung beans along with one tablespoon of fresh butter, and cottage cheese or a glass of butter-milk.
Bed-time snacks : A glass of fresh milk or one apple. The above menu is a general outline around which an individual diet can be built. It can be modified and changed to adapt to specific requirements and conditions. The menu for lunch and dinner is interchangeable. Water should not be taken with meals, but half an hour before or an hour after meals. Milk, butter-milk and vegetable soups can be taken with meals.
Diseases can be overcome by sensible natural dietetic treatment. Disease is actually a self-initiated effort of the body to throw off the accumulations of waste materials which are interfering with its functioning. Since most conditions of ill-health are systemic in their origin and have the same underlying causes, the basic treatment is likewise the same. In the beginning of the dietetic treatment, the patient should undergo a short cleansing juice fast so that the body may throw off all the accumulated toxins and wastes. In this regimen, the person should take the juice of a fresh orange or any other juicy fruit diluted in the proportion of 50 : 50 with water. Alternatively, vegetable juices such as carrot, cucumber, beet and spinach may be taken. Each day, while fasting, the bowels should be cleansed with a warm water enema. In certain conditions, the patient may adopt an exclusive fruit diet for a few days in the beginning of the treatment instead of juice fasting. In this regimen, three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits such as oranges, grapes, grapefruits, apples, pineapples, peaches and pears may be taken at five-hourly intervals. After the short juice fast or the all-fruit diet as the case may be, the patient may gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet of three basic food groups, namely seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits as already outlined. Further , juice fasts or periods on the all-fruit diet may be undertaken at intervals of two or three months depending on the progress being made.
Heart Care Tips: by
VIJAY S. ARYA
Q What are the five thumb rules for a layman to take care of his heart?
A. 1. Diet – Less of carbohydrate, more of protein, less oil.
2. Exercise – half an hour’s walk, at least five days a week. Avoid lifts and avoid sitting for a long time.
3. Quit smoking
4. Control weight
5. Control blood pressure and sugar.
Q Is eating non-veg food (fish) good for the heart?
A. No
Q. It’s still a grave shock to hear that some apparently healthy person get a cardiac arrest. How do we understand it in perspective?
A. This is called silent attack. That is why, we recommend everyone past the age of 30 to undergo routine health check-ups.
Q Are heart diseases hereditary?
A. Yes
Q What are the ways in which the heart is stressed? What practices do you suggest to de-stress?
A. Change your attitude towards life. Do not look for perfection in everything in life.
Q Is walking better than jogging or is more intensive exercise required to keep a healthy heart?
A. Walking is better than jogging since jogging leads to early fatigue and injury to joints.
Q You have done so much for the poor and needy. What has inspired you to do so?
A. Mother Theresa, who was my patient.
Q Can people with low blood pressure suffer heart diseases?
A. Extremely rare.
Q Does cholesterol accumulate right from an early age (I’m currently only 22) or do you have to worry about it only after you are above 30 years of age?
A. Cholesterol accumulates from childhood.
Q How do irregular eating habits affect the heart?
A. You tend to eat junk food when the habits are irregular and your body’s enzyme releases for digestion gets confused.
Q Can a healthy person without a medical history have a heart attack due to stress?
A. Extremely rare
Q How can I control cholesterol content without using medicines?
A. Control diet, walk and eat walnut.
Q Can yoga prevent heart ailments?
A. Yoga helps
Q, which is the best and worst food for the heart?
A. Best food is fruits, worst are oils.
Q If a person has undergone angioplasty, what are the chances of the stent getting displaced?
A. Stent doesn’t get displaced. It can get blocked. You could prevent it by controlling sugar, cholesterol and taking medication to prevent clots.
Q Do negative emotions like depression or anger always cause heart disease?
A. Not always. On the other hand, positive emotions help recovery of the heart.
Q I have read about music therapy for the heart and the mind. What is your opinion on this?
A. Guess, it helps.
Q Which oil is better – gingili, groundnut, sunflower, saffola, olive?
A. All oils are bad. The so-called best oil company has the largest marketing budget.
Q What is the routine check-up one should go through? Is there any specific test?
A. Routine blood test to ensure sugar, cholesterol is ok. Check BP, Treadmill test after an echo.
Q How different was it in treating Noor Fatima, the little kid from Pakistan?
A. It was extremely difficult because of the media attention. As far as the medical treatment is concerned, she was like any other child with a complex heart problem.
Q What are the first aid steps to be taken on a heart attack?
A. Help the person into a sleeping position, put an Aspirin tablet under the tongue with a Sorbitrate tablet if available, and rush him to coronary care unit since the maximum casualty takes place within the first hour.
Q How do you differentiate between pain caused by a heart attack and that cause due to gastric trouble?
A. Extremely difficult without ECG.
Q Can drinking less water lead to heart problems?
A. No. However, drinking plenty of water in normal people helps preserve good health.
Q Is it true that diabetic women seem to have 3 to 7 times greater risk of developing heart diseases than non-diabetic women? Is it the same with high BP patients as well?
A. Women are protected by the hormones till the age of 45. After that, their risk increases like men and in general, the result of treatment on heart patients who are women is slightly poorer than men.
Q What are some of the precautions during pregnancy to avoid heart problems in the new born?
A. German measles, which causes congenital abnormalities in the babies. No smoking.
Q What is the main cause of a steep increase in heart problems amongst youngsters? I see people of about 30-40 years of age having heart attacks and serious heart problems.
A. Increased awareness has increased incidents. Also, sedentary lifestyles, smoking, junk food, lack of exercise in a country where people are genetically three times more vulnerable for heart attacks than Europeans and Americans.
Q What is the right time to check the BP in any person?
A. Past the age of 30 and earlier, if you have symptoms.
Q Is it possible for a person for a person to have BP outside the normal range of 120/80 and yet to be perfectly healthy?
A. Yes
Q Are there any symptoms for heart problems, which we need to be aware of?
A. Shortness of breath on exertion and chest pain.
Q If a person has had a heart attack, how frequently is regular heart check-up recommend?
A. Once in 6 months.
Q Marriages within close relatives can lead to heart problems for the child. Is it true?
A. Yes, co-sanguinity leads to congenital abnormalities and you may not have a software engineer as a child.
Q Many of us have an irregular daily routine and many a time we have to stay in office till late nights. Does this affect our heart? What precautions would you recommend?
A. When you are young, nature protects you against all these irregularities. However, as you grow older, respect the biological clock.
Q How can we find out about blockage of arteries, beforehand?
A. Routine cardiac evaluation by blood test, ECGs, TMTs, Stress Thallium Scan, Cardiac CT Scan for Calcium score.
Q Does a recurring pain in the left arm signify any heart related ailment?
A. Usually, you get chest discomfort or shortness of breath, months or years before the heart attack. So, when in doubt, go for a heart check-up, which should not take more than a couple of hours.
Q Will taking anti-hypertensive drugs cause some other complications (short/long term)?
A. Yes, most drugs have some side effects. However, modern anti-hypertensive drugs are extremely safe.
Q Will consuming more coffee/tea lead to heart attacks?
A. No
Q What are the chances of lean people developing heart complications? Are they at less risk?
A. Obese people are at a higher risk. Lean people also develop heart attacks, but primarily because of genetic predisposition.
Q Is it true that after open-heart surgery, patients lose memory-recall to some extent?
A. No. Especially after bypass grafting on a beating heart, incidence of neurological problems have come down significantly.
Q Are Asthma patients more prone to heart disease?
A. No
Q How would you define junk food?
A. Fried food like Kentucky, McDonalds, Samosas, and even Masala Dosas.
Q You mentioned that Indians are three times more vulnerable. What is the reason for this, as Europeans and Americans also eat a lot of junk food?
A. Every race is vulnerable to some disease and unfortunately Indians are vulnerable for the most expensive disease.
Q Does consuming bananas help reduce hypertension?
A. No
Q Is there any cure for chronic palpitations?
A. The patient should be investigated and if there is a cause for palpitation like an electrical abnormality of the heart, this can be rectified by a procedure called radio-frequency-ablation.
Q How would you rate the health facilities currently available in India?
A. There are institutions, which are as good as or even better than the one in the US and Europe. However, they are exceptions. In general, the qualities of health-care available to the masses are poor.
Q If there is a small hole in the heart, what are the possible ways of curing it? Is operation the only solution?
A. Small holes in children less than 6 months of age usually closes. But the decision not to operate should be taken by the specialists who are experts in treating children with heart problems.
Q Are emotions really controlled by heart?
A. No. The heart is just a slave of the brain and it is the brain, which controls the emotions.
Q If a person does not do any physical exercise, he is bound to have shortness of breath on exertion; say climbing stairs. Is this an indication of heart disease?
A. No. But if one has difficulty in breathing on mild exertion, it is better to go for a heart check-up.
Q Can a person help himself during a heart attack?
A. Yes. Lie down comfortably and put an aspirin tablet of any description under the tongue and ask someone to take you to the nearest coronary-care-unit without any delay and do not wait for the ambulance since most of the time, the ambulance does not turn up.
Q Do, in any way, low white-blood-cells and low hemoglobin-count lead to heart problems?
A. No. But it is ideal to have normal hemoglobin level to increase your exercise capacity.
Q Sometimes, due to the hectic schedule, we are not able to exercise. So, does walking while doing daily chores at home or climbing the stairs in the house, work as a substitute for exercise?
A. Certainly. Avoid sitting continuously for more than half an hour and even the act of getting out of the chair and going to another chair and sitting helps a lot.
Q Is there a relation between heart problems and blood sugar?
A. Yes. A strong relationship is there since diabetics are more vulnerable to heart attacks than non-diabetics.
Q Do bypass surgeries reduce the risk of future heart attacks?
A. It significantly reduces the risk of heart attack.
Q What are the things one needs to take care of after a heart operation?
A. Diet, exercise, drugs on time. Control Cholesterol, BP and weight.
Q Are people working on night shifts more vulnerable to heart disease when compared to day shift workers?
A. No.
Q Can you brief us about angina attack? How major it is?
A. Angina is the pain, which comes on exertion and goes away with rest and medication. One has to be investigated in detail to plan treatment.
Q What are the modern anti-hypertensive drugs?
A. There are hundreds of drugs and your doctor will chose the right combination for your problem. But my suggestion is to avoid the drugs and go for natural ways of controlling blood pressure blood pressure by walk, diet to reduce weight and changing attitudes towards lifestyle.
Q Does dispirin or similar headache pills increase the risk of heart attacks?
A. No
Q If there is about 85 percent blockages in the arteries, can the person be treated without surgery? If not, what other remedies and the power of your heart muscles. It’s impossible to give an opinion without seeing the angiography film.
A. It depends on collateral or natural bypass, the quality of other arteries and the power of your heart muscles. It’s impossible to give an opinion without seeing the angiography film.
Q There is a feeling that bypass is unnecessarily being performed in some cases. When is bypass really needed?
A. When you have blockages affecting major arteries, bypass is the best option. I am sure, conscientious doctors will not perform an operation when it is not required.
Q Is it true that mechanical valves can fail any moment?
A. No. If you take medication to prevent clot formation and maintain the INR at accepted levels, the valve cannot get blocked. However, like any mechanical gadget, it can fail and fortunately, such incidences are extremely low.
Q Can you brief me on pulmonary stenosys problems? What are the complications involved and what care needs to be taken?
A. In this condition, the pulmonary valve is narrower at birth and putting a balloon across the valve and dilating it can easily correct it.
Q Why is it the rate of heart attacks more in men than in women?
A Nature protects women till the age of 45.
Q How can one keep the heart in a good condition?
A Eat a healthy diet, avoid junk food, exercise every day, don’t smoke and, go for a health checkup if you are past the age of 30 for at least once in two years. And WORK VERY HARD.
***Courtesy: PERSONNEL TODAY, a journal of National Institute of Personnel Management
***************
VIJAY S. ARYA
Q What are the five thumb rules for a layman to take care of his heart?
A. 1. Diet – Less of carbohydrate, more of protein, less oil.
2. Exercise – half an hour’s walk, at least five days a week. Avoid lifts and avoid sitting for a long time.
3. Quit smoking
4. Control weight
5. Control blood pressure and sugar.
Q Is eating non-veg food (fish) good for the heart?
A. No
Q. It’s still a grave shock to hear that some apparently healthy person get a cardiac arrest. How do we understand it in perspective?
A. This is called silent attack. That is why, we recommend everyone past the age of 30 to undergo routine health check-ups.
Q Are heart diseases hereditary?
A. Yes
Q What are the ways in which the heart is stressed? What practices do you suggest to de-stress?
A. Change your attitude towards life. Do not look for perfection in everything in life.
Q Is walking better than jogging or is more intensive exercise required to keep a healthy heart?
A. Walking is better than jogging since jogging leads to early fatigue and injury to joints.
Q You have done so much for the poor and needy. What has inspired you to do so?
A. Mother Theresa, who was my patient.
Q Can people with low blood pressure suffer heart diseases?
A. Extremely rare.
Q Does cholesterol accumulate right from an early age (I’m currently only 22) or do you have to worry about it only after you are above 30 years of age?
A. Cholesterol accumulates from childhood.
Q How do irregular eating habits affect the heart?
A. You tend to eat junk food when the habits are irregular and your body’s enzyme releases for digestion gets confused.
Q Can a healthy person without a medical history have a heart attack due to stress?
A. Extremely rare
Q How can I control cholesterol content without using medicines?
A. Control diet, walk and eat walnut.
Q Can yoga prevent heart ailments?
A. Yoga helps
Q, which is the best and worst food for the heart?
A. Best food is fruits, worst are oils.
Q If a person has undergone angioplasty, what are the chances of the stent getting displaced?
A. Stent doesn’t get displaced. It can get blocked. You could prevent it by controlling sugar, cholesterol and taking medication to prevent clots.
Q Do negative emotions like depression or anger always cause heart disease?
A. Not always. On the other hand, positive emotions help recovery of the heart.
Q I have read about music therapy for the heart and the mind. What is your opinion on this?
A. Guess, it helps.
Q Which oil is better – gingili, groundnut, sunflower, saffola, olive?
A. All oils are bad. The so-called best oil company has the largest marketing budget.
Q What is the routine check-up one should go through? Is there any specific test?
A. Routine blood test to ensure sugar, cholesterol is ok. Check BP, Treadmill test after an echo.
Q How different was it in treating Noor Fatima, the little kid from Pakistan?
A. It was extremely difficult because of the media attention. As far as the medical treatment is concerned, she was like any other child with a complex heart problem.
Q What are the first aid steps to be taken on a heart attack?
A. Help the person into a sleeping position, put an Aspirin tablet under the tongue with a Sorbitrate tablet if available, and rush him to coronary care unit since the maximum casualty takes place within the first hour.
Q How do you differentiate between pain caused by a heart attack and that cause due to gastric trouble?
A. Extremely difficult without ECG.
Q Can drinking less water lead to heart problems?
A. No. However, drinking plenty of water in normal people helps preserve good health.
Q Is it true that diabetic women seem to have 3 to 7 times greater risk of developing heart diseases than non-diabetic women? Is it the same with high BP patients as well?
A. Women are protected by the hormones till the age of 45. After that, their risk increases like men and in general, the result of treatment on heart patients who are women is slightly poorer than men.
Q What are some of the precautions during pregnancy to avoid heart problems in the new born?
A. German measles, which causes congenital abnormalities in the babies. No smoking.
Q What is the main cause of a steep increase in heart problems amongst youngsters? I see people of about 30-40 years of age having heart attacks and serious heart problems.
A. Increased awareness has increased incidents. Also, sedentary lifestyles, smoking, junk food, lack of exercise in a country where people are genetically three times more vulnerable for heart attacks than Europeans and Americans.
Q What is the right time to check the BP in any person?
A. Past the age of 30 and earlier, if you have symptoms.
Q Is it possible for a person for a person to have BP outside the normal range of 120/80 and yet to be perfectly healthy?
A. Yes
Q Are there any symptoms for heart problems, which we need to be aware of?
A. Shortness of breath on exertion and chest pain.
Q If a person has had a heart attack, how frequently is regular heart check-up recommend?
A. Once in 6 months.
Q Marriages within close relatives can lead to heart problems for the child. Is it true?
A. Yes, co-sanguinity leads to congenital abnormalities and you may not have a software engineer as a child.
Q Many of us have an irregular daily routine and many a time we have to stay in office till late nights. Does this affect our heart? What precautions would you recommend?
A. When you are young, nature protects you against all these irregularities. However, as you grow older, respect the biological clock.
Q How can we find out about blockage of arteries, beforehand?
A. Routine cardiac evaluation by blood test, ECGs, TMTs, Stress Thallium Scan, Cardiac CT Scan for Calcium score.
Q Does a recurring pain in the left arm signify any heart related ailment?
A. Usually, you get chest discomfort or shortness of breath, months or years before the heart attack. So, when in doubt, go for a heart check-up, which should not take more than a couple of hours.
Q Will taking anti-hypertensive drugs cause some other complications (short/long term)?
A. Yes, most drugs have some side effects. However, modern anti-hypertensive drugs are extremely safe.
Q Will consuming more coffee/tea lead to heart attacks?
A. No
Q What are the chances of lean people developing heart complications? Are they at less risk?
A. Obese people are at a higher risk. Lean people also develop heart attacks, but primarily because of genetic predisposition.
Q Is it true that after open-heart surgery, patients lose memory-recall to some extent?
A. No. Especially after bypass grafting on a beating heart, incidence of neurological problems have come down significantly.
Q Are Asthma patients more prone to heart disease?
A. No
Q How would you define junk food?
A. Fried food like Kentucky, McDonalds, Samosas, and even Masala Dosas.
Q You mentioned that Indians are three times more vulnerable. What is the reason for this, as Europeans and Americans also eat a lot of junk food?
A. Every race is vulnerable to some disease and unfortunately Indians are vulnerable for the most expensive disease.
Q Does consuming bananas help reduce hypertension?
A. No
Q Is there any cure for chronic palpitations?
A. The patient should be investigated and if there is a cause for palpitation like an electrical abnormality of the heart, this can be rectified by a procedure called radio-frequency-ablation.
Q How would you rate the health facilities currently available in India?
A. There are institutions, which are as good as or even better than the one in the US and Europe. However, they are exceptions. In general, the qualities of health-care available to the masses are poor.
Q If there is a small hole in the heart, what are the possible ways of curing it? Is operation the only solution?
A. Small holes in children less than 6 months of age usually closes. But the decision not to operate should be taken by the specialists who are experts in treating children with heart problems.
Q Are emotions really controlled by heart?
A. No. The heart is just a slave of the brain and it is the brain, which controls the emotions.
Q If a person does not do any physical exercise, he is bound to have shortness of breath on exertion; say climbing stairs. Is this an indication of heart disease?
A. No. But if one has difficulty in breathing on mild exertion, it is better to go for a heart check-up.
Q Can a person help himself during a heart attack?
A. Yes. Lie down comfortably and put an aspirin tablet of any description under the tongue and ask someone to take you to the nearest coronary-care-unit without any delay and do not wait for the ambulance since most of the time, the ambulance does not turn up.
Q Do, in any way, low white-blood-cells and low hemoglobin-count lead to heart problems?
A. No. But it is ideal to have normal hemoglobin level to increase your exercise capacity.
Q Sometimes, due to the hectic schedule, we are not able to exercise. So, does walking while doing daily chores at home or climbing the stairs in the house, work as a substitute for exercise?
A. Certainly. Avoid sitting continuously for more than half an hour and even the act of getting out of the chair and going to another chair and sitting helps a lot.
Q Is there a relation between heart problems and blood sugar?
A. Yes. A strong relationship is there since diabetics are more vulnerable to heart attacks than non-diabetics.
Q Do bypass surgeries reduce the risk of future heart attacks?
A. It significantly reduces the risk of heart attack.
Q What are the things one needs to take care of after a heart operation?
A. Diet, exercise, drugs on time. Control Cholesterol, BP and weight.
Q Are people working on night shifts more vulnerable to heart disease when compared to day shift workers?
A. No.
Q Can you brief us about angina attack? How major it is?
A. Angina is the pain, which comes on exertion and goes away with rest and medication. One has to be investigated in detail to plan treatment.
Q What are the modern anti-hypertensive drugs?
A. There are hundreds of drugs and your doctor will chose the right combination for your problem. But my suggestion is to avoid the drugs and go for natural ways of controlling blood pressure blood pressure by walk, diet to reduce weight and changing attitudes towards lifestyle.
Q Does dispirin or similar headache pills increase the risk of heart attacks?
A. No
Q If there is about 85 percent blockages in the arteries, can the person be treated without surgery? If not, what other remedies and the power of your heart muscles. It’s impossible to give an opinion without seeing the angiography film.
A. It depends on collateral or natural bypass, the quality of other arteries and the power of your heart muscles. It’s impossible to give an opinion without seeing the angiography film.
Q There is a feeling that bypass is unnecessarily being performed in some cases. When is bypass really needed?
A. When you have blockages affecting major arteries, bypass is the best option. I am sure, conscientious doctors will not perform an operation when it is not required.
Q Is it true that mechanical valves can fail any moment?
A. No. If you take medication to prevent clot formation and maintain the INR at accepted levels, the valve cannot get blocked. However, like any mechanical gadget, it can fail and fortunately, such incidences are extremely low.
Q Can you brief me on pulmonary stenosys problems? What are the complications involved and what care needs to be taken?
A. In this condition, the pulmonary valve is narrower at birth and putting a balloon across the valve and dilating it can easily correct it.
Q Why is it the rate of heart attacks more in men than in women?
A Nature protects women till the age of 45.
Q How can one keep the heart in a good condition?
A Eat a healthy diet, avoid junk food, exercise every day, don’t smoke and, go for a health checkup if you are past the age of 30 for at least once in two years. And WORK VERY HARD.
***Courtesy: PERSONNEL TODAY, a journal of National Institute of Personnel Management
***************
STRESS IN PROFESSIONALS
In today’s world we are so occupied with negativities, jealousy, competition and fatigue that we are unable to cope up with the stress created by our day today life which finally leads to health problems, psychosomatic disorders, diminished work performance, poor decision making finally putting more stress and there is no end to it until we do any special effort to cope up with this cycle of stress. Stressed out individuals carry a great deal of physical tension in their bodies and it is the root cause of so many psychosomatic disorders.
Circumstance keeps on changing in our life which may interfere with the peace of our mind. These factors may be environmental and personal. Such obstacles place adjustive demands and when an individual becomes incapable to fulfill these demands stress over powers the mind which starts affecting ones health.
EFFECTS OF STRESS
When stress is severe and long continued the after effects may become irreversible for instance when the person in under stressful situation his digestion slows down, his brain and nervous system becomes intensely active, the heart starts pumping more blood which ultimately results in so many physical and mental disorders:-
• High blood pressure
• Heart attacks or strokes
• Peptic ulcers
• Effects ones ability to think, feel and act in an integrated manner.
• Frustration, anxiety, insomnia, migraine, loss of concentration & memory
• Aging & indigestion.
ROLE OF YOGA TO CURE STRESS
The solution is to make one that much strong that he or she can cope up with worldly day to day stress and can perform better by taking the stress situation easily. In this the natural yoga postures are helpful. By exercises of muscles and joints through Yogasanas and kriyas muscles tension is released from the body and body produces chemicals like endorphins which thus promoting feel good factor. The benefits of yoga postures (asana), breathing (pranayama), and meditation (dhyana) include increased body awareness, release of muscular tension and increased coordination between mind and body. It helps in better management of stress and ensures an overall feeling of well being.
Yoga is beyond physical it gives one a sense mental, psychological and spiritual wellbeing. Yogic asanas, meditation and breathing can help stress affected persons in many ways such as:
o It sharpens the brain and makes one more active. It releases healthy chemicals and hormones in the body which makes one feels stress free and positive. Among professionals it is very beneficial in improving over all health thus enhancing ones work performance.
o Increases movement and flexibility of joints thus reducing pain, prevents arthritis, good for cervical, backache, knees pain and other joints deformities.
o Regulates blood circulation and balances secretion of hormones thus managing physical and mental disorders. It relieves body aches, enhances mobility, flexibility of joints and improves digestion.
o Practicing Yogasanas, Pranayama and meditation helps to improve concentration, memory power and is good for brain because it works on whole nervous system.
o It helps to reduce extra fat from body and gives a feeling of lightness, activeness and refresh ness.
The great seer Maharishi Patanjali has described yoga as —yogaschittavrittinirodhah, which means completely shutting out all kinds of mental fluctuations. This statement has been said thousands of years ago but is true in sense of today’s world for the treatment of Stress. Because today’s world is full of stress but still we have to face it to prove ourselves to survive in this competitive world and for that we need to be mentally and physically sound and Yoga is the solution to it.
“Because it’s about living the life at its fullest.”
In today’s world we are so occupied with negativities, jealousy, competition and fatigue that we are unable to cope up with the stress created by our day today life which finally leads to health problems, psychosomatic disorders, diminished work performance, poor decision making finally putting more stress and there is no end to it until we do any special effort to cope up with this cycle of stress. Stressed out individuals carry a great deal of physical tension in their bodies and it is the root cause of so many psychosomatic disorders.
Circumstance keeps on changing in our life which may interfere with the peace of our mind. These factors may be environmental and personal. Such obstacles place adjustive demands and when an individual becomes incapable to fulfill these demands stress over powers the mind which starts affecting ones health.
EFFECTS OF STRESS
When stress is severe and long continued the after effects may become irreversible for instance when the person in under stressful situation his digestion slows down, his brain and nervous system becomes intensely active, the heart starts pumping more blood which ultimately results in so many physical and mental disorders:-
• High blood pressure
• Heart attacks or strokes
• Peptic ulcers
• Effects ones ability to think, feel and act in an integrated manner.
• Frustration, anxiety, insomnia, migraine, loss of concentration & memory
• Aging & indigestion.
ROLE OF YOGA TO CURE STRESS
The solution is to make one that much strong that he or she can cope up with worldly day to day stress and can perform better by taking the stress situation easily. In this the natural yoga postures are helpful. By exercises of muscles and joints through Yogasanas and kriyas muscles tension is released from the body and body produces chemicals like endorphins which thus promoting feel good factor. The benefits of yoga postures (asana), breathing (pranayama), and meditation (dhyana) include increased body awareness, release of muscular tension and increased coordination between mind and body. It helps in better management of stress and ensures an overall feeling of well being.
Yoga is beyond physical it gives one a sense mental, psychological and spiritual wellbeing. Yogic asanas, meditation and breathing can help stress affected persons in many ways such as:
o It sharpens the brain and makes one more active. It releases healthy chemicals and hormones in the body which makes one feels stress free and positive. Among professionals it is very beneficial in improving over all health thus enhancing ones work performance.
o Increases movement and flexibility of joints thus reducing pain, prevents arthritis, good for cervical, backache, knees pain and other joints deformities.
o Regulates blood circulation and balances secretion of hormones thus managing physical and mental disorders. It relieves body aches, enhances mobility, flexibility of joints and improves digestion.
o Practicing Yogasanas, Pranayama and meditation helps to improve concentration, memory power and is good for brain because it works on whole nervous system.
o It helps to reduce extra fat from body and gives a feeling of lightness, activeness and refresh ness.
The great seer Maharishi Patanjali has described yoga as —yogaschittavrittinirodhah, which means completely shutting out all kinds of mental fluctuations. This statement has been said thousands of years ago but is true in sense of today’s world for the treatment of Stress. Because today’s world is full of stress but still we have to face it to prove ourselves to survive in this competitive world and for that we need to be mentally and physically sound and Yoga is the solution to it.
“Because it’s about living the life at its fullest.”
YOGA WORKSHOP
MODULE FOR YOGA WORKSHOP
I. INTORDUCTION
1. Stress and its associated health disorder
2. Yoga & its benefits for the Professional
3. Life Style management
4. Diet management
II. PRACTICAL
1. Yogic Sukhsma Vyayam (Joints Exercises)
2. Asanas
3. Pranayama
III. MEDITATION / MIND POWER / CREATIVE VISUALIZATION / KAYOTSARG (Auto-suggestion)
IV. CHANTING OF MANTRAS
1. Om chanting
2. Laughing Therapy
Details on next page.
DETAILS OF MODULE
I. INTRODUCTION
1. Stress and its associated health disorder
Stressed out individuals carry a great deal of physical tension in their bodies and it is the root cause of so many psychosomatic disorders that’s why it is very necessary to educate every person the techniques to cope up with stress and its side effects also.
2. Yoga and its benefits for professional
Yoga is a complete therapy which gives one physical, mental and emotional balance.
Benefits for the professionals
It sharpens the brain and makes one more active. It releases healthy chemicals and hormones in the body which makes one feels stress free and positive. Among professionals it is very beneficial in improving over all health thus enhancing ones work performance.
3. Life style management
Most of the diseases such as High B.P., Diabetes etc. which are occurring today are due to our faulty lifestyle. So one needs proper counseling to regulate healthy life style to get rid of these health disorders.
II. PRACTICAL
1. Yogic Sukhsma Vyayam (Joints Exercises)
Benefits
Increases movement and flexibility of joints thus reducing pain, prevents arthritis, good for cervical, backache, knees pain and other joints deformities.
2. Asanas
Benefits
Regulates blood circulation and balances secretion of hormones thus managing physical and mental disorders. It relieves body aches, enhances mobility, flexibility of joints and improves digestion. It improves concentration, memory power and is good for brain because it works on whole nervous system. It helps to reduce extra fat from body and gives a feeling of lightness, activeness and refresh ness.
3. Pranayam
Benefits
According Yoga by concentrating on breath mind also calms down thus relaxing excess thought process. It improves concentration and memory power. It detoxifies whole system.
III. MEDITATION / MIND POWER / CREATIVE VISUALIZATION
Meditation technique to enhance ones mind power using the power of subconscious mind. It’s a process of visualizing the step by step instructions given by trainer.
Benefits-
It’s a complete process which relieves undue stress. It helps to build the confidence and positive attitude among professionals. It helps to get a clear vision for future. Mind power really helps achieving ones dream by making a clear picture of ones vision and through the help of subconscious mind.
IV. CHANTING OF MANTRAS
1. Chanting- It gives lots of physical and mental benefits. It increases mental clarity. It relaxes the brain waves.
2. Laughing Therapy- It helps release healthy chemicals and hormones that promote healthy and positive state of mind.
I. INTORDUCTION
1. Stress and its associated health disorder
2. Yoga & its benefits for the Professional
3. Life Style management
4. Diet management
II. PRACTICAL
1. Yogic Sukhsma Vyayam (Joints Exercises)
2. Asanas
3. Pranayama
III. MEDITATION / MIND POWER / CREATIVE VISUALIZATION / KAYOTSARG (Auto-suggestion)
IV. CHANTING OF MANTRAS
1. Om chanting
2. Laughing Therapy
Details on next page.
DETAILS OF MODULE
I. INTRODUCTION
1. Stress and its associated health disorder
Stressed out individuals carry a great deal of physical tension in their bodies and it is the root cause of so many psychosomatic disorders that’s why it is very necessary to educate every person the techniques to cope up with stress and its side effects also.
2. Yoga and its benefits for professional
Yoga is a complete therapy which gives one physical, mental and emotional balance.
Benefits for the professionals
It sharpens the brain and makes one more active. It releases healthy chemicals and hormones in the body which makes one feels stress free and positive. Among professionals it is very beneficial in improving over all health thus enhancing ones work performance.
3. Life style management
Most of the diseases such as High B.P., Diabetes etc. which are occurring today are due to our faulty lifestyle. So one needs proper counseling to regulate healthy life style to get rid of these health disorders.
II. PRACTICAL
1. Yogic Sukhsma Vyayam (Joints Exercises)
Benefits
Increases movement and flexibility of joints thus reducing pain, prevents arthritis, good for cervical, backache, knees pain and other joints deformities.
2. Asanas
Benefits
Regulates blood circulation and balances secretion of hormones thus managing physical and mental disorders. It relieves body aches, enhances mobility, flexibility of joints and improves digestion. It improves concentration, memory power and is good for brain because it works on whole nervous system. It helps to reduce extra fat from body and gives a feeling of lightness, activeness and refresh ness.
3. Pranayam
Benefits
According Yoga by concentrating on breath mind also calms down thus relaxing excess thought process. It improves concentration and memory power. It detoxifies whole system.
III. MEDITATION / MIND POWER / CREATIVE VISUALIZATION
Meditation technique to enhance ones mind power using the power of subconscious mind. It’s a process of visualizing the step by step instructions given by trainer.
Benefits-
It’s a complete process which relieves undue stress. It helps to build the confidence and positive attitude among professionals. It helps to get a clear vision for future. Mind power really helps achieving ones dream by making a clear picture of ones vision and through the help of subconscious mind.
IV. CHANTING OF MANTRAS
1. Chanting- It gives lots of physical and mental benefits. It increases mental clarity. It relaxes the brain waves.
2. Laughing Therapy- It helps release healthy chemicals and hormones that promote healthy and positive state of mind.
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