Why Preventive Healthcare for India?

There is an English proverb that states “Stitch in Time Saves Nine”, which means it is better to take necessary precautions for safety, rather than being sorry. The same applies to the field of healthcare, where it is always advisable to take necessary measures to prevent the occurrence of a disease, rather than taking actions once the disease had already occurred. This is the reason why the focus of healthcare across the world is shifting from curative healthcare to preventive healthcare   In India, the growing population has been plagued with multiple lifestyle diseases. The complexity of the same is increased by the fact that these diseases are chronic in nature, which can only be controlled but can never be fully cured.

The seriousness of the matter is evident from the following statistics in India:  

1. Four people die of heart attack every minute
2. Two people die of diabetes every minute
3. One people die of cancer and stroke every minute
4. 35% of deaths due to heart attack, cancer or diabetes have occurred to the population with an age group of 35 to 60  

The onslaught of these diseases can only be curbed if they are detected early. A study indicates that 40% of the cancer cases can be prevented with a healthy lifestyle of the patient and by early diagnosis of the disease. Although the Indian population has been primarily surviving on a curative healthcare so far, the following factors are pushing the same towards a preventive healthcare:

1. Increasing awareness about diseases in both rural and urban areas
2. Increase in disposable income, which allows the population to take pro-active steps in their personal healthcare
3. Increase in lifestyle diseases, which can only be curbed through preventive healthcare than curative healthcare  

But we have only walked a few steps in adopting a preventive healthcare system, as the challenges that lay in our paths are multiple with varying complexity. One of these challenges is the lack of an ecosystem that will allow the individual to make some changes in their daily lifestyle, which will allow them to adopt preventive healthcare.

Drink Water at Correct Time!

Health benefits of eating Tomatoes

1- Helps to keep blood vessels healthy

2- Rich in lycopene to promote prostate health
3- Full of vitamin C to keep immune system strong
4- A good source of beta-carotene for healthy vision

5- Studies have shown tomatoes help prevent breast cancer.
6- Contains compounds to help lower cholesterol

7- Rich in potassium for heart health
8- Full of vitamin E to keep skin healthy and beautiful
9- The skin is full of carotenoids tomatoes to promote wellness
10- Rich in energizing B vitamins to help you stay active

HEALTH BENEFITS OF MUSIC

1. Heightens Awareness: Musical (non-verbal) and verbal interaction with others, enhances awareness of self and others.


2. Share Feelings: Offers opportunities for individuals to openly share their feelings and to experience a sense of ‘universality’.

3. Improves Self Belief: Music allows everyone to express themselves creatively without the need to follow any strict guidelines, processes or norms.



4. Skill Development: Plays an important role in the development of physical, sensory and cognitive skills, extending your visual perception.

5. Improves Focus: Music helps improve your concentration and attention span.

6. Motivation Booster: Increases self-confidence, self-esteem, personal insight and motivation.


7. Sense of Independence: Leads to development of independent, decision-making skills.

8. Improves Quality of Life: Provides immense satisfaction, enjoyment and an overall improvement in quality of life.

9. Creates Relaxed Environment: Provides a relaxed environment that enables better social interactions.



10. Anti depressant: Music calms the nerves and decreases tension, anxiety and stress. Your heart loves it.

11. Sharpens Motor Skills: Musicians have more evolved gross and fine motor skills.

12. Improves Memory: Musicians have sharper sequential memory and shorter recall time.

13. Improves Discipline: Trains the mind towards self-management and inculcates discipline.

14. Amps up happiness levels: Deeply engaging with music, rather than allowing it to wash over us, gives the experience enhanced emotional power and happiness.


15. Rehabilitation: Music therapy is widely used for patients with visual, sensory or motor disabilities, induced through stroke.

16. Effective Learning Aid: The inherent structure and emotional pull of music makes it an easy tool for teaching concepts, ideas, and information.

17. Shortens Recall Time: Music is second only to smell for its ability to stimulate our memory in a very powerful way. Music therapists use this while working with patients suffering from dementia and amnesia.

18. Easy Storage: Music, with its rhythmic patterns is easy for the brain to store and recall: predictable, structured, and organized–and our brain just loves it that way!
 

Tips to reduce High Blood Pressure Effectively & Quickly!

Salt is everywhere!  No matter what product you look at, you will find salt – hidden and not so hidden.  Because of this, we have become a society addicted to this rock.  The consequences of salt addiction can be detrimental to our health, unless we make the decision to protect our health and reduce the sodium in our diet.

Many medical experts consider salt a primary contributor to high blood pressure, increased risk of stroke, heart disease and kidney failure. Sodium is necessary for optimal health – we only need 500 mg. per day!  The problem is, that we Americans consume an excess amount.  Sodium is necessary to regulate fluid balance, contract muscles, and conduct nerve impulses.  The recommended amount is no more than 2,400 mg. each day which equates to roughly 1 teaspoon of salt.  Most of us use three times this amount and over time can create health issues such as High Blood Pressure.

Many of my clients suffer from high blood pressure, so it is vital to help them lower the sodium in their diet.  Having integrated the following tips into their daily lives, they are not only living healthier, they are living a better quality of life and they don’t miss the salt!

Tips To Effectively Reduce Sodium
- Read food labels.  Reading a nutrition label will tell you exactly how much sodium you are consuming.
- Buy fresh foods.  Avoid sodium-ladened processed foods.
- Recipe calls for salt?  Cut the salt in half.
- Rinse your canned beans, canned vegetables and canned tuna.
- Avoid bacon, ham, pickles and olives.  These items are cured in salt and are loaded with sodium.
- Avoid meats packed in a marinade or sauce.
- Skip the cheese.  Cheese has a high amount of sodium – 1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese has 745 mg. per cup!
- Minimize or avoid instant foods such as pasta, soups, rice and cereals.
- Choose the labelled “Lower Salt” versions of  foods when grocery shopping.
- Eat out less.  Restaurants and fast food chain’s menu items are notoriously high in sodium.
- When eating out, don’t be shy about asking to have your food prepared without added salt.
- Buy low-sodium or salt-free condiments, sauces and marinades.
- When cooking, Replace salt with herbs and spices.  You can leave out salt and never miss it with added spices.
- Add salt at the end of cooking as salt flavour diminishes.  If you need to add salt, do it at the end of cooking.
- Lemon juice adds zest and freshness.  It does a great job of replacing salt.
- Don’t add salt to your food at the table – put the salt shaker away.
- Try a low-salt cookbook for many delicious low-salt recipes.

Did you know that your taste for salt is acquired?  Your desire for salt is reversible.  By gradually decreasing  the salt in your diet, you will easily adjust to foods without salt.  Most people find that after only two weeks of lowered sodium in the diet, they begin to no longer miss it.

By mindfully choosing to reduce your sodium or salt intake, you will create very large health benefits that will serve you for life.

HYPERTENSION: Information in Indian System of Medicine

 

                                                          AYURVEDA
DefinitionAyurvedic Name: Vyanabala Vaishamya

A systolic blood pressure equal to or greater than 140 mm of Hg and /or a diastolic pressure (phase V) equal to or greater than 90 mm of Hg

Causes

• Family history

• Faulty dietary habits (fatty diet)
• Stress, anxiety, tension
• Obesity

Preventive Measures
Don’ts (Apathya)

• Don’t suppress the natural urges to pass urine, flatus stools

• Avoid stress

Dietary
• Junk food, salty snacks
• Canned vegetables
• Excessive condiments, fried food etc.

Lifestyle
• Stress
• Addiction of Alcohol, Tobacco, Tea, Coffee
• Night awakening
• Day sleeping

Health Promoting Tips
Do’s (Pathya)
Dietary changes
• Low salty diet
• Low fatty diet
• Fruits & vegetables
• Coconut
• Butter milk

Lifestyle changes
• Meditation, Pranayama
• Moderate exercise
• Positive attitude
• If obese-weight reduction

 

Curative Herbs• Shankhapushi (Convolvulus pluricaulis)
• Jatamansi (Nardostachys jatamamasi)
• Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)
• Sarpagandha (Rauwolfia serpentine)


                                                    HOMOEOPATHY

Definition

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a chronic cardiac medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. Blood pressure is a measurement of force against the walls of arteries as the heart pumps blood through the body. Condition is characterized by systemic arterial pressure consistently above 140 mm Hg systolic and 90 mm Hg diastolic.

Causes

 

Primary (essential) hypertension

• Idiopathic.

• Predisposing causes

- Family history of high blood pressure

- Life style (Smoking, extra salt intake, lack of exercise and high calorie diet)
- Mental stress.
- Type A personality ( ambitious, impatient, competitive, time-conscious etc.)
- Hyperlipidaemia.
- Obesity.

Secondary hypertension

• Renal diseases – Acute and chronic, Polycystic, Hydronephrosis Renal artery
stenosis
• Endocrine
- Thyrotoxicosis.
- Acromegaly.
- Cushing’s syndrome.
- Hyperaldosteronism.
- Phaeochromocytoma.
• Neurological
- Brain tumour.
- Psychogenic.
• Disease of blood vessels like athersclerosis
• Polycythaemia.
• Iatrogenic.
• Pregnancy induced.

Preventive Measures

- Avoid excess alcohol, smoking, high calorie diet, extra salt and oily fried food.

- Adopt relaxation techniques to avoid too much mental or physical stress.
- Diet including fruits, fibers and containing more vitamins and minerals.
- Reduce chances of ebing Obese by regular exercise.

Health Promoting Tips

• Lose weight. Reduction of weight also modifies other cardio-vascular risk factors like diabetes and dyslipidemia.

• Restrict intake of salt, fried food and other foods rich in saturated fats (like ghee, butter, cream, coconut oil).
• Avoid stressful situations as far as possible.
• Take plenty of fruits and vegetables.
• Abstain from tobacco & alcoholic beverages.
• Take regular morning walk or adopt a particular exercise regimen.
• Practice yogic exercises, pranayam, meditation, etc.

 

                                           UNANI

Definition

Zaqtuddam Qawi (Hypertension) is a condition in which the veins of body become hard due to the pressure and amplitude of the blood flows in it. It is also called as Salabat-e-Urooq (hard pulse disease).

Causes

• Mauroosi (hereditary) factors.

• Obesity (Siman-e-Mufrit)
• Alcoholism (Kasrat-e-Sharab)
• Smoking (Kasrat-e-Tambakunoshi)
• Certain diseases (Khilti Amraz) e.g. diabetes mellitus, gout or kidney disease.

Preventive Measures

• Follow guidelines of Asbab-e-Sittta Zarooriya (six essential prerequisites).

• Avoid tobacco in any form.
• Avoid alcohol consumption.
• Avoid oily, fatty and salt rich diets.
• Avoid stress.
• Maintain body weight.

Health Promoting Tips

• Do Riyazat-e-Motadil (moderate exercise) as per instructions.

• Stop oily, fatty and salt rich diets
• Adopt healthy lifestyles.

Curative Herbs

• Khaskhas Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum Linn.)

• Tukhme kahoo Lettuce (Lactuca sativa Linn.)
• Kishneez Coriander (Coriandrum sativum Linn.)
• Asrol Serpentine wood (Rauvolfia serpentina Benth.)
• Seer Garlic (Allium sativum Linn.)
• Sankaholi Morning-glory (Evolvulus alsinoides Linn.)

Regimens

• Fasad (Venesection)

• Irsaal-e-Alaq (Leeching)
• Idrar-e-Arq (Diaphoresis)

                                       SIDDHA

Definition

Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by the blood against the wall of the main

arteries. The normal blood pressure level is 120/80 mmHg. Hypertension is the blood pressure, which is above the normal level, consistently for more than six months. According to Siddha philosophy the vitiation of Azhal humour is the main cause for Athi Rattha Azhutham. Hypertension is one of the major causes of death and disabilities worldwide and hence it is rightly called as ‘Silent Killer’.

Causes

• Hereditary

• Cardiovascular diseases
• Obesity
• High blood cholesterol
• Diabetes mellitus
• Hectic and stressful life
• Mental agony
• Insufficient sleep and rest
• High salt intake

Preventive Measures

• Avoid excess intake of Salt

• Reduce the intake of Oil, Meat and Egg
• Avoid Smoking & Alcohol

Health Promoting Tips

• Take plenty of water & fruit Juice

• Drink decoction of cumin and coriander seeds
• Walking
• Breathing exercise
• Meditation
• Yoga

Curative Herbs

• Cirakam - Cuminum cyminum

• Maruthampattai - Terminalia arjuna
• Musumusukkai - Mukia maderaspatana
• Ven Thamarai - Nelumbo nucifera
• Sarpagandha - Rauwolfia serpentina
• Vellai pundu - Allium sativum
• Elam - Elettaria cardamomum
• Kothumalli - Coriandrum sativum
• Sataamaangil - Nardostachys grandiflora
• Elumicam Pazham - Citrus aurantifolia
• Venkayam - Allium cepa
• Seenthil - Tinospora cordifolia