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.

Tips for Flat Tummy

How to get motivated for Exercise?

Most of the people don't like to exercise! Follow bellow strategies will help you to get up and going for good.

Be Realistic
First-time exercisers often set unrealistic goals that are too ambitious for beginners. Gerald Endress, fitness director of the Duke Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, N.C. says, “They want to go for maximal goals, but they tend to get overwhelmed.”

So don’t start off trying to work out an hour every day. Instead, set more reasonable, achievable goals, like exercising 20 to 30 minutes two or three times a week.

Keep Track of Your Progress
Remember to chart your progress, whether it's with a high-tech online tracker or an old-school fitness journal. Seeing incremental improvements, whether it's improved time, increased reps, or greater frequency of workouts, can boost your exercise motivation.

Don't Expect Perfection
Another pitfall is all-or-nothing thinking, a perfectionist way of looking at life that leads to giving up when you miss a day or two or your workout doesn’t go well. Endress says if you accept that there will be some sidesteps on your fitness journey, you’ll be better prepared mentally to deal with setbacks.

Expect that you'll get sick from time to time, and be psychologically prepared to miss a few days of exercise when that happens. Don’t let it be an excuse for giving up. "From then on, many people say, ‘I can’t exercise,'" Endress says. "But there’s always a way to exercise."
To keep injuries from side-lining you, do your best to prevent them by warming up, cooling down, stretching properly, and not doing too much too soon.

Don't Compare Yourself to Others
We’ve all seen those toned, fatless specimens who strut through the gym in their Barbie-sized shorts and sports bras.

Don’t compare yourself to them, Endress says. Forget about them. Forgive them. But do not let them deter you from your goal.

Get Support
Enlist the help of your spouse, girlfriends, boyfriends, buddies -- anyone who will encourage you to stay on track.

"The person should be in support, but not say, 'Why can’t you? It’s so easy,'" says Sottovia. If helpful reassurance turns into criticism, gently remind your pal that you don’t need nagging.
If you need additional help, hire a trainer, she advises.

Find the Fun In It
Sottovia and Endress both say it’s essential to find an activity you like. With an explosion in the number and types of fitness classes at most gyms, it has become easier to find something to appeal to you, from aerobics to Zumba.

If you're not the gym type, walk around your neighbourhood or try activities around the house, such as walking up and down stairs or dancing with the stars in your living room. If you're motivated by being social, follow Geiger's lead and join a team.

Break It Up
You can make it easier on yourself by splitting your exercise session into two or three sessions, says Endress. Research supports the idea that this can be as beneficial as one long workout, he says.
So, for example, if you don’t feel like exercising for an hour on any given day, do three sessions of 20 minutes each.

Make It Convenient
Do whatever you can to remove obstacles to exercise, and make it as convenient as possible, says Sottovia. If you are time-pressed, for example, don't spend 30 minutes driving to a gym. Try exercising at home to fitness DVDs instead. If you're too tired to work out at the end of the day, set your alarm a little earlier and exercise in the morning.

Forget the Past
Don't let previous bad experiences with exercise hinder you, Sottovia says.
So maybe you weren’t the most athletic kid in high school and were the last chosen for class games. That was years ago. Your goal now is not to win a letter jacket or make the cheerleading squad -- you want to exercise to stay healthy and enjoy your life.

Reward Yourself
Treat yourself for making the effort to exercise -- not with food, but with something that you enjoy, like a movie or flowers, says Endress.

Try to think of indulgences that will reinforce a mind-body connection so you can savour the rewards of your hard work. Plan a short trip, or just an hour in a botanical garden. Go to a ball game. And remind yourself with each precious moment that you are enjoying this time because of all the great things you have been doing for yourself.

Stress-Busting Foods

Stress: We all have it, and how we handle it can make all the difference. Stress management can be a powerful tool for wellness, since too much stress can affect physical health. There are many strategies, and one of them is all about what you eat. Read on to learn how a stress management diet can help.

Stress-Busting Foods: How They Work
Foods can help tame stress in several ways. Comfort foods, like a bowl of warm oatmeal, boost levels of serotonin, a calming brain chemical. Other foods can cut levels of cortisol and adrenaline, stress hormones that take a toll on the body over time. And a healthy diet can counter the impact of stress, by shoring up the immune system and lowering blood pressure. Do you know which foods are stress busters?

Complex Carbs

All carbs prompt the brain to make more serotonin. For a steady supply of this feel-good chemical, it's best to eat complex carbs, which are digested more slowly. Good choices include whole-grain breakfast cereals, breads, and pastas, as well as old-fashioned oatmeal. Complex carbs can also help you feel balanced by stabilizing blood sugar levels.

Simple Carbs

Dieticians usually recommend steering clear of simple carbs, which include sweets and soda. But in a pinch, these foods can hit the spot. Simple sugars are digested quickly, leading to a spike in serotonin. Still, it doesn't last long, and there are healthier options. So don't make these a stress-relieving habit; you should limit these.

Oranges

Oranges make the list for their wealth of vitamin C. Studies suggest this vitamin can curb levels of stress hormones while strengthening the immune system. In one study of people with high blood pressure, blood pressure and cortisol levels (a stress hormone) returned to normal more quickly when people took vitamin C before a stressful task.

Spinach

Popeye never lets stress get the best of him -- maybe it's all the magnesium in his spinach. Too little magnesium may trigger headaches and fatigue, compounding the effects of stress. One cup of spinach goes a long way toward replenishing magnesium stores. Not a spinach eater? Try some cooked soybeans or a filet of salmon, also high in magnesium. Green leafy vegetables are a rich source of magnesium.

Black Tea

Drinking black tea may help you recover from stressful events more quickly. One study compared people who drank four cups of tea daily for six weeks with people who drank another beverage. The tea drinkers reported feeling calmer and had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol after stressful situations. When it comes to stress, the caffeine in coffee can boost stress hormones and raise blood pressure.

Almonds

Almonds are chock-full of helpful vitamins: vitamin E to bolster the immune system, plus B vitamins, which may make you more resilient during bouts of stress such as depression. To get the benefits, snack on a quarter of a cup every day.

Raw Veggies

Crunchy raw vegetables can help ease stress in a purely mechanical way. Munching celery or carrot sticks helps release a clenched jaw, and that can ward off tension

De-Stress With Exercise

Besides changing your diet, one of the best stress-busting strategies is to start exercising. Aerobic exercise boosts oxygen circulation and spurs your body to make feel-good chemicals called endorphins. Aim for 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three to four times a week. If you're not active now, tell your health care provider you're going to start exercising -- they'll root for you and make sure you're ready to get moving.

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITS: Information in Indian System of Medicine

Treatment in AYURVEDA

Definition

 

Ayurvedic name: Amavata

Due to the hypo-functioning of ushma (Agni), the first dhatu viz. the rasa or chyle, is not properly formed and the anna-rasa undergoes fermentation or putrefaction (dushta) being retained in the amashaya. This state of rasa is 'Ama' where the impaired vatadi doshas being mixed up with one another lead to the ama-dosha- According to Vagbhata (A .H. Su. 13/25).

 

The disease 'amavata' is formed due to such vitiated ama-doshas. 'Madhav-nidana' explains this disease descriptively.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term disease that leads to inflammation of the joints and surrounding tissues. It can also affect other organs.

 

Causes

 

• Foods/habits incompatible with your constitution

• Poor digestion
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Consuming too much fat

Preventive Measures

Don’ts (Apathyas)

• Avoid Curd, fish, jaggery, milk, flour of mash (black gram)

• Avoid dushit jala (contaminated water)
• Avoid viruddha bhojan (incompatible food), asatmya food, visham bhojan
• Avoid control of natural urges (vegavrodh), ,
• Avoid heavy, slimy foods (pischhil).

Health Promoting Tips

Do’s (Pathyas)

• Food like Yava (barley), Kulattha (horse gram), Raktashali (rice), Vastuk

• Fresh vegetable like shigru (drum sticks), punarnava, karvellak (bitter gourd),
parawar, ardrak (ginger)• Usage of hot water, rasona or ginger (shodhit with takra), Jangal mansa (meat).

Curative Herbs 

• Guggulu (Commiphora wightii)

• Nirgundi (Vitex negundo)
• Eranda (Ricinus communis)
• Shallaki (Boswellia serrata)
• Shunthi (Zingiber Officinalis)
• Guduchi (Tinospora corifolia Willd.)
• Shigru (Moringa oleifera)
• Rasna (Pluchea lanceolata)
• Rasona (Allium sativum)
• Prasarini (Paedaria foetida)

 

Treatment in UNANI

Definition

Wajaul Mafasil (Rheumatoid arthritis) is an inflammation of one or more joints associated with pain. It may be Balghami (phlegmatic) or Damavi (sanguine) and Murakkab (compound) acoording to predominance of Akhlat (humours).

 

Causes

 • Predominance of Haar (hot) and Ratab (moist) Akhlat (humours) - Dam (blood),
Balgham (phelgm).• Soo-e-Mizaj Azwi (Imbalance of temperament of organ).
• Martoob Aab-o-Hawa (Humid climate).
• Accumulation of Fasid Akhlaat (morbid humours) in blood due to Soo-e-Hazm
(indigestion).

• Infiaalat-e-Nafsania (Psychic influences).

• Excessive intake of hot and moist food such as meat and dairy products.
• Samn-e-Mufrat (Obesity).
• Naqs-e- Taghzia (Deficient nutrition).
• Kasrat-e-Sharab Noshi (Excessive consumption of alcohol).
• Zarba-wa-Saqta (Injury).
• Mauroosi (Hereditary).
• Certain diseases affecting body immunity e.g. Aatshak (syphilis), Suzaak
(gonorrhoea), etc.

Preventive Measures

 

• Maintain body weight.

• Avoid oily/fatty diets.
• Maintain normal Ihtibas-o-Istifragh (retention and evacuation) through intake of
high fiber diet to regulate daily bowel movement.

Health Promoting Tips

 • Do Riyazat (exercise) regularly as per instructions.
• Adequate Naum (sleep).
• Hijamah (cupping) is very beneficial. It decreases the inflammation of joints.

Curative Herbs 

• Izkhar Lemon grass (Andropogon schaenar linn)

• Arand root Castor (Ricinus communis Linn.)
• Ajwain khurasani Henbane (Hyoscyamus alba Linn.)
• Madar flower Madder (Calotropis gigantea (Linn.) Ait. f.)
• Zanjabeel Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe)
• Suranjan talkh Colchicum (Colchicum luteum Bak.)
• Joz masil Datura (Datura stramonium Linn.)
• Asgand Withania (Withania somnifera (Linn.) Dun.)
• Ispand Wild Rue (Peganum harmala Linn.)
• Khulanjan Galangal (Alpinia galangal (Linn.)Willd.)
• Biskhapra Hogweeds (Trianthema portulacastrum Linn.)
 

बच्चों को योग सिखाने के लाभ

- इससे बच्चें शांत होते है.
- आज के दौर में बच्चें भी बहुत तनाव में होते है. योग से उनका तनाव दूर होता है.
- योग बच्चों की एकाग्रता और संतुलन को बढाता है.
- योग करने से बच्चें सक्रीय और बेहतर जीवन शैली की ओर कदम बढाते है.
- योग करने से बच्चों की नींद और अच्छी होती है. 
- योग करने से बच्चों की कार्य प्रवीणता यानी मोटर स्किल में वृद्धि होती है. वे बारीक से बारीक और भारी से भारी काम ज़्यादा अच्छे से करते है.

- योग करने से बच्चों का पाचन अच्छा होता है . इससे उनके मुंह का स्वाद और भूख खुलने से वे सब कुछ खाना पसंद करते है. वे जंक फ़ूड से दूर रह पाते है.
- योग से बच्चों में लचीलापन और शक्ति बढती है.
- योग से बच्चें बेहतर तरीके से अपने विचार लिख-बोल पाते है. उनका आत्मविश्वास बढ़ता है.
- योग से बच्चें अपने शरीर , मन , विचार और बुद्धि के प्रति जागरूक होते है.
- योग करने से बच्चों का शारीरिक और मानसिक विकास होता है.
- इससे बच्चों में रोग प्रतिकारक शक्ति का विकास होता है. बार बार सर्दी खांसी , अस्थमा और पेट की गड़बड़ी नहीं होती. 
- बच्चों में किसी प्रकार की एलर्जी नहीं होती. 
- बचपन में शरीर हल्का और लचीला होता है. कई आसन बचपन से ही करना चाहिए जैसे शिर्षासन. इससे बड़े हो कर भी वे अच्छे से सभी आसन कर पाते है. 
- योग भारत का गौरव है इसे हर भारतीय को करते आना चाहिए. इससे देश के प्रति अभिमान में वृद्धि होती है. 
- योग सीख लेने पर एक शैली में बच्चा निपुण हो जाता है. यह उसे अपने आगे के जीवन में बहुत काम आयेगा.
- योग से प्राप्त लचीलापन , शारीरिक और मानसिक क्षमता अन्य खेल और कला सीखने में काम आएँगी. 

Stress Management at Office: Tips for relaxation

Right Posture
Failure to adopt proper posture while in neutral standing or sitting end up in problem. Sit
straight and tall at the edge of your chair.

Lunch Break Stress Exercises
Yawning during working hours is the symptom to identify your stress level. You may fall
asleep with the increasing level of stress.

Do few exercises before taking your lunch like:

Eye Exercise

You need rest to eyes for few seconds atleast twice during the course of your days work.
Continuous concentration on one particular point or object, improper of over lighting and
stress may harm the eyes.

1. Sit or stand straight
2. Without moving your body and neck, inhale and look up the ceiling. Hold it for
few seconds
3. Exhale and gradually drop the sight down to look the floor
4. Similarly do it on side ways
5. Rotate your eyes slowly and steadily both clock wise and anti clock wise
6. Blink the eyes several times and close it to relax

Neck Relaxation
Improper standing/sitting or continuous standing/sitting in one particular posture may
lead to terrible aching, stress and end up in spondylitis. Relieve such things with Neck
Relaxation techniques.

1. Keep the body straight, put your hands on waist and lower the neck ie touch your
cheek on the upper part of chest
2. Hold for few seconds and take few breath at this position
3. Lift back the neck
4. Similarly do it on the reverse side
5. Then, touch your right shoulder with right ear, hold for few seconds and take few
breath
6. Do the same on left side
7. Then, rotate your neck slowly and steadily clock wise few times and come back to
neutral position and take few breath
8. Do it on the reverse side

Shoulder Exercise
1. Keep your hands on the waist and rotate your hands at shoulder level slowly
clockwise and anti clockwise for few times
2. While inhaling stretch your hands so that it touch your ears. While exhaling bring
back your hands to the side

Breathing Exercise
Pranayama, the breathing exercise, may rejuvenate you, to carry on your work with extra
energy.

1. Put your right thumb on your right nostril
2. Deeply inhale air using your left nostril
3. Close your left nostril with your right index finger and hold breath for few
seconds
4. Exhale through left nostril
5. Do it similarly with left nostril closing right nostril
6. Now inhale through left nostril, hold breath and exhale through right nostril and
do the other way
7. Practice few times

Yoga and Life Style
Yoga is a traditional and cultural science of India, which preaches ideal life style and
maintenance of health. It literally means unity with divine consciousness. Yoga brings
about suitable changes in the behavioral pattern and the attitude of a person.

Asanas (Active Stretching)
Traditionally Asana means a “sitting condition”, or “position”. There are three basic
human postures like standing or sitting or lying postures. Though “posture” does not
convey the full meaning of Asana, it is often referred alternatively. An Asana is an
attitude, which is psycho-physiological in nature and cultures body and mind.

Types of Asanas 
Cultural or Corrective Asanas
Meant for reconditioning the body and mind so as to bring about stability, peace and a
sense of well-being. Most of them work on abdominal part. Maximum numbers of
Asanas are included in three sub groups

 A - Asanas working on Spinal Column
 B - Asanas working on Interoceptros
 Proprioceptors - Skeletal Muscles
 Visceroreceptors - Visceral organs subjected to
 pressure changes through intra- abdominal cavity
 C - Asanas working on Vestibular Organs

Relaxative Asanas
They work at the chitta (subtle aspect of consciousness) level that eliminate the physical
and mental tensions. They are practiced in supine and prone position of the body
respectively. Shavasana and Makarasana are two important relaxative asanas.

Meditative Asanas
These asanas provide a comfortable and stable position of the body to make the mind
more and more steady for the process of meditation. Padmasana, Sidhhasana and
Swastikasana are few relaxative asanas.
 Stress Management through Promotion of Mental Health
M - Money Management, Minimize needs, Meditation
E - Earnest Expectations, Enjoy the work you do
N - Avoid Negative thinking
T - Try to be happy Today
A - Accept and Adopt Reality
L - Avoid Loneliness
H - Develop good Hobbies
E - Live in good Environment. Express yourself clearly
A - Be Active and have positive Attitude
L - Try to Learn more and Manage Life
T - Have realistic Targets and Tackle one at a time
H - Maintain Healthy life style