• Water has the best soothing effect.

• Wine is best to dispel fatigue.

• Milk is the best energizer.

• Exercise including Yogic exercise is best to bring strength to body and flexibility to spine.

• Grief is the most important factor for aggravation of diseases.

• Cheerfulness is the best diet for contentment.

• Worry is the most vital emaciating factor.

• Old ghee (kept for 5 yrs or more) is best for insanity.

• Ginger (Zingiber officinalis) is best for chronic indigestion.

• Gokshura(Tribulus terrestris) is best for urinary disorders

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE TIPS

 Daily rhythm (Dincharya) :  It begins with the time of getting up till the time one goes off to sleep.
• It is advisable to get up early in the morning before sunrise. This is referred to as ‘Brahmamuhurat’ in Ayurveda.
• A glass of water at the time of getting up leads to free passage of motion and urine. Suppression of any form of natural urges is prohibited in Ayurveda.
• Cleansing of teeth/mouth is the next step which is followed by oil massage. Oil massage stimulates blood circulation thus ensuing free movement of joints and muscles, softness of skin, elimination of toxins from the body and maintaining good health.
• Regular exercise is essential for perfect health and so this is the next step. It builds up the resistance of the body against diseases , increases the  blood circulation, the efficiency of lungs and  increases the stamina. It clears all the body channels and eliminates the toxins. Sweating is one of the many indications of a good exercise.
• Proper bath ensues getting rid of the dirt of the body and it also cleanses  the pores of the skin.
• Diet** should be regulated taking into account the Desh (habitat), kal (season) and habit (body constitution*). It should be balanced and the quantity should be as per digestive capacity of the individual.
• Sleep is most important for maintenance of health and longevity as it is the mechanism of overcoming the wear and tear of the body due to physical/mental stress. The mind should be absolutely free from worldly affairs and worries while going to sleep which can be achieved by praying before sleep. Early/timely sleep is recommended and late night sleep is best avoided.

Seasonal rhythm ( Ritucharya):  There are six main seasons and the regime of each is classified distinctly. Both physical and mental stability is maintained by following the seasonal regime the whole year round. In summers the body becomes weak due to the scorching heat. Perspiration is excessive leading to fluid loss. This leads to impaired digestion and skin diseases. Light diet and cool drinks are advisable and overeating is strictly prohibited. Winter is the most suited season for body building and increasing resistance. Digestion is best in this season so a well-nourishing diet is advisable.

Regime during monsoon season
• Oil massage with oil possessing warm quality is beneficial.
• Clean and dry clothes should be worn.
• Try to move around the place of work instead of sitting in one place or do some kind of physical work.
• Do not delay or skip your meals, you should take meals at regular timings & in fixed quantities.
• Drink a glass of water with two teaspoons of honey every day early in the morning. Daily use of ‘Honey’ helps to control the excessive kapha.
• Always have fresh meals, prepared using minimum quantity of oil, or prepared with the help of Cow’s ghee. 
• Dry chatni & dry vegetables are recommended.
• Sprinkle your salads with dry ginger powder, and black pepper powder.
• Chewing of a bite of ginger before meals with little bit of salt helps improve digestion.
• Always choose warm food over cold food.
• Pickles made of ‘Raw haldi’ are recommended.
Avoid
•  Sleep during the day hours.
• Regular use of sweets, butter, cheese, etc.
• Dairy products especially curd and butter.
• Refrigerated, rewarmed, stale food, etc.
• Foods containing preservatives, artificial flavours, colours etc. 
• Excessive use of Cheese, yogurt etc.
• Over exertion.

Regime during winter season
• Take plenty of food because digestive power is best during winters.
• Rich food including milk, ghee and oil.  
• Increase sweet, sour and salty food.
• Regular massage with mustard oil.
• Expose body to the rays of sun.
• Vigorous exercise.
• Black pepper, cinnamon are recommended.
Avoid
• Afternoon sleep.
• Bananas, guavas and custard apple as they increase ‘Kapha’.

Regime during summer season
• Eat light and do not overeat as the digestive power is low.
• Opt for food with high water content and sweet, sour, salty tastes.
• Rice, sweet potato, carrots, turnip and other seasonal vegetables are advised.
• Onion is useful though garlic is avoided.
• Drink plenty of water and other liquids like coconut water, sugarcane juice, buttermilk.
• Mix barley floor in buttermilk and boil. Keep it overnight and drink the next morning.
• Natural soft drinks like khus and aam panna are cooling.
Avoid
• Exposure to heat.
• Do not go out without meals.
• Alcoholic beverages, tea, coffee.
• Smoking as this constricts blood vessels.
• Hot, spicy, oily meals.

Signs of good physical/mental health
• Easy and sound sleep.
• Discipline in daily routine.
• Good complexion.
• Easy awakening. Attainment of good amount of energy and strength.
• Intact memory, intelligent, energetic and smart in work.
• Cheerful spirit.
• Enlightened mind and body (stress free).
• Knowledge of self.
• Has the requisite power of defence.
• Non depressive attitude.
• Moralistic.

GIST       This section of ‘Healthy lifestyle’ gives some tips to start with ‘Ayurveda and its norms’ which though were laid thousands of years back still hold their relevance.
 (*) Refer to ppt. presentation on ‘Body constitution analysis’ in my linkedin profile.
 (**) Refer to ppt. presentation on ‘Diet as per Ayurveda’ in linkedin.

MOSQUITO     Aedes aegypti. Breeds in fresh and stagnated water. It bites during daytime.

VIRUS     Flavivirus

INCUBATION PERIOD     2-7 days after bite of infected mosquito.

SYMPTOMS
• High Fever ( Saddle back fever)
• Bodyache, myalgia (muscular pain)
• Joint pain
• Severe headache, vomiting
• Retro-orbital pain (pain behind the eyes), photophobia
• Rashes

COMPLICATIONS
• Bleeding from nose, mouth, gums or under skin because in haemorrhagic dengue there is damage to blood and lymph vessels.
• Altered consciousness
• Encephalitis
• Very low blood pressure leading to shock

INVESTIGATIONS show
• Reduced platelet count
• Reduced WBC
• Antibodies of virus found in serum analysis.

TREATMENT
No specific treatment is there for Dengue. Patient is monitored under strict observation. Analgesics, Antipyretics and Broad spectrum Antibiotics are used along with symptomatic treatment which includes proper hydration and probable platelet replacement therapy. Asprin should be avoided. Patient generally recovers within two weeks.

PRECAUTIONS
• Eliminate water collection of any form as this mosquito lays eggs in clean, stagnated water. Add 1 tblsp of petrol in water-coolers.
• Prevent mosquitoes from entering the house by using insecticide vaporizers, mosquito nets and nets on windows/door panels.
• Use protective clothing (minimum exposure of hands and legs) and mosquito repellents on skin.

AYURVEDA OUTLOOK
• Drink as much water as you can in order to replace fluid loss. It will also help to bring down body  temperature.
• Avoid eating solid foods until the fever is gone. You can replace the foods by drinking plenty of distilled water and/or juices.
• Fumigation with neem (azadirachta indica) leaves/neem stems or guggul (commiphora mukul) stems. These are also available in forms of agarbattis.
• Fruits rich in vitamin C  like amla (embellica officinalis)  are advised as vit.C helps in better absorption of iron. Chyavanprash can be taken as it is an immunobooster, blood purifier and increases blood count.
• 10-15 basil leaves should be chewed twice a day or these can be boiled in 200ml water on low heat. When half the quantity is left it can be taken 2-3 times a day. This strengthens the body’s defence mechanism.
• Neem-leaf extract can be taken twice a day. Neem is a purifying herb and is known for is anti-microbial properties.
• Half tsf raw haldi (turmeric) given with 1 glass of milk helps combat infection.
• In high fever papaya juice can be given as it has a cooling effect.
• To increase the blood count pomegranate juice/ black grape juice should be given.
A few other useful herbs are Saffron, Manjishtha (rubia cardifolia), Punarnava (boerrhiva diffusa), Giloy (tinospora cardifolia) , Brahmi (bacopa monnieri), Ashwagandha (withania somnifera), Yashtimadhu (glycirrhiza glabra). Some useful medicines are Sitopaladi powder, Haridrakhanda, Giloy satva, Sanjeevni tab., Amritarishta and Draksharishta. All the herbs mentioned here are said to help detoxify the liver, fight allergies, stimulate digestion, and boost immunity. They have anti viral, cleansing and antioxidant properties. They help the free flow of oxygen to the brain, help enhance digestion, improve circulation of blood and stimulate the appetite. So these herbs/medicines act holistically and help combat Dengue effectively.
Note: Self medication is not advisable. The medicines should always be taken under the supervision of concerned doctors.

It is important for each and every individual to update his/her ‘Health Awareness Quotient’ so as to become more informed  about one’s personal health.
This, I think, is the need of the hour.
 
Kindly spare a few moments and READ the following .
 

Here are the names of a few diseases -

Hypertension, Obesity, Stress, Depression, Arthritis, Asthma, Bronchitis, Hair problems, Skin ailments, Acidity, Indigestion, Infertility, Menstrual irregularities.

Now try answering these Questions :

Q 1    Do you find any similarity in these diseases?
Q 2    Are you suffering from any one of these?
Q 3    Were these diseases as prevalent  about a decade or two back  as they are today ?
Q 4    What will be the status of these diseases about a decade from now?

Are you able to get the answers?  Well, these are the answers which I got.

A 1     All these can, today, be categorized under ‘Lifestyle diseases’ i.e., our lifestyle plays a vital role in initiating all these.
A 2     This varies with individuals.
A3     No, not a single disease was as prevalent as today. Today, even the younger generation is suffering from many of these.
A 4    If the existing ignorance continues, we will find that even the school  going kids of that decade would complain about these problems.

 This is quite an uncalled for situation and no one would like the coming generations to go through this.
As we all are aware that prevention is always better than cure ; so we should all take a step forward towards the former.