According to Ayurveda all diseases are related to our life style. Life style indicates 3 factors – food, sleep and sex. Discipline is needed in these three things. The fourth one is exercise – says old books related to Ayurveda. Even our medicines will be fully effective only if our life is well-disciplined.

Modern age is facing with two problems – laziness and greed or attraction. Greed is found in the three factors mentioned above. It’s found in attaining high positions and getting more wealth as well. When stress is given for such factors, our mind and body get into trouble. Laziness to keep our body fit may result in tiredness and unwanted diseases. When we give less importance to our mind and health, we lose the capability of using our brain wisely to get progress in life.

Prevention is better

It’s always better to avoid diseases than treating them later. Keep discipline in your diet. Eat according to a timetable and as per time demands. Time is of two types – time of body and time of nature. Time of body means our age. As age passes by, we need fewer calories. Our body functions start slowing down and hence eat what our body wants. Never give it excess food! Second one is seasonal changes. When summer and winter take usual shifts, change your food style to adjust with those changes.

Summer is a season of fruits. Also, our body need water content more. So, eat a lot of fruits and soluble items during summer. Butter milk is a good energy drink when sun is so hot. During winters and rainy season, consume less fruits comparing to summer.

Eat food most suited to body as well. It means healthy food that you like as well as your stomach prefers. Some persons have problems with lentil (dal) items. Such persons should avoid such food items giving less trouble to their stomach and intestine. Digestion problems and gas troubles are the common problems with lentil items.

Now everyone is busy with parties. Such occasions have become a part of new life style. Though such parties give delicious food items, they give a lot of unhealthy diseases and disorders as well. Such parties use excess oils and sugars also. Even if we don’t want too much, such delicious items make us forget our stomach. If you make such parties a part of your life, you lose your health easily. So, even while attending such dinners just take care of your health. No need to eat excess food to please the host of the party. Eat only what your stomach requires.

Mild exercises

Exercise means at least a half hour daily walk. You can choose your own time. Fasting is also a good program to detoxify your internal system as a whole. While you are engaged in some body exercise, make sure that all organs are equally taking part in the task. Move your body as a whole. Then only your body gets a complete exercise. It’s a nice idea to walk in an open place or garden in the early morning. Morning sunlight is good for health as it gives vitamins to our skin.

Fasting for health

Fast 2 days a week. It doesn’t mean one should starve avoiding every food item. Instead of using normal food you can use fruits, juices etc to fill your stomach. It cleans your body giving it a new feel.

Sleep well

According to Ayurveda we should adopt ‘Vamasayanam’ posture while sleeping. It means we should sleep on our left side. If we sleep straight after our supper, food may suffocate diaphragm giving us discomfort.

Never over-control body activities yourself

If someone wants to cry, let it overflow as tears. It’s applicable for both men and women. It helps to reduce pressure and tensions of mind. Same is the case of normal body functions. If you feel you want to urinate, never try to keep it. Same is the case of excretion, cough, sneezing or any similar body activities. Never disrupt normal body activities. It’s something like drainage system of our body. If we try to retard them to ourselves, it may cause many health related problems.

A self control in sexual life

‘Brahmacharya’ is needed in sexual life – says Ayurveda. It means discipline and self control. That may be the reason why traditional Indians follow ‘vritha’ to keep themselves away from all desires of life during ‘vrita’ period. 

A control of food after 40

Though it’s said ‘after 40’ food discipline can be started at late 20’s itself. Use 12 hours of day time to eat food while 12 hours of night, keep your stomach free of food. That’s why it’s told by modern physicians, never take supper too late. But this food control is not for patients. Have breakfast at 7 am. Avoid taking bed coffee. Instead take it along with breakfast. Have lunch at 11 am and any fruit juice at 3 pm. At 7 pm, have your supper. Keep this food timetable fixed. Eat cooked food two times and fresh fruits and salads for one meal. Also change cereals for every meal. If you use rice food in the morning, you can use wheat or ragi for supper.

Triphala from middle ages

In middle ages, it’s a healthy habit to eat ‘triphala’ which is prepared using three fruits - gooseberry (amla), bibhitaki and haritaki. It’s a good preventive measure for many hormonal disorders. Mix 10 gm triphala in boiled - cooled water. Drink every morning. You can use it at night as well.

Treatments available in Ayurveda for diabetics, cholesterol and blood pressure

According to Ayurveda all these three ‘modern’ diseases are formed due to our over-nutrition. Eat easy digestible less fat food, regular body exercise and control our body functions using ayurveda medicines like thrikadu, thriphala etc – methods are many. Now also researches are going on seeking ayurvedic methods to bring these diseases under control. It’s better to avoid these diseases and ayurveda give preference to food, exercise and sleep.

If treatment is done regularly and continuously diabetics can be kept under control, preventing from further increase of sugar levels in blood. Also, body is to be protected from related diseases as well. Medicinal plants like neem, turmeric, bael etc and tribhala are used for the treatment of diabetics. But preference is given to movement of body, sweating and good exercise. Treatments like thakradhara and massaging are also done with this purpose. Yet treatments like kizhi and massaging should be done with great care on diabetic patients.

Cholesterol

According to ayurveda, when it a treatment needed? It’s to be done when a person feels discomfort with physical, mental or social matters. When fats are deposited in the blood vessels, it’s known as ‘dhamani pratichayam’ in ayurvedic terms. Curry leaves, urine of cow, trikadu and kharam are found to be effective for reducing its levels. Udwarthanam, thakra dhara and thakra prayog are the treatments used in ayurveda for reducing cholesterol.

High blood pressure

Sarpagandha and garlic are widely sued in ayurvedic medicines to reduce blood pressure. According to ayurveda, high blood pressure is not a disease, but a condition formed as a result of over nutrition or tensions. So, treatment is to be given knowing its root cause. Prescribed diet or shirovasti treatment is given according to the reasons. Moringa leaves, garlic and ghokshura are effectively used in the treatment of high blood pressure.

Tensions and pressures

Ayurveda views the root causes of every disease through the eyes of human ambitions and desires. According to it, ayurvedic treatments are grouped into 8 categories of which mental health and its treatment is given equal preference as others. To bring our mind back from wandering in unwanted thoughts – the basic principles of yoga are used in ayurveda also. Right knowledge, intelligence, knowledge of his own abilities and limitations, thinking power, knowledge to discriminate good from evil – through these principles win over mental pressures and tensions, that’s what ayurveda suggests. Never fall in over emotions and seeing wins and losses without any excitement are given importance as well. Another element is social being – the ability of a person to communicate and behave well with other persons in the social life.

Obesity

Treatment known as ‘Sthawlya’ is prescribed for obesity in ayurveda. Certai medicines, food and life style are also prescribed. ‘Nisthukhathvam sukhaaya cha’, says ayurveda. It means, activities giving discomfort to body and mind gives comfort to body and health. That means through manual work, providing health to our body. It can’t be assimilated in a single medicine or pill. It’s told in ayurveda books that fat people are hungry most and excess of that nutrition will be stored in blood vessels, blood and bones giving him more problems which gradually result in deterioration of his blood content, bone content and thus his health. So prescriptions are given to increase blood quantity and strengthen bones.

Fat deposits around belly are mostly found in persons who always sit during work and in those who hate exercises or both. Body massaging by applying certain ayurvedic powders is seen effective in reducing fat around belly. This treatment is known as udwarthanam. In addition to such physical exercises, yoga and ‘suryanamaskar’ also give quick results. Instead of seeking quick medicines, changing the life style and controlling food are more effective.

Fat around belly

It’s the problem faced by every lady in the middle ages – fat deposits around her belly. Condition becomes worse when she reaches menopause. New electrical and electronic equipments have reduced our abilities and flexibility a lot. Cleaning courtyard daily using a short sweep is a good exercise to hip muscles, stomach and back muscles. While drawing water from well gives good exercise hands and shoulders. Nowadays ladies doing such activities are very rare. City lives give every one a small flat without courtyard and corporation water without wells. Also, movements of joints have reduced a lot giving opportunities to fat to build their permanent shelters there. But fat content food is increasing day by day giving new diseases. After menopause her condition become worse with newly started joint pains and associated diseases. Give importance to food containing iron, proteins and calcium. Make your diet complete and nutritious with grains, fruits, vegetables, fish, meat etc. They can supply iron and calcium a lot. Reduce the amount of rice and substitute them with fruits and vegetable salads.

Controlled food doesn’t imply we should never eat fatty food. It says, keep a control over the input of calories and give importance to its nutrient supplements than taste. At first, one has to decide what diet should be taken and the next step is to stick on to healthy food habits and good life style. When you give something tasty to your tongue, make sure it will be liked by your stomach and body as well as it’s told, anything that’s good and tasty to tongue is bad to health and body. Quality and quantity of food, time when it’s served and eating styles – these three factors can deeply influence the health of mind and body a lot. Also, ayurvedic treatments will be effective when such rules strictly followed.