Your food shall be your medicine!

In Ayurveda it is mentioned that ,Every Dravya (Material) present in this world can be used as Medicine, if you know its proper use,if not then it may acts as Poison.This concept is also applicable with our foods.In this article the Medicinal importance of food is described:Your food shall be your medicine,' said Hippocrates, the Father of modern medicine. He knew what he was talking about way back in 424 BC! Choose the food that suits your needs from this guide...


DIABETES:

• Drink the juice of 4-5 bitter gourds on an empty stomach every morning.
• Add a teaspoon of dried and powdered jamun seeds to a cup of milk, and drink it first thing in the morning.
• Swallow dry methi seeds (fenugreek) whole, or soaked overnight in water. Depending on the severity, you can have 25-100gm of the seeds.

MENOPAUSE

Drink beetroot juice regularly. Take it in small quantities (around 30gm), three times a day.

HEART DISEASE:

• Have lots of grapes - they tone up the heart muscles and reduce symptoms such as palpitation.
• Take a spoonful of asparagus juice mixed with honey (in a 2:1 ratio) three times a day if you have an enlarged heart or any other heart ailment.

INSOMNIA:

• Have a glassful of lettuce juice daily before bedtime for sound sleep. Lettuce contains lectucarium, which helps induce sleep.
• Drink a glass of warm milk with honey at bedtime to relax yourself.

CONSTIPATION:

• Soak 4-5 dried figs in half a glass of water before you go to bed, and eat the fruit first thing in the morning to get rid of stomach problems.
• Eat papaya at breakfast - it is a natural laxative.

TOOTHACHE:

• Gently bite into a clove of garlic smeared with salt, letting the juice seep into your tooth.
• Apply clove oil on the affected tooth for instant relief.

DYSENTRY:

• Have half a teaspoon of Isabgol, mixed in a bowl of curd, about three times a day.
• Boil pomegranate rind in about two cups of milk, reduce to half the quantity. Divide it into three parts and have throughout the day.

COUGH:

• Take a teaspoon of onion juice mixed with honey 2-3 times a day.
• Have haldi (turmeric) powder mixed with hot milk (half a teaspoon mixed with half cup milk) three times through the day.
• Mix a tablespoon of haldi (turmeric)powder mixed with three tablespoons of honey and have it thrice through the day.

It's all about substitutesThe next time you are browsing through the items available at the market, make the right choices; go healthy. Here are some handy tips:

• Skip the cream for a hung-curd dip. You can season with herbs of your choice.
• Reach for low-fat (eggless) mayonnaise if you must have it.
• Multigrain bread (Rs.20-60) is a healthier choice than white bread, which may be cheaper. (Choose the light-brown variety.)
• Switch to probiotic curd. While regular curd costs Rs.27 for a 400gm pack, probiotic curd is just about a rupee costlier.
• Always opt for low-fat cheese; it even costs less.
• Toned milk is a better bet than whole milk. It's costlier at Rs.43 a litre, but worth the investment.
• Choose cooking oils that are heart-friendly. You'll get a 5-litre pack for around Rs.550. Rotate oils.
• Go for fruit or vegetable juices instead of aerated drinks, even if they cost a little more. Look for varieties without added sugar. It's best to switch to home-made veggie juices.

Vandrevala Foundation to start 24x7 mental health helpline all over India

The Vandrevala Foundation that works in the area of mental health is in the process of starting 

a 24x7 mental health helpline in Pune, Delhi and Chennai soon. The foundation had started with 

a 24x7 mental health helpline in Mumbai which offers telephonic counselling to people for a range

 of mental health issues from August 2009. Following a sudden spurt in suicides by students in 

January 2010, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had given the Foundation’s 

helpline the status of an official BMC helpline.In view of the excellent response to this unique

 venture of mental healthcare helpline in Mumbai and part of the future expansion plans, the

 Foundation has chosen Pune to be the first city to be added on to the helpline grid which 

would soon have a Pan-India presence. To achieve the same, it is currently in the process 

of acquiring a four-digit MTNL/BSNL number as well as an eight-digit private service provider 

number for seamless and uninterrupted connectivity throughout the country.To cater to callers from

 Northern India, a replicated model of Mumbai would be set up in Delhi wherein the Foundation 

would soon be signing an MoU with a major healthcare service provider to give the same 

level of mental health care services that the Foundation is currently offering in Mumbai and 

adjoining areas. It is also in theprocess of setting up and identical hub at Chennai for 

southern India where it faces a unique challenge 

of diversity of languages of the callers. Recently, the Foundation has been designated by the DG Shipping 

as the official helpline for the Indian seafarers to contact in case of distress and despair wherever

 in the world they may be sailing. Their families on shore in India too can avail of the services. 

The foundation is being approached by many other such organisations wanting similar services.

The helpline is manned by certified clinical psychologists who have been trained to counsel

 people over the phone. The helpline also has tie-ups with back up services to deal with 

psychiatric emergencies as well as assist people in various areas of mental healthcare. 

The helpline follows a three-tier system wherein the call is received by a trained clinical 

psychologist and then depending upon the severity and complexity of the call, it is 

escalated to tier II level which is manned by trained psychiatrists. In life threatening cases, 

wherein

 the caller may exhibit violent or suicidal tendencies or in acute psychiatric emergencies, 

the call is 

escalated further and senior psychiatrists also get involved. The whole operation is backed

 up by 

an extremely sophisticated IT communication system where in eight people can 

simultaneously be

 in touch with the caller data. As a natural sequel to crisis intervention through

 tele-counselling, the

 Foundation offers a 24X7 crisis face to face counselling service. It is also in the

 process of setting

 up support groups at four different locations in the city of Mumbai. 

These support groups would

 be both for the patients as well as for the care givers. The Vandrevala Foundation identified mental

 health as an area where it could usefully and practically contribute to society in India. The Foundation

 would also be involved in major awareness and anti stigma programs soon.

Source:Pharmabiz

Indian market will grow to US$ 55 bn by 2020, may go global top-tier: McKinsey report

Indian pharmaceutical market will grow to a level of 55 billion dollars by 2020 and move into global top-tier according to a study, 'India Pharma 2020: Propelling access and acceptance, realising true potential', by McKinsey & Company. The report explores the potential of Indian pharma market and the implications it has on the commercial capabilities of its players.. The report analyses four key industry-shaping drivers for accelerating growth in India’s pharma market ie epidemiological factors which focus on the population growth each year, along with a steady rise in disease prevalence that will increase the patient pool by nearly 20 per cent in 2020. The increasing affordability due to sustained income growth, and incremental additions due to higher health insurance coverage; greater accessibility due to growth in medical infrastructure, with over US$ 200 billion being invested over the next 10 years and rising acceptability due to increased diagnosis and treatment rates, an increased acceptance of biologics and preventive medicines, and the increased tendency to self-medicate.“As pharmaceutical players look at the domestic Indian market today, the fundamental thought has changed from ‘whether India or not’ to ‘what is the potential of India and how can we get it,” said Vikas Bhadoria, co-author of the report and partner, McKinsey & Company. “The Indian industry faces a period of flux due to market discontinuities. Increased competition, tougher investment sourcing, new market opportunities, consolidation, and perhaps most importantly, dramatically different performance expectations, make it vital for the industry to innovate and accelerate growth and rapidly.”The new report, discusses the future outlook of India’s pharmaceuticals market and estimates that the rising healthcare access and increased acceptability will help the Indian pharmaceuticals market achieve its true potential. The study analysed key industry-shaping drivers for accelerating growth, and lays out projections for three potential growth scenarios, and offers recommendations for what players will need to do to drive growth and succeed in the Indian pharma market.According to the report the contribution of these growth drivers will undergo periodic shifts. While affordability will continue to provide the basic thrust to this growth, the interplay between accessibility and acceptability will account for nearly 60 per cent of the incremental $42 billion market opportunity. The growth will be broad-based and opportunities will proliferate and scale up. The metro and tier I markets will primarily drive this growth, as rapid urbanisation will see 250 million rural people relocate to urban centres by 2030. However, the rural market will also increase its share, moving from its current 20 per cent to 25 per cent in 2020, as more than 28 million rural households emerge from below the poverty line. All therapies will maintain or enhance growth rates as the market is still under penetrated. The hospital and institutional sales channel will double in importance, increasing its share to 26 per cent of the overall opportunity.The report suggests that the non-traditional emerging opportunities, such as patented products, consumer healthcare, biologics, vaccines, and public health, will also scale up. As an example, consumer healthcare – both in the Rx-to-OTC segment and pure-play OTC non Rx segments – promises a massive increase from their current US$ 3 billion estimate to US$ 14 to 18 billion by 2020, implying that players will need to create capabilities to generate consumer insight, and innovate in product formats and store merchandising.According to Palash Mitra, partner, McKinsey & Company, and leader of the Pharmaceuticals & Medical Products Practice in India, “Leaders will have to significantly modify their business models to compete in new arenas of growth. Commercial model capabilities will need to change. This is a time for meaningful investments to be made, be it in increasing acceptance of therapies, especially in hard to reach rural areas, driving growth from the large and mature brands, or in creating innovative sales force coverage models.”He informs that the players will also begin collaborating with other industry players to shape the market, or working in public-private partnerships to dramatically increase standards of care in India. Players will need to come to terms with the fact that risk-taking will differentiate the winners from the losers. Similarly, the agenda for policy makers is cut out for them to raise healthcare spending, invest in infrastructure, increase the number of physicians in the public sector, and ensure that its public health insurance execution delivers to plan. “Most importantly, the government has a crucial role to play in helping the industry stay viable and competitive,” Mitra adds. Source:Pharmabiz

Homeopathy treatment can cure dengue, claims doctor

A homeopathy doctor here claims to have found an effective treatment for dengue.

Anoop Maheshwari treated not only his own 10-year-old son who had suffered from the mosquito-borne disease, but has also effectively treated scores of cases of dengue with homeopathic drugs.

'Why spend Rs.25,000 and more, when homeopathic medicines can be bought for Rs.25,' Maheshwari told IANS.

'In 80 percent of cases, a dengue patient taking allopathic medicine with homeopathic drugs usually do not have drastic fall in blood platelets,' he said.

Some effective homeopathic medicines are Psorinum200, Pulsatilla30, Ars Alb30, Gels30 and China30.

In addition to this, a decoction of tulsi leaves and black pepper also helps in reducing and controlling the spread of the disease, Maheshwari added.

Source:Sify News

Our Brains can 'See' Objects by 'listening' to Them

Scientists at The Montreal Neurological Institute and McGill University have discovered that our brains have the ability to determine the shape of an object simply by processing specially-coded sounds, without any visual or tactile input. The research provides important new possibilities for aiding those who are blind or with impaired vision."The fact that a property of sound such as frequency can be used to convey shape information suggests that as long as the spatial relation is coded in a systematic way, shape can be preserved and made accessible - even if the medium via which space is coded is not spatial in its physical nature," said Jung-Kyong Kim, student in Dr. Robert Zatorre's lab at The Neuro. This means that our brains can be trained to recognize shapes represented by sound and the hope is that those with impaired vision could be trained to use this as a tool. 
Following training, the study individuals were able to match auditory input to tactually discerned shapes and showed generalization to new auditory-tactile or sound-touch pairings.
Neuroimaging studies have identified brain areas that integrate information coming from different senses - combining input from across the senses to create a complete and comprehensive picture.
Source-ANI
 

INFERTILITY AND AYURVEDA

The principles of Ayurveda do not focus solely on disease. The main focus of Ayurveda is on wellness in all aspects of life.A branch of Ayurveda deals with reproductive issues, including infertility. This branch is known as Vajikarana.The name "Vajikarana" is derived from "vaji" which means "horse". This is one dramatic example of virility. And in Ayurveda, virility is not separate from reproductive capacity.

In Ayurveda, healthy shukra dhatu, or reproductive tissue, will determine a couple's ability to conceive. And healthy shukra dhatu is built on the health of the rest of the body. Shukra tissue produces a woman's ovum (egg), and a man's semen.Impurities or imbalances in health for the body can cause problems with the reproductive system as well. Lifestyle changes that emphasize good eating habits, proper exercise and rest are important for the foundation of health in the body.Ayurveda devotes itself to development of healthy shukra dhatu. An Ayurveda doctor will make recommendations that analyze diet and lifestyle. They will recommend cleansing and rejuvenation therapies.The Ayurveda doctor will suggest nutritional supplements and herbs that can address any problems with ovulation and menstruation, or other hormonal irregularities. They will suggest meditation and yoga for stress management.A first visit with an Ayurveda doctor can last over an hour. This first visit will determine the patient's body humor, or dosha, as to whether it is Vata, Pita or Kapha. According to Ayurveda, an imbalance here can cause infertility.To ascertain the patient's dosha, the doctor will monitor the patient's pulse(Nadi), to determine the whole body's health status.The doctor will examine the appearance, color and coating of the tongue. This helps the doctor to discover which organs may be out of balance.The doctor will examine the color and shape of the patient's nails, for signs of dosha imbalance. The color, shape and size of the eyes can indicate the patient's dosha.Next, the doctor will proceed with panchakarma treatments, which flush out toxins.Ayurvedic Herbal purification, medicinal enemas, fermented liquid massages and oil massages are part of the panchakarma treatments.The doctor will use rasayana treatments which build up the body, bringing balance to the doshas. This is done with improvements in diet and daily habits, and the use of medicines and Ayurveda tonics.Yoga and better stress management are strongly recommended. Over a period of two to four weeks, the body's overall health should increase.

Ayurveda, Backwaters identified to pomote brand Kerala

Identifying Tourism as an 'opportunity area' for God's Own Country, Ayurveda and the serene backwaters were picked up to build and promote brand Kerala, thus creating a 'stand alone' destination, T Balakrishnan, Additional Chief Secretary Industries and Commerce today said. 
Kerala is today's India's most significant tourism success story. But 25 years ago, the state was an unknown destination having less than handful quality hotels, resorts and restaurants, Balakrishnan said in his inaugural address at the 'Brand Conclave 2010' organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). 
However, a 'great potential' in tourism was seen and it was decided to take a totally different approach to develop and market the same. A decision was taken to fall back on the private sector and be a facilitator, he said. 
'We did not want to depend on the central government and wanted to have our own promotion and marketing'. 
'Hot, dusty, crowded, and dirty these were the image of India. We wanted a completely different image for Kerala -- 'Green and Cool' and it was decided to promote backwaters and Ayurveda thus creating a 'stand alone' destination', Balakrishnan said. 
Every other state and the centre was promoting tourism on standard menu -- monuments. Surveys conducted showned no one comes to India to see the Taj Mahal alone, but those who come to the country, do see the Taj. 
Kerala wanted to be different and started promoting backwaters, discovered Ayurveda and built it on further. 
The state government decided to take up the marketing part while the setting up the infrastructure like hotels and other facilties was left to the private sector. 
During the nineties there were debates on what kind of tourists kerala should cater to. While the politicians and economists said the state should cater to 'Mass Tourism', few stood firm and said 'Class Tourism' was needed. A conscious decision was taken that the state would go for quality and not for mass tourism, he said.

Source;The Economic Times