Category: Wellness

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Wellness

Getting into the spirit of Ramadan

A Muslim explains the essence of Ramadan, why fasting purifies the body and soul – and how fasting helps us.
Abbas Gadhiaby Abbas Gadhia

The month of Ramadan is here again. Muslims all over the world celebrate its arrival by fasting from dawn to dusk in anticipation of purifying their bodies, minds and souls of filth and dirt. It is a sacred month dedicated to prayer, supplication, repentance, sacrifice, self-purification and spiritual wayfaring.

Fasting is not merely a Muslim ritual. Hinduism emphasises on fasting or Upavaas, which means to ‘stay near’ to God. Similarly, the greatest leaders of many religions fasted before they attained spiritual highs. In Jainism, it is learnt that Mahavira fasted before attaining Nirvana. In Buddhism, it is said that Buddha fasted before attaining enlightment. In Judaism, Moses or Prophet Musa fasted before he attained prophethood. In Christianity, the fasting of Jesus or Prophet Isa for 40 days established the practice of Lent. Finally, it was during the month of Ramadan that the Prophet Muhammad received his revelation while meditating during the ‘Night of Power’.

So, what has fasting or abstinence from food got to do with ideas such as purification, spiritual enlightment? Why is it that the phenomenon of fasting is so pervasive amongst so many cultures and religions?

What does fasting achieve?

Fasting is a form of liberation and freedom. The freedom from the slavery of sensory impulses such as food, drink and physical desires. The term for Muslim fasting or ‘Sawm’ also means making one’s self free. Although we might be pre-occupied with the idea of freedom, our daily lives are a reflection of self-indulgence and bondage to our selfish needs.

So what is the month of Ramadan? It represents a kind of self-discipline one needs to undertake to drive a positive change in his or herself. It represents the awareness of God and a hightened focus towards Him that one would attain when one is not preoccupied with mundane routines of food and drink and other sensory pleasures. By practicing self-discipline, one can control one’s desires, be strict with one’s self and and witness the spirit of sacrifice. Hunger and thirst, simply in obedience to a Divine order, does wonders in measuring the faith man has in God and helps him strenghthen it by putting it to a difficult test.

What Ramadan is about

One of the goals of the month of Ramadan is to develop an active awareness of God and a feeling of humility and thankfulness to Him. A simple example of this kind of active awareness would be one’s awareness of traffic on the road while driving a car while being constantly on the alert. However, a passive awareness would be like one’s awareness of the air around him, which is only realised occasionally and not thought of often. Training oneself for achieving this active awareness of God is perhaps one of the most important keys in attaining spirituality and the absence of distractions of food and drink help in such an exercise.

In the Quran, verse 2:182 says,

“O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed upon you as it has been prescribed upon those before you, so that you may attain God-Consciousness.”

Finally, here’s what the Prophet Muhammad himself says about some of the benefits of fasting in the month of Ramadan

“This is a month in which He (God) has invited you. You have been, in this month, selected as the recipients of the honors of Allah, the Merciful.”

In another narration, he is said to have said:

“Whosoever observes fasting during Holy month of Ramadhan while maintaining silence and preventing his ears, eyes, tongue, sexual organs, and other body parts from lying, backbiting, and other forbidden acts, with the intention of achieving God’s Nearness, God-Almighty will bestow upon him His nearness, so that he will become a companion of Prophet Abraham (a.s.), God’s chosen friend.”

And in another narration, he is said to have said,

 “Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan, obeying all of its limitations and guarding himself against what is forbidden, has in fact atoned for any sins he committed before it.”

So, indeed a true joyful Eid, which is a celebration of the Muslims’ successful fasting season, is felt by those who have attained the mercy and the forgiveness of God. A successful Eid is not the new found freedom to eat and drink again, but it is a celebration of gaining a heightened proximity with God.

Abbas Gadhia is a software developer who lives in Pune. His interests lie in spirituality, alternative medicine and software.

(Picture courtesy www.news1130.com. Image used for representational purpose only)

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Wellness

Your nostrils can help prevent migraines, exhaustion

Did you know that breathing through a particular nostril can cure a headache and relieve exhaustion? Read on for more.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

If you’re struck by a migraine in the middle of your working day, don’t pop a painkiller. What your doctor has probably never told you is that painkillers don’t help migraines – just a 5-minute breathing exercise will help.

Hold your thumb firmly against your right nostril and breathe slowly through your left nostril for five minutes. Keep the rest of your fingers straight but relaxed. Focus on your breathing, counting as you inhale and exhale. In a couple of minutes, the intensity of the headache reduces. Five minutes later, it is completely gone!

Another good technique to try on the days you’re feeling really exhausted is to hold your left nostril with your thumb and breathe slowly and deeply through the other. Five minutes later, you will feel more energetic and your tired limbs will feel better, too.

How are the nostrils connected to pain relief?

Yoga believes that our breathing is connected to our emotional and physical health. Ancient Chinese and Indian healing systems are firm believers in the power of deep breathing to heal many internal disturbances. Yoga stresses that breathing and the body’s ‘vital force’ are in tandem with each other. Thus, the deeper you breathe, the deeper is the flow of your body’s vital force. This helps in self-healing.

Also, the emphasis on deep breathing is accompanied by breathing through one of the two nostrils for specific healing. It is said that air coming in from the left nostril promotes a ‘cooling’ of the body’s nerve centres, thus lessening pain. On the other hand, air coming in through the right nostril causes warming up of the body, which relieves exhaustion and energises one to perform tasks better.

So don’t grab your medication for a headache – just breathe right!

(Picture courtesy www.lexiyoga.com. Image is used for representational purpose only)

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Wellness

Why have potted plants in the home

Apart from adding a soothing green look to our living premises, plants have many health benefits as well. Read on.
by the Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Everybody loves to be surrounded by greenery, but for those living in the metros, greenery is a luxury few have the good fortune to possess. Concrete jungles in cities like Mumbai have systematically wiped out the earlier green tracts of land over the years. A few stray trees here and there can now be seen in most localities in Mumbai.

Besides, citizens themselves are unappreciative of the value of planting and maintaining trees, often thoughtlessly hacking off entire branches and stems because the tree blocks their view, or because the leaves fall on their parked cars below. But while we cannot always stop the rampant killing off of trees, we can do our bit to add to the greenery in our immediate surroundings to beautify them.

The health benefits of having plants in the home cannot be disputed, but several people feel that having potted plants in the home is only for those who like gardening and getting their hands dirty with soil. If you were unaware of the benefits of having plants in the home, let us give you four good points:

Clear the air with plantsThey clear the air. This is pure science. Every plant’s natural food-creating process ensures that large amounts of pure oxygen are released to the environment and harmful carbon dioxide is absorbed. This is why office workspaces should have large plants (preferably of the flowering variety) in close vicinity, because the freshness they bring to the air is more beneficial for people sitting in air-conditioned environments all day. Breathing fresh air is a luxury in a highly polluted city like Mumbai, so the more plants you will have at home or in the office, the fresher will be the air you breathe.

However, ensure that plants are not present in the bedroom or sleeping space, because they reverse the oxygen-carbon dioxide release process at night, so effectively, you will be breathing carbon dioxide as you sleep.

Their products are safe to consume. People who plant their own kitchen gardens swear by the nutrition value of the fruit and leaves their gardens yield. Since you take care of the garden yourself, you are careful in limiting the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, as also spraying your plants with harmful Kitchen garden producefungicidal. People who plant tomatoes, onions, chillies, lemons and even oranges and carrots at home eat fresh, healthy produce daily. Their food is as free from chemical intervention as possible.

Dr Ramakant Shetty, a dentist, has been cultivating his own organic kitchen garden for three years now. “I limit the buying of vegetables and fruit from the market,” he explains. “The produce from my garden is larger in size, tastier and very healthy for even young children to eat.”

They promote calmness and health. Much like looking at fish swimming in a fish tank promotes feelings of serenity among sick people, maintaining your plants is good for health. At a physical level, cultivating a variety of potted plants is hard work. “You have to periodically re-pot the plants, change the soil, add manure and bio-waste to enhance its quality, and conduct regular checks to see that grubs and ants are not eating your plants,” says Dr Shetty. “Working in the soil is good for the body and the mind, because the aroma of fresh earth enhances the mood. Those who have large gardens can keep fit with regular work in the garden.”

Most people who invest time and energy in growing plants in the home are thoroughly invested in the plant’s welfare. It is a healthy hobby to cultivate as well.

They uplift the mood on sight. Fresh, healthy and well-groomed plants are a delightful sight, and they uplift the mood instantly. It has to do with the green colour of the leaves and the sharply contrasting colours of fruit and flowers on the plants that pleases the eyes and cheers us up. “Plants in good health will have firm green leaves and stems, and they will grow faster,” opines Shraddha Kamat, a housewife. “I always enjoy observing my plants when it is windy – because the plants are healthy, the leaves dance in the breeze instead of wilting and falling out,” she smiles.

(Pictures courtesy www.bbc.co.uk, chemicalfreeagriculture.blogspot.com, blackfootnativeplants.wordpress.com. Images used for representational purpose only)

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Wellness

Get rid of that stye in your eye

Summer brings with it several eye infections. A stye is one of them, and it is often easy to treat.
Dr Anand Shroffby Dr Anand Shroff | Consultant Ophthalmologist, Shroff Eye Hospital

The medical term for a stye is ‘hordeolum’. Styes are very common at this time of the year when the temperatures soar and make the environment susceptible to bacterial growth. A stye occurs when glands at the edge of the eyelids become blocked and subsequently infected, due to bacterial contamination. I have seen many cases of styes and conjunctivitis this month.

According to Indian Ayurveda, certain foods also produce heat in the body. Pitta is associated with heat and its effects are felt during summer. Many patients have a history of styes being formed after they have eaten a lot of mangoes or pickles. Although there are no scientific studies citing this, this is a common finding during summer, at least in India!

My grandmother and mother have followed this tradition of ‘cooling’ mangoes before eating them by soaking them in water. I don’t know how much that helps, but mango lovers who are susceptible to styes in summer should certainly try it. Some people are more susceptible than others, as they have greater amounts of bacteria on their lids or have excessive discharge of the mucous glands and hence are more likely to develop a blockage.

Things we do that encourage bacterial growth:

  1. Not removing makeup before bedtime
  2. Using old, contaminated cosmetics or cheap ones
  3. Rubbing the eyes with unclean fingers
  4. Inserting and removing contact lenses with unclean fingers
  5. Not following proper contact lens hygiene
  6. Swimming without wearing swimming goggles

A chalazion (also known as a meibomian cyst) is different from a stye. Chalazion is a blocked eye lid gland which is long standing, not infected and forms a bump on the eyelid, usually resulting from an untreated stye. A stye is an acute infection of the gland which usually causes redness, swelling, and pain. If you have a swollen lid that seems to be especially tender in one localised area, the chances are high that it is a stye.

Either way, the preventive steps and first line of treatment remain the same and it is best to see an ophthalmologist for accurate diagnosis.

What should you do?

The first line of treatment should always be hot compresses and eyelid hygiene.  When it is painful, it is usually in the acute phase and at this time it responds well to hot compresses.

Because a stye is well sealed from the outside, antibiotic drops do not penetrate very well to the site of infection. However, hot fomentation or applying heat to the inflamed area normally works. The most important aspect of heat application is to do it as frequently as possible especially during the initial phase of the stye. An acutely inflamed stye may begin to drain and at this point topical antibiotic eye drops may help.

Eyelid hygiene: Stop using eye make-up for a while as make-up can be contaminated with bacteria. Apply baby (tear-free) shampoo to a clean, wet wash cloth or ear bud and gently rub along the eyelid margins once a day.  Some prefer using commercially available pre-moistened eyelid wipes. Any mild analgesic and anti-inflammatory tablet may also help reduce painful discomfort.

If the stye hardens and forms a closed cyst, it may need minor surgical removal.

If left untreated…

Some styes remain the same, few get worse and a few get better on their own. If it is on the upper eyelid, it may affect vision, but only due to the drooping of the eyelid, which reduces when the condition improves. On the lower lid it is less likely to interfere with vision. However, it is not possible to know how it will evolve, hence simple home remedies as listed above should be adopted.

(Featured image courtesy medicalpoint.org)

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Wellness

Flu shots for pregnant women in Mumbai?

Huge rise in flu cases all over India spurs city gynaecologists to advise influenza immunisation shots to their pregnant patients.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

India has seen a significant rise in influenza (flu) cases over the years, exposing millions to serious life-threatening health complications. Data shows that influenza contributes between 5 per cent and 10 per cent of all acute respiratory infections (ALRI) such as pneumonia and bronchiolitis, leading to an upsurge in hospitalisation and even deaths.

Amongst the high risk groups, there is a gradual rise in vaccination only amongst children. However, even though pregnant women are also a high-risk group, unfortunately, they are not always advised to take this crucial vaccination. Pregnant women face an increased risk of flu complications because of the changes in their immune system. The complications include pneumonia, ear infections, worsening of pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart and kidney problems and can lead to hospitalisation. Influenza can also lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as babies with a low birth weight, premature deliveries, emergency caesarean, still births and neonatal deaths.

Dr Parikshit Tank, Chairman, Safe Motherhood Committee, FOGSI, says, “The number of pregnant women dying of flu is on the rise. Such cases could have possibly been prevented through immunization. Unfortunately in India, there is little or no awareness amongst pregnant women or the general population that influenza could lead to serious complication for them and their newborn child. Maternal immunisation against influenza protects the mother and also safeguards infants”.

“Immunisation for influenza should not just be administered in times of an epidemic, such as now. The need for immunization must be made a habit, and pregnant women must make sure to get the vaccination regardless of the surrounding health environment. Efforts must be made to increase awareness and access of the influenza vaccination”, added Dr Tank.

Dr Suchitra N Pandit, Imm. Past President FOGSI and Consultant, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai says, “It is very important for a pregnant woman to take preventive measures to protect herself and her baby from the complications of flu. A single shot flu vaccine is the safest and most effective way to prevent flu and provide immunity to the mother and newborns. This is why our recent FOGSI Good Clinical Practice Guidelines have included the influenza vaccination in the recommended vaccination list for pregnant women. This will help raise awareness and reduce the risk of influenza and its severe outcomes.

“Globally a lot of work has been done to create awareness. Even in Asia we have an organisation named Asia-Pacific Alliance for the Control of Influenza (APACI), whose aim is to reduce the burden of influenza in the region, by assisting public awareness programs on influenza, promoting it among healthcare professionals, through the provision of educational information and activities”, adds Dr Pandit.

Seasonal influenza is characterised by a sudden onset of high fever, cough (usually dry), headache, muscle and joint pain, severe malaise (feeling unwell), sore throat and runny nose. Most people recover from fever and other symptoms within a week without requiring medical attention. But influenza can cause severe illness or death especially in people at high risk. India has already witnessed a swine flu flare-up that killed a total of 2,167 people across different states and affected 35,077 people as on April 11, 2015.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), vaccination against influenza is the most effective way to prevent influenza and its complications. Furthermore, WHO also states that pregnant women constitute the highest priority group for seasonal influenza vaccination. The flu shot has been given to millions of pregnant women over many years and has not been reported to cause any potential harm to either mother or baby. Lack of awareness, overcrowding, poor sanitation and myths about the disease, add to the disease burden.

Considering the benefits it has for the mother and infant, the Association of Physicians of India (API) and the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) also recommend vaccinating against influenza during pregnancy.

(Picture courtesy www.medicaldaily.com. Image used for representational purpose only)

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Wellness

Are you not getting better? Your diet is the culprit

Dr Nandita Shah gives a simple mantra to completely reverse diabetes, cardiac problems, and even cancer – the right diet.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

India leads the world in diabetes, depression and heart disease. The numbers of cancer, HIV-AIDS and other auto-immune disease cases is also on a daily upswing in the country. What are we doing wrong?

Dr Nandita ShahDr Nandita Shah, Founder, SHARAN, tells The Metrognome about what we’re doing to make ourselves sick – eating all the wrong food. She insists that simply cutting down on meat, salt, oil and sugar will not do the trick, it is time we all went completely vegan. In a freewheeling chat, Dr Shah explains the benefits of veganism and why it is the best option to reverse the most serious illness.

Excerpts from the interview:

How did you stumble upon the concept of reversing diseases through diet?

Being a doctor myself, I realised through my practice that real health is not about giving medicines to get rid of symptoms of a disease. I practiced homoeopathy, which is a holistic system of treating diseases. But even with that, people would get better with a remedy, but soon return with the same problem.

In 1981, when I began my practice, diabetes, hypertension, and cancer were rare and usually occurred only in the aged. Today, these diseases are not just striking a lot of the population, but even young people are developing them. Our bodies are designed to heal themselves, but we come in the way of the healing process. Observe animals in nature – they know how to heal themselves. They don’t need hospitals and doctors to the extent that humans do. I asked myself, ‘Are we causing our own diseases? And if so, how?’

We have a herd mentality; we do what others do. This also applies also to what we eat daily and how we choose to treat ourselves when we are ill. For instance, a diabetes doctor will ask you to cut sugar and carbs from your diet to lower your sugar levels, and we do this blindly even though we know that no one gets well from this regimen. Sugar is not the cause of diabetes, high blood sugar is the result of it.

The food we put into our bodies has a direct effect on our health.

What is the principal problem with our dietary habits that causes diseases?

The biggest problem is that we will put anything into our months. Eating is a completely instinctual exercise – all animals in nature eat according to their instincts but we don’t know what our instincts are. Take the example of a child. He will refuse to drink a glass of cow’s milk. So his mother coaxes him to drink it with sugar and chocolate powder added to it, knowing that these substances are harmful for him. No other animal, except humans, will drink another animal’s milk.

We are constantly brainwashed by the media and by other people to eat all the things that we shouldn’t eat at all; sugar, refined and processed foods are at the top of this list. The first thing I do in my practice is to connect patients to their instincts. I teach people to eat the right food. You would be surprised to know that even a long-standing 30-year-old diabetes can be completely reversed just by correcting the diet. Our bodies are interested in healing, but we don’t allow the healing to happen.

How does a vegan lifestyle impact the diseases or disorders we may be experiencing?

Like I said earlier, we eat anything and everything that comes our way, and this causes sickness. The first thing to do is, make a list of everything that’s being advertised, and then refuse to eat it. No one would spend money on advertising foods that are instinctual. We already know that we should eat them. Cut out sugar, cooking oil, animal products (including milk), and refined and processed foods from your diet, and see the difference it makes. When preparing food, use grated coconut or crushed peanuts in place of oil. Sweeten your food or drink with dates and raisins.

What has been your most interesting experience in reversing a disease in your patient?

That the ones who have minor illnesses are resistant to change, but those to whom doctors offer little hope will do anything to get better! I find that those who are willing to think and stand up for themselves, get better. People must realise that expensive treatment systems are not aimed at making you better, because they do not address the cause. They must understand that the solutions are often simple and available in nature, there is no need to take medicines just because everybody else does.

(Pictures courtesy SHARAN and abcnews.go.com)

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