Homeopathy & You May 2014

Vol 1. Issue 7. May 2014 • `100

& You

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Dr MUKESH BATRA The homeopathic Natrum Muriaticum personality PREETi MAnDAwEwAlA Yoga for the spine RADHAnATH SwAMi The power of self-belief

PlUS Homeopathy: Bespoke medicine Sizzle this summer Thali-ho!

Essential iodine Juhi Chawla’s secret mantra

HoMEopaTHY & diaBETES

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INSIDE

Vol 1. Issue 7. MAY 2014

Editorial Advisory Board Chairman| Dr Mukesh Batra Vice-Chairman| Dr Akshay Batra Editor & Publisher Dr Rajgopal Nidamboor rajgopal.nidamboor@homeopathyandyou.com Assistant Editor Kavita Nadkarni Head-Sales & Marketing Kiran Joshi marketing@homeopathyandyou.com Contributing Writers Maneka Gandhi Dr Richard Firshein Kerry Dulin Nelressa Stallings Ambika Shukla Radhanath Swami Badrinath Durvasula Ruby Lilaowala Dr Preeti Mandawewala Amita Quenim

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Printed and published by Rajgopal Nidamboor for and on behalf of Dr Mukesh Batra, 2nd Floor, H Kantilal Compound, Andheri-Kurla Road, Sakinaka, Andheri [E], Mumbai – 400 072 and printed by him at Parksons Graphics, 15 Shah Industrial Estate, Off Veera Desai Road, Andheri [W], Mumbai 400 053. Editor & Publisher: Rajgopal Nidamboor © All Rights Reserved. Reproduction, in any manner, without prior written permission prohibited.

Disclaimer: Homeopathy & You is committed to providing useful information on homeopathy, health and wellness. However, its content is not intended to provide medical advice or diagnosis for individual problems, or inferred to be a substitute for professional medical guidance. It is imperative for readers to consult their doctor/ healthcare professional or therapist, prior to starting any treatment, or practice, or attending to any questions thereto. The opinions expressed by writers and columnists are their own. They do not, in any way, or manner, reflect the views of the publisher, editor, or company.

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Letters Focus: Treat diabetes with homeopathy.

Homeopathic ‘Sunsigns:’ Know your personality; know your remedy. Dr Mukesh Batra distils the homeopathic Natrum Muriaticum, this month Medical Marvels: Case Reviews from homeopathic doctors How Homeopathy Helped Me Your Little Box: Homeopathic Home Kit: Symphytum Child Health: Homeopathy for flu and diarrhoea Q&A: Doctor’s Orders For Women: Homeopathy and depression What Lies Beneath: Homeopathy is bespoke medicine Home[e]o Truths: Homeopathy and vaccine therapy are not the same.

Living Well: Sizzle this summer Mobile Conundrum Health Happenings Fitness Equipment The Way We Were & Are Essential Iodine Read.Watch. Listen. Explore Celeb fitness: Juhi Chawla

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Good Food: Tarla Dalal Live & Help Live: Maneka Gandhi Fighting Fit: Kerry Dulin Good For You: Richard Firshein Poise & Balance: Preeti Mandawewala Whole & Soul: Radhanath Swami All Is Well: Nelressa Stallings Mind Matters: Amita Quenim Corporate Wellness: Badrinath Durvasula Funny Bone: Ruby Lilaowala

MAILBOX: READERS’ FEEDBACK

Vol 1. Issue 6. April 2014

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Dr MUKESH BATRA The homeopathic Pulsatilla personality MANEKA GANDHI No less human NElRESSA STAllINGS Of leadership and teamwork PlUS

Homeopathy is not slow Water of life The healthy bicycle Goodness of chromium Deepika Padukone’s fitness mantra

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A BREATH OF FRESH AIR I really appreciate Dr Tejal Ajmera’s efforts in writing an informative article on asthma [H&Y, April 2014]. A wellthought, perfectly suitable title as well, ‘Breathe Easy.’

Also, Richard Firshein’s article ‘Reversing asthma’ was good. One of my friends’ kids is asthmatic and I would definitely recommend her to read this article and also consult a homeopath for her child.

Indira Rao, New Delhi

WATER LESSONS I really loved the article on water [H&Y, April 2014].

Though I knew water plays an important role in our health and well-being, ‘how much’ water is really required to be consumed in a day is what I was ignorant about. A good eye-opener, on the ‘mythical 8 glasses of water.’

VARIETY FARE: READERS WRITE IN Our April issue evoked a gratifying response. Do write in with your comments, suggestions and even criticism that will help us and our readers to get better. Every month one ‘best’ letter will be awarded.

Please E-mail your feedback/comments to editorial@homeopathyandyou.com

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WRITE FOR US!

Avani Pratap, Kochi

INFORMATIVE & INTERESTING Ms Ambika Shukla’s and Radhanath Swami’s columns [H&Y, April 2014] were such a delight to read. I loved Ms Shukla’s article, especially, as I am an animal lover and anything related to safety and well-being of animals is a must-read for me. Ms Shukla’s article was both informative and interesting.

Ameena T, Hyderabad

Homeopathy & You is looking for quality articles [600-800 words] on homeopathy, health, wellness, and lifestyle, that reflect the spirit of our publication. Professional homeopathic doctors may E-mail their ‘best’ cases [and, ‘best’ letters from their patients] too!

Send in yours, TODAY! LETTER OF THE MONTH CONFIDENCE BOOST I am suffering from psoriasis for last three years. I was under allopathic medication for some time, but using steroids gave me side-effects. I have been following H&Y since its inception, and after reading your previous issues, I am confident that homeopathy can treat psoriasis and other disorders effectively. I have consulted a homeopath in my area and am really looking forward to seeing tangible improvement in the near future.

Neeraj Chandran, Mumbai

Please submit your material/articles etc., by pasting it in the body of your E-mail [not as attachment], along with a brief description of the piece, your credentials to write it, your short bio, your photo [in high-resolution .jpeg format {300 dpi}; as attachment], contact information and anything you feel we should know.

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HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

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O

FOCUS

DIABETES & HOMEOPATHY: SUGAR CONTROL

By Dr RAjGOPAL NIDAMBOOR

Homeopathy emphasises on the holistic management of diabetes. Its aim is primarily focused to maintain ‘normal’ levels of insulin, or keep conventional anti-diabetic drugs, at the minimum possible dosage and in preventing progression or complications of the disease.

D

iabetes means different things to different people.

For some, it is a disease that affects some people.

For others, it is something that affects anyone who is overweight or fat, including children. It may also, for some people, be something they would never ever get affected with. “It can’t happen to me.”

For others, diabetes may be something that one of their relatives suffers from. You have seen them take antidiabetic pills or insulin shots, right? Or, it’d also mean something that you have to live with, each day of your life.

Whatever your idea of the disorder, you cannot take diabetes lightly. Because, it is going to affect you, or someone close to you.

You now feel you are okay, fine. You may be wrong.

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Reason? The frequency and intensity of diabetes, a potentially upsetting disease, is expanding rapidly. This only means that the number of people affected by the disease is only going to amplify.

In other words, it could affect anybody, anytime now, including YOU. Yet, the fact is most of us are unaware what diabetes really is. This is ironical — because, diabetes can ‘kill’ you.

Wait a minute. Well, it does not have to, if only you know what you can do to keep it at bay and/or under control.

Believe in yourself and believe in medical science. With appropriate lifestyle changes and homeopathic treatment,

most diabetics [people affected by the disease] can lead long, active, healthy and fulfilling lives.

WHAT IS DIABETES Diabetes mellitus, or diabetes, as most of us know, is a disorder in which the islets in the pancreas fail to secrete adequate insulin, or it can be the body’s decreased ability to use insulin. Diabetes, in Greek, means ‘a passing through of sweetness.’ This relates to excess sugar in the blood, or passing of sugar-rich urine — a distinctive symptom of the disease.

Diabetes is a serious problem. It is also the leading cause of death worldwide, because of the damage it causes to the cardiovascular system [heart].

In a healthy individual, food is digested to release glucose into the blood. This causes the beta cells in the pancreas to release insulin into the bloodstream. Beta cells reside in the islets of Langerhans. Insulin, as you know, helps in the transportation of glucose from the blood to the liver and muscle cells. This is released later into the blood for metabolism. When the pancreas fails to produce adequate amounts of insulin, or if there is insulin ‘resistance’ — also called prediabetes — then diabetes could set in. Either way, the consequences are dangerous.

MORE THAN A METABOLIC DISEASE The failure of the islet cells of the pancreas to assemble adequate amounts of insulin and deliver the ‘product’ to the endogenous, or internal, needs of the body is the most important factor for the cause of diabetes.

This is, however, not the only cause. Because small insulin requirements of people, whose pancreas has been

removed, is comparable to the insulin needs of those persons affected by diabetes.

To reiterate again, the most prominent metabolic fault in diabetes appears to be the inability of the body to ‘carry’ glucose properly, which, in turn, has a marked secondary influence on both protein and fat metabolism.

As a consequence of this imprecise functioning, the oxidation of glucose goes awry, leading to excess sugar in the blood. The sequence of events may be illustrated as follows: 1. Loss of glucose in the urine; this depletes the body stores of carbohydrates 2. Impairment in the supply of glucose to the body 3. Excessive loss of proteins [gluconeogenesis] 4. Fat mobilisation to the liver and consequent destruction 5. Escalation of acetate giving rise to ketone bodies [organic fatty acids] — which are excreted in the urine 6. Metabolic acidosis [acidaemia; i.e., low blood pH].

MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS Medical diagnosis will include physical examination, distilling the individual’s personal and family history, ordering certain blood and urine tests for the presence of hyperglycaemia [high blood sugar], glycosuria [excretion of glucose into the urine], elevated serum cholesterol and decreased glucose tolerance, in the absence of other disease. This may clinch the diagnosis for diabetes. The presence of glucose in the urine is excellent evidence too.

So is the finding of increased fasting blood and glucose/ high sugar level, and two hours after a meal containing 100gm of carbohydrate, or a dose of 100gm of glucose orally.

On the other hand, a normal blood glucose level does not rule out the diagnosis.

More recently, haemoglobin A1c [HbA1c] test is evidenced to be clinically accurate. It measures the amount of glycated haemoglobin in your blood, while giving a good estimation of how well you have managed your diabetes levels over the last three months. An HbA1c of 5 per cent or less is normal. If your HbA1c is above 6.5 per cent, you may be diagnosed with diabetes.

For home management, the use of a glucometer to monitor, track and record your blood sugar levels is ideal.

TYPE-1 DIABETES There are two types of diabetes, insulin-dependent

Blood Test Levels for Diagnosis of Diabetes and Prediabetes HbA1c [Per cent]

Fasting Glucose [mg/dL]

Oral Glucose Tolerance Test [mg/dL]

Diabetes

6.5 or above

126 or above

200 or above

Prediabetes

5.7 to 6.4

100 to 125

140 to 199

Normal

About 5

99 or above

139 or below

Definitions: mg = milligram, dL = decilitre For all three tests, within the prediabetes range the higher the test results, the greater the risk of diabetes.

HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

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diabetes mellitus [IDDM]. This is also known as juvenileonset diabetes, or type-1 diabetes, and non-insulindependent diabetes mellitus [NIDDM], also known as maturity-onset diabetes, or type-2 diabetes.

Environmental and genetic factors contribute equally to both forms of diabetes. Yet, the precise cause of diabetes is not known yet.

In both types, however, any excess sugar in the blood, known as hyperglycaemia, needs to be expelled by the kidneys.

PRIMARY SYMPTOMS • Excess thirst • Frequent urination • Weight loss • Excessive hunger In type-1 diabetes, the body’s immune system damages the pancreas’ beta cells resulting in low insulin levels.

To prevent complications or death, insulin injections may be needed. This is also one reason why it is called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus [IDDM].

As a matter of detail, ‘early-onset’ diabetes is most common in people under age 20. It persists throughout life. Now, you will understand why it is called juvenileonset diabetes.

By the way, do you know that in untreated IDDM individuals, the cellular metabolism is similar to that of a starved person? Can anything be more dangerous? This state is present because insulin is not available to help glucose reach into the body cells to produce the fatty acid, adenosine triphosphate [ATP], for your energy needs. As you may know, most cells use fatty acids.

Triglycerides [you have heard of the expression] are stored in adipose [fat] tissues which are catabolised to yield fatty acids and glycerol. The breakdown of fatty acids triggers a by-product of organic fatty acids called ketones, or ketone bodies. This build-up of ketones causes a fall in blood pH. It is called, as cited earlier, ketoacidosis. When left untreated, it can cause diabetic coma and death.

When lipids [e.g., cholesterol] are deposited on the walls of blood vessels, they are transported by the blood from the cells’ storage depots. This leads to atherosclerosis [hardening of the arteries] and heart problems, such as: • Cerebrovascular insufficiency [decreased blood supply

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to the brain] • Ischaemic heart disease [reduced blood supply to the heart muscle] • Peripheral vascular disease [related to blood vessels located outside of the heart and brain] • Gangrene [tissue death] • Severe kidney problems from damage to renal blood vessels • Loss of vision due to cataract [clouding of the lens in your eye], because excess glucose attaches itself to lens protein • Damage to the retina [light sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye], its blood vessels and blindness.

There is no need to panic, provided you pull up your socks and redefine, or reinvent, yourself and your lifestyle — along with professional medical treatment.

TYPE-2 DIABETES Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus [NIDDM], or type-2 diabetes, is also known as maturity-onset diabetes.

It typically occurs in obese people over 30 years of age, albeit some obese children have been diagnosed with type-2 diabetes due to lack of exercise and poor diet.

The clinical symptoms of NIDDM are usually mild.

In such cases, high glucose levels can be controlled by: • Exercise • Weight loss • Diet.

Some type-2 diabetics have sufficient amounts of insulin in the blood. Diabetes occurs in them because the cells become desensitised due to ‘down-regulation’ of insulin receptors.

Ketosis rarely develops in NIDDM.

THINGS TO DO • Avoid processed and fast-junk/snack foods, which are typically high in sugar • Eat high fibre whole foods such as oats, fruits, vegetables [e.g., bitter gourd, or karela] and seeds, which have a low glycaemic index • Regular exercise, especially walking for 30 minutes a day, 4-5 days a week, to reduce excess weight is fundamental • High fibre supplements, such as psyllium [isabgul], flaxseed, guar gum, oat bran, pectin and fenugreek seeds [methi], are beneficial to those suffering from type- 2 diabetes • Stop smoking • Cut down; better limit, or avoid, alcohol.

HIDDEN DANGERS Diabetes is a systemic disorder. It can cause serious health consequences, such as high blood pressure [hypertension], depression, atherosclerosis [hardening of the arteries], apart from loss of vision, kidney damage, as already cited, and limb amputation, when not adequately managed. It also more than doubles the risk of heart disease and stroke.

The ‘downside’ is certain individuals may actually have diabetes for 5-10 years, before they are diagnosed — but, by then unalterable tissue and organ damage may have taken place.

What’s more, the incidence of non-insulin dependent [type-2] diabetes has reportedly increased by an astonishing 600 per cent, during the last four decades.

HOMEOPATHY & DIABETES Homeopathy suggests that any illness or its symptoms are the body’s warning signs and failed attempts to restore balance, harmony, health and well-being.

Homeopathy takes each symptom into consideration to select the closest remedy that will, for the most part, fit the homeopathic remedy picture — of the medicine that can cause the same condition in health — and, enhance the given individual’s unique response to the imbalance associated with a given illness.

While there is no substitute to insulin in homeopathy, professional homeopathic treatment is keyed to manage the metabolic aspect of individuals having diabetes with both therapeutic and nutritional measures. This is achieved through appropriate homeopathic remedies, lifestyle changes, reducing stress, regular exercise and customised diet.

In other words, homeopathy emphasises on the holistic management of diabetes rather than ‘cure.’ The aim is primarily focused to maintain ‘normal’ levels of insulin, or keeping anti-diabetic drugs, at a minimum possible dosage, and in preventing progressive worsening and/or complications.

Homeopathy looks at diabetes as a reflection of the body's inability to function optimally, or an imbalance in the body's capacity to effectively utilise insulin that it produces, or not generate sufficient insulin for its needs.

Homeopathic remedies correct the underlying problem — the trigger for diabetes, for example, emotional stress. From the ‘root.’ Not just its mere manifestation.

It also takes into account the fact that no two diabetic individuals present with identical problems. Each of us is unique.

Homeopathy treats the person, the individual, in toto, including the origin, or the source of their illness — in this case, diabetes.

Diabetes is an immunosuppressant illness — it makes the body susceptible to infections, like repetitive fungal

problems, delayed wound healing, gangrene, and so on.

Homeopathy is immune-boosting medicine. It helps us to ‘up’ our body’s immunity, while protecting against recurrent infections and improving healing. In other words, it helps to control early complications of diabetes, such as nerve, eye disorders and chronic skin problems, most often before they flare-up, while preventing gangrene or other sequelae from raising their ugly heads.

The best part — homeopathic remedies can be taken safely, along with your conventional or pharmaceutical medications, including insulin. What’s more, some people eat right and exercise, but they cannot stabilise their blood sugar. Homeopathic treatment is effective in such cases too. The appropriate homeopathic remedy will help to balance blood sugar levels naturally, without sideeffects.

Put simply, homeopathy provides a mild, safe touch, or stimuli, for the body to bring in a sense of balance and harmony. It incorporates everyday life changes; it distils the person’s physical, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual aspects, including sensitivities and sensibilities — to usher in healthy, effective and tangible long-term treatment results.

CLINICAL STUDIES A group of type-2 diabetics was treated with either Daonil 5mg, a conventional medicine, and placebo [dummy pill], or Daonil 5mg and a homoeopathic remedy in a prospective clinical trial. Subjects selected had hyperglycaemia for over a year with no ketosis.

They were divided into two groups by the matched pairs method, measured by haemoglobin A1 [HbA1c] and random blood sugar [RBS]. At the end of nine months of parallel treatment, satisfactory regulation of diabetes was achieved in 97 per cent of patients in the homoeopathic plus Daonil group, in comparison to only 47 per cent in the Daonil group.

In another study, researchers at the University of Verona, Italy, designed an observational study to compare the effects of homeopathic therapy with conventional drug therapy for diabetic neuropathy. Over a 12-month period, one group of diabetics was treated with homeopathy and another group of diabetics was put on conventional drug therapy. They were assessed for clinical symptoms and quality of life [QoL] at baseline, six months and 12 months, following treatment.

Improvement from baseline polyneuropathy symptoms was noted in both groups, but only those treated homeopathically reached outcomes that were statistically significant. Both groups experienced improvement in blood pressure and body weight as well as levels of fasting blood glucose and glycated haemoglobin.

Also, only those in the homeopathy group noted an improvement in quality of life [QoL] scores over the period of the study. The study noted that homeopathic treatment was more economical than the conventional drug option.

The potential outcome of the homeopathic approach is not limited to the fading of clinical or pathological signs of diabetes. Rather, it involves achieving total and tangible on-going physical and psychological well-being

HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

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remedy and dosages, because diabetes is a complex disorder.

BEAT STRESS. EXERCISE. Stress is one of the primary causes of diabetes. In some people at high risk, stress can lead to the faulty functioning of the pancreas, while impairing the secretion of insulin. Studies suggest that cost-effective, group stress management programmes, like yoga and meditation, can result in clinically significant benefits for patients with type-2 diabetes.

Exercise is indispensable –– a vital component in the prevention and also management of type-2 diabetes.

It has been observed that people who lead sedentary lifestyles are extremely vulnerable to diabetes. Exercise helps in controlling weight, improving insulin sensitivity, while reducing cardiovascular risk factors and lowering blood sugar levels. Exercise can also help diabetic individuals to feel better, while improving their overall health and wellness.

FACT-FILE GLOBAL EPIDEMIC — in the long-term.

It may be mentioned that for effective outcomes, homeopathy emphasises that a relationship of directness and communication needs to exist between the diabetic individual and the professional homeopathic doctor.

Homeopaths also recommend that diabetics should not stop or adjust conventional, or allopathic, medications without first consulting their conventional physician.

SOME USEFUL HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES Cephalandra Indica. Clinical studies evidence that the remedy has significant anti-diabetic effects with no sideeffects.

Curare. This remedy is evidenced to be useful in the treatment of diabetes. Typical symptoms include a tired feeling, with pains going up and down the spine. The arms may seem weak and weighty.

Insulin. Dr William Boericke, MD, the legendary homeopath, reports that the homeopathic remedy, Insulin 6C, maintains blood sugar at normal levels and the urine remains free of sugar. It is used as a ‘specific’— but, only under medical supervision.

Uranium Nitricum. This is useful in diabetes, triggered by acidic stomach. Typical symptoms include excess urine output, excess thirst, dryness of the mouth and skin. The remedy also reduces sugar in the urine. Other symptoms include tummy upset, weakness, excess appetite and thirst, yet the individual continues to lose weight.

Phosphoric Acid. This remedy is useful in diabetes of nervous origin. Typical symptoms include nervous exhaustion and mental debility, followed by physical weakness. Urine is frequent, profuse, watery or milky. The remedy suits diabetics who have a history of grief, worry, anxiety, indifference and apathy. There may also be loss of appetite and ravenous thirst, with a tendency to boils.

Important. Speak to a professional homeopath for appropriate guidance and advice as regards the right

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HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

• D iabetes is reaching epidemic proportions. The International Diabetes Federation estimates that nearly 300 million people around the world have diabetes. By 2025 this figure is expected to rise to over 500 million, when over six per cent of the world’s population will be living with diabetes.

• The prevalence of type-2 diabetes is rising at an alarming rate throughout the world, due to increased life expectancy, obesity and sedentary lifestyles. Of particular cause for concern is the dramatic rise of type-2 diabetes in children and adolescents.

• Examples of the dramatic rise in diabetes prevalence have been reported from India and China.

• India is host to the largest diabetes population in the world. An estimated 35 million people in our country are diabetic. This corresponds to eight per cent of the adult population.

• In China, 2.7 per cent of the adult population is affected by type-2 diabetes. The number of people with this condition is likely to exceed 75 million within the next few years.

Isn’t it time, you acted and kept diabetes in check, or better still at bay, right now, with holistic homeopathy?

Don’t wait till it is too late.

SELF-HELP • E at healthy — high fibre food, fruits and vegetables, and foods that are low in fat, salt and sugar. Speak to a nutritionist/dietician to help you plan your diet right • Exercise regularly, 20-30 minutes, 4-5 times a week.

Exercise lowers your blood glucose level. However, speak to your doctor before you start an exercise regimen; bear in mind your sugar levels may drop at times • Keep your family and friends informed of your condition. Wear a badge, or diabetic card; this will be useful during an emergency

• A void cigarettes. Tobacco increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, such as heart attack or stroke • Avoid, or reduce, your alcohol ‘fix,’ if any. Do not drink

T

hirty-year-old Abhay could not believe when he was told that he had diabetes, by his doctor. All he had were routine symptoms, like weakness and frequent headaches, since the last eight months, apart from increased appetite and excess thirst. In spite of eating to his fill, Abhay had lost a good seven kg. He had lost interest in work too — all he wanted was rest.

He had been sleeping much more than usual – yet, he did not feel refreshed. His blood sugar reports were consistently high. His HbA1c was 7.9 per cent.

His doctor prescribed him anti-diabetic drugs. Abhay took the medications regularly for eight months and underwent blood sugar tests at frequent intervals. There was some improvement, but it was not satisfactory.

His blood sugar was far from normal. He started doing exercise and began to exert some control on his diet; yet, the outcome was not impressive. When he read about the holistic effects of homeopathy in diabetes, he decided to give it a try.

We took Abhay’s history in detail. Abhay reported that

W

hen thirty-seven-year-old Michelle visited us, she said she was fighting a ‘losing battle’ with chronic fatigue. She also reported of consistently high blood sugar levels. She said that conventional medicines had not helped her much in controlling her diabetes, although she did regular workout, a bit of aerobics and yoga, with the help of a trainer, and ate light, fibre-rich foods. She said that by evening she could not move a sinew, because she would feel awfully tired to the bone.

We asked her about her sleep, stress levels, menstrual

alcohol on empty stomach; it can cause either high or low blood glucose levels. Besides, alcohol can affect blood glucose monitoring and homeopathic treatment outcomes • Take care of your feet. Diabetics are prone to develop problems with their feet, including infections and foot ulcers. Wear shoes approved by a foot, ankle and lower leg medical specialist [podiatrist, or chiropodist] • Check your feet regularly for any corns, cuts, blisters or grazes, because you may not be able to feel them, if there is damage to the nerves in your feet.

•` Keep your nails short [you can scratch and ‘infect’ your skin otherwise] and wash your feet with warm water every day • Have regular eye tests — at least twice a year to check for retinopathy • Follow-up with your doctor regularly; diabetes should not be taken lightly.

CASE STUDY

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he was under tremendous stress at work. Things had spiralled out of control in several ways and he definitely had more than his share of tensions. For an outgoing and friendly person, Abhay, it appeared, had become quiet and reserved. Though he was not fond of sweets, he seemed to have a great craving for chicken and extra salt in his food.

Based on his medical and emotional history, we prescribed Abhay the homeopathic remedy, Phosphorus.

He responded satisfactorily to the remedy in eight months’ time. His blood sugar was monitored regularly.

He was given a diet chart and advised regular exercise, five days a week. His results pleasantly surprised him.

His conventional medication was gradually tapered and then stopped. Month after month, his sugar levels stabilised — they were normal after a year of homeopathic treatment. He says he is glad that he took the timely step to nip his diabetes in the bud — with professional homeopathic treatment.

CASE STUDY

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cycles, appetite and temperament — they were also a cause of concern, the difference being of degree.

We prescribed her the homeopathic remedy, Acid Phosphoricum, which corresponded well with her presenting symptoms. When she came for follow-up, she reported that she had more energy and enthusiasm than ever before. Her diabetes slowly got under control and she felt much better and happier after taking homeopathic treatment for a year.

[Cases courtesy: Dr SAMIR CHOUKKAR, MD (Hom), Mumbai]

Dr Rajgopal Nidamboor, a graduate in homeopathic medicine and board certified wellness physician, is editor-publisher, H&Y

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WHAT’S YOUR TYPE: YOUR PERSONALITY

NATRUM MURIATICUM: SENSITIVITY PERSONIFIED

By Dr MUKESH BATRA

What typifies the homeopathic Natrum Muriaticum personae is their strong, sensitive or retentive tendencies. They do not ‘let go’ of their past emotions of hurt, or feelings of corniness. Put simply, they ‘hoard’ things, never ever forgetting insults, or reprimands.

C

ommon salt, or sodium chloride, is the main ingredient of Natrum Muriaticum, a classical homeopathic remedy. Salt, as we all know, occurs naturally in the form of the mineral halite, or rock salt, and also in salt water. Salt is a fundamental part of our diet. While salt deficiency causes fatigue and muscle cramps, excess intake supposedly

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HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

aggravates blood pressure levels and heart disease.

Salt is part of oral rehydration therapy in dehydrated states. It is also administered as saline to replace fluid loss in conventional medical practice.

Natrum Muriaticum is most suitable for sensitive people, or touchy individuals who are easily hurt by criticism. The interesting part is Natrums often

idea comes from the fact that food is more easily swallowed, if taken with a small amount of salt.

Legend has it that salt is a great antidote for poison. It was believed that after the defeat of the powerful king, Mithridates, a formula for an antidote was found in his private cabinet in his own handwriting. It said, “Take two dried walnuts, two figs and twenty leaves of rue; pound them all together, with the addition of a grain of salt. If a person takes this mixture fasting, he will be ‘safe’ against all poisons for that day.” No surprise that salt is used today, as was the practice in the past, to ‘drive away’ evil spirits — or, eradicate the deleterious effects of ‘bad eyes,’ or nazar — in Indian households.

manage to present a brave front in the face of critical assessment, but the ploy can affect them slowly.

This can cumulatively lead to crankiness and selfabsorption. Yet another classical symptom of Natrums is its strong longing for companionship — yet the irony is they feel uncomfortable in a social setting.

What’s more, they voluntarily withdraw from the scene to avoid being ‘hurt.’ This is what that provides them with a seemingly independent and stoical countenance — which, in reality, is a chimera. Yet, when reticence controls them, they may even refrain from attending to their biological or functional needs, in the presence of others, or in public places. So much so, they may postpone the urge to attend to nature’s call, up until the time they reach home.

Natrum Muriaticum was first proved and established as a homeopathic remedy by Dr Samuel Hahnemann, MD, founder of homeopathy, in his monumental work, Chronic Diseases [1821–34].

AS GOOD AS SALT That Natrums are meticulous, hard-working and dedicated in their relationships is obvious. What upsets their emotional applecart is their in-built penchant to stifling their strong emotions. This may, in most Natrum personalities, ‘trigger’ conditions such as depression, anxiety, or grief — the psychosomatic cause of illness. That Natrums detest compassion and fuss is apparent — the outcome is again reflected in their mind-body context, the common upsurges being allergies, or colds, made ‘worse’ by unventilated heat, sunshine, eating, physical exertion and sweating.

Natrums love salt, although they often complain of being ‘worse,’ with their emotional or illness symptoms, by the seaside.

All of us are aware of taking things with ‘a grain of salt’ or ‘a pinch of salt.’ Natrums epitomise the outlook — for Natrums the idiom not only connects to accepting things, but also, at the same time, maintaining a degree of scepticism about reality. The

TEMPERAMENTAL & STRONG Natrums are suggested to be depressive, changeable types, but not quite the nervous, anxious sort, especially before a thunderstorm. It is agreed that Natrums shudder the thought of thunder and lightning, but they are never panicky because of them. Picture this — a Natrum Muriaticum individual represents and mirrors a fascinating attribute. They usually feel awfully beside themselves on a windy, gusty day.

What typifies Natrum Muriaticum is its strong retentive tendencies — Natrums attach a great deal of importance to trust. Any loss of trust is something that is not forgivable. Natrums often cling to the past; they do not ‘let go’ of their past emotions of hurt, or feelings of corniness. Put simply, they ‘hoard’ things, never ever forgetting insults, or reprimands.

You can spot a Natrum personality when you find an oversensitive, easily offended or upset individual, who holds everything back — within his/her tight fist. When Natrums are unduly hurt, they may engage themselves in literary hyperbole, “Ah, I’m obliged. This stuff just goes right through me. The dal khichdi that you made yesterday slipped through my gut like a mound of salt.”

Natrums are, in psychological parlance, adept at building safety walls of emotional defence. The idea is simple — to insulate themselves from replicating the wounds of the past. It is, indeed, this strange feeling that coerces them to avoid getting into relationships at the drop of an emotion. Besides, Natrums are, at times, so guarded that they develop and ‘nurse’ relationships only when they feel totally secure, comfortable and safe.

THE NATRUM SIGNPOST • Natrum Muriaticums are excessively serious; they tend to, for instance, support a social cause, which they believe is worth their effort • Natrums suffer grief in silence. They do not ‘bare’ their inner feelings to others, except their loved ones or trusted friends • They dream ‘as if’ their home is being robbed; or, they visualise thieves ‘hiding’ in the closet, or under their bed • They are overcautious — they are obsessed with their security system. They value privacy in every facet of their life • They guard their E-mail and Internet passwords as if HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

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their life depended on them • T hey are prone to headaches and sinus infections.

A hammering, bursting headache or migraine above the eyes, with visual disturbances, such as crisscross lines. Natrum headaches are worse between 9:00am and 11:00am [better by fresh air, or bathing in cold water]

CASE STUDY

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1

wenty-six-year-old Lokesh visited us with hopelessness writ large on his face. He was suffering from psoriasis of the scalp, amplified by thick, flaky dandruff. The itching, he reported, was unbearable. His scalp oozed at times and emitted a foul odour. He told us that nothing was going right for him; his scalp problem only added to his woes.

He seemed to show no real interest in anything and remained aloof. His scaly distress, he repeatedly said, was embarrassing— the butt of all jokes. Following case-analysis, we prescribed him the homeopathic remedy, Natrum Muriaticum, along with stressrelieving techniques. After 12 months of homeopathic treatment, Lokesh’s scalp was free of dandruff and scaly psoriasis.

• They are awfully sensitive to noise • Natrum skin epitomises dryness and cracks — in the lips and feet. They may have greasy skin and hair, with dandruff around the hairline. Warts, boils, psoriasis, urticaria [hives], hangnails and cold sores ‘dot’ the nose and lips. Symptoms are worse under stress • Extreme thirst, a bitter-tasting mouth, and halitosis [bad breath] are also typical symptoms. A sore throat may occur, producing white mucous with a ‘feeling’ of a lump in the throat • Constipation with hard, dry stools, colicky pains with nausea, anal fissures, rectal bleeding and backaches. There may be sour belches and a bitter taste in the mouth. Diarrhoea occurs only during daytime • Vaginal discharge may bear a resemblance to uncooked egg white, due to thrush. Fatigue may develop before and after menstrual periods.

Premenstrual syndrome [PMS] is marked by water retention and severe headache. Periods may be irregular, and shock, or grief, may stop it completely.

A dry, sore vagina may cause vaginismus [painful spasm during sexual intercourse] • Sleeplessness is a norm with most Natrums — their rapid eye movement [REM] sleep is filled with dreams of a burglar lurking in the corner. In like manner, they tend to extend their sleep time to avoid intimacy, while making an earnest plea for emotional attachment during their wakeful hours.

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CASE STUDY

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hirty-one-year-old Vikram, a legal professional, visited our clinic with high blood pressure [hypertension] and overweight problems. His cholesterol levels were high. His doctor had put him on conventional anti-hypertensive medications, along with a cholesterol-lowering drug, for over three years. When we began to record his casehistory, it was apparent that Vikram’s blood pressure levels had escalated because of workplace stress.

We put him on Natrum Muriaticum, based on his presenting symptoms and his oft-repeated symptom, that, “I always have this ‘butterflies in the stomach’ feeling.” After six months of homeopathic treatment, his high blood pressure and overweight problems were under control.

His conventional doctor, who had no prejudice, asked him to slowly taper-off his conventional medications. It has been a year now and Vikram’s blood pressure levels and other parameters continue to remain within ‘normal’ limits.

Dr Mukesh Batra, a homeopath of international repute, is Founder-Chairman, Dr Batra’s. In a career spanning four decades, Dr Batra has treated over a million patients, including presidents and prime ministers, and revolutionised the way homeopathy is practiced today. A writer, photographer, singer and philanthropist, Dr Batra has been honoured with several fellowships and over 50 national and international awards, including the Padma Shri by the President of India. He has authored several books, including the critically-acclaimed cyclopedic work, Healing with Homeopathy. He lives in Mumbai.

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MEDICAL MARVELS: LITTLE PILLS, BIG RESULTS

SLE Treated Effectively With Homeopathy

By Dr RUHIN FATIMA, BHMS, New Delhi

A

renowned district judge visited our clinic.

He was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE] in 2005. He was previously hospitalised for acute renal failure, arthritis, and dyspnoea [breathlessness]. He also suffered from venous ulcers. After he was discharged, post-recovery, he was advised to take high doses of Wysolon. As a result, he presented with hypothyroidism, along with moderately elevated blood sugar levels. Owing to this, his conventional physician now advised him to reduce his Wysolon dosage. However, once he stopped taking it, his venous ulcers reappeared with oedema [swelling] in his legs and continuous oozing.

As his condition worsened, he was asked to take rest for several days to almost months. He was referred to us by one of our VIP patients and he visited us with much reluctance, because his condition aggravated and became ‘incurable’ with available medicines.

When he consulted us, he was on antibiotics and Eltroxine. He also had skin allergy and discoloured blackish skin on his legs from ankle to mid-shin.

SLE is a systemic autoimmune disease that can affect any part of the body. As it happens in other autoimmune diseases, the immune system attacks the body’s cells and tissues, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage. SLE affects the heart, joints, skin, lungs, blood vessels, liver, kidneys and nervous system. The course of the disease is unpredictable, with periods of illness [or, flare-ups] alternating with remissions.

On detailed case-analysis, we prescribed him Calcarea Carbonica 200C, interspersed with Insulin 6C. After eight months his ulcers healed completely — there has been no relapse so far.

Prescribing the appropriate homeopathy remedy, even in deep-seated conditions, can be effective and safe — as was seen in this case where the patient’s ulcers started showing signs of healing within a month after homeopathic treatment. His sugar levels were also under control — this was a big-plus to recovery.

When Insulin was added to his treatment regimen, the ulcers started healing more quickly.

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Lichen ‘Minus’

By Dr HARINI RAMANUJAM, BHMS, Navi Mumbai Vinaya came to us with papulovesicular lesions on her shin and dorsum of foot with unbearable itching.

Her condition troubled her for over four years. It was diagnosed as lichen planus with eczematisation.

Before coming to us, she had taken several medications, including conventional treatment, but without any relief.

She came across as a calm person and gracefully answered all our questions while we did her detailed case-analysis. However, it was still difficult to make her talk on her personal life and other issues that help us prescribe the most appropriate homeopathic remedy.

I prescribed her Arsenic Album 200C as a ‘specific’ remedy. The next time she visited our clinic, there was a noticeable change in her behaviour. She narrated several incidences about her life, like strict parenting, her mood swings and indecisiveness. She easily moved from an excited state to a weepy position.

Lichen planus [LP] is a skin and/or mucous membrane disease. It is a chronic, recurrent disorder that occurs due to inflammation. The cause is unknown, but it is thought to be the result of an autoimmune process with an unknown initial trigger.

The rash is characterised by small, flat-topped, manysided [polygonal] bumps that can grow together into rough, scaly plaques on the skin.

The name lichen planus originates because it resembles a plant called lichen that grows on rocks and tree barks, while planus is a Latin word for flat.

Our observation regarding her behaviour, her medical history and presenting symptoms led us to prescribe her Pulsatilla 200C — a classical homeopathic remedy for mood swings and other symptoms that Vinaya

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presented with. Her eruptions responded to treatment slowly; she is now completely free from them.

It may be mentioned that the individual’s temperament and behaviour are vital in prescribing an appropriate homeopathy remedy for any ailment.

This case brings to the fore, yet again, a fact that homeopathy works extremely well in treating complex skin disorders — safely and effectively.

Tress Restored

By Dr VIJAy BANSoDE, BHMS, Mumbai

Karuna, a twenty-four-year-old housewife, visited our clinic complaining of hair loss since two years — her hair loss was evident all over the scalp. She was embarrassed to step out of her house without tying a scarf on her head. The scarf had, in fact, become an important accessory for her — without which she couldn’t possibly imagine going anywhere outside of her home, leave aside social gatherings.

She was also diagnosed with anaemia.

Hair loss often signals a variety of underlying medical problems. It could be the result of a low amount of red blood cells [RBCs] and haemoglobin in your system — anaemia. The body needs certain nutrients to produce adequate red blood cells and if there is a lack of one or more of these nutrients, it results in anaemia.

Whatever the cause of hair loss in women, it is invariably worsened by iron-deficiency anaemia.

In fact, most patients who suffer from hair loss are screened for iron-deficiency as a part of preliminary lab investigations.

After analysing her case, in detail, we prescribed her Phosphorus 200C and followed it up by Wiesbaden 200C. She responded favourably in a span of six

months. In her own words: “This has really been a lifechanging experience for me. My ‘lost’ hair is as good as restored. I have now discarded the use of my scarf too.”

PERIoD RELIEF

By Dr SAPNA VIG, BHMS, Pune

Thirty-five-year-old Shikha came to us with complaints of increased menstruation for over a year, because of which her haemoglobin levels had gone down

markedly. She was prescribed iron supplements by her conventional physician. However, she could not ‘digest’ them. Besides, she developed severe constipation after consuming them. Slowly, her habit of straining at stool led to piles [haemorrhoids] and bleeding. When she came to us, she said that she preferred her profuse menses to her troublesome evacuation.

On detailed case-taking, we found that she was mildnatured, sensitive, lethargic and also indecisive. She did not feel thirsty and would consume just 2-3 glasses of water a day.

We prescribed her Pulsatilla 200C, based on her mild and over-sentimental temperament with thirstlessness and menstrual excess. This not only relieved her heavy periods and anaemia, but also eased her constipation and piles.

Iron in tonics, or as supplement, has its own ‘sideeffects,’ the most common being constipation. Shikha took iron pills, all right — this only aggravated her constipation. This, in turn, led to piles. The bleeding triggered her anaemia to perpetuate into other health problems.

Homeopathic treatment helped her absorb natural iron from her daily diet, rather than depend on supplemental iron or its spin-off, constipation. It also corrected the quandary of secondary bleeding which had led to anaemia.

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HOW HOMEOPATHY HELPED ME

Homeopathy Works

I

was pursuing my medical studies when I was affected by severe acne. The scars and postinflammatory dark spots [pigmentation] affected my skin and confidence badly. I was on the verge of losing all hope with every treatment I tried — it was at this stage that my mother suggested that I try homeopathic treatment.

As a student of conventional medicine, I was sceptical — but, I thought, “If it helps, why not?” I had tried several treatments anyway for over three years — with no effect. I told my homeopathic doctor, when he quizzed me about my acne, that my skin would get slightly better, during my periods — only to worsen, thereafter. I was, I told him, intolerant of heat, in general, and would always feel better during cold weather.

The doctor took my detailed case history — he asked me any number of questions. I started his treatment and within a span of 2-3 months felt relatively better — fresh outbursts of acne now became less frequent and less severe. As the treatment progressed, my acne spots began to fade and the scars became less prominent than before. A year later, I was delighted — my acne blemishes were all gone!

— Shyla K, a patient of Dr Pallav Thanawala, BHMS, Pune

‘Wart’ A Relief!

M

y son, Master Abhay, had no clue as to what the unpleasant eruptions on his fingers and the corner of his lips were all about. All he cared was when he would go out and play with his friends.

I was extremely worried about his warty growths — I remember that it all started with one wart on the finger and it gradually got worse. My family doctor suggested getting them cauterised, I was keen to try a safer option.

I opted for homeopathy. When I consulted Dr Samir Choukkar, I found that homeopathy was not just sweet pills. Dr Choukkar began to ‘scan’ what was the real trigger for my son’s warts problem; whether he was fond of sweets or bread. On close questioning, he was also able to find out that Abhay’s urine smelled real bad and he passed hard stools every day — something I had also noticed but never thought was significant. Abhay disliked cold weather — or, cold in any form.

Dr Choukkar prescribed him a homeopathic remedy — which he said was based on my son’s symptom-picture and temperament. Two months later, I was in for a surprise — all his ungainly warts had reduced in size. By the end of six months of regular treatment, all his warts resolved completely, without a trace. Abhay has been free of his warty blemish ever since. It’s a huge relief for us — thanks to homeopathy and Dr Choukkar.

— Rita Dutta, mother of Master Abhay, a patient of Dr Samir Choukkar, Mumbai

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YOUR LITTLE BOX: HomeopatHic Kit FoR eveRy Home

SYMPHYTUM: THE HOMEOPATHIC ‘FIX-IT’

By Dr TEJAL AJMERA-PATEL

the homeopathic remedy Symphytum Officinale has a well-established clinical reputation for healing bruises, sprains, strains, fractures, or broken bones.

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he homeopathic remedy, Symphytum Officinale — comfrey, knit-bone, or bone-knit — is a native to Europe; it is also found in temperate regions worldwide. The fresh root is gathered either before flowering or in the fall, steeped in alcohol, diluted and succussed for homeopathic use. The homeopathic remedy is used as a specific for all cases of fracture. The plant has established a clinical reputation from ancient times — for healing bruises, sprains, fractures and broken bones.

Abscesses in the muscle, which links the hip and the pelvis also heal with the remedy. It is reported that malignant bone tumours may be helped by Symphytum Officinale too.

Symphytum Officinale has a marked affinity for bones in herbal medicine. This is also its focus of attention in homeopathy. Besides, it is used to ease any pricking pain from old injuries to the bone, cartilage and periosteum, the membrane surrounding the bone, or pain following amputation. This is called phantom limb pain after amputation of limbs and fingers.

The remedy can heal painful eye injuries — even when there is no evident sign of injury. The queer symptom of rubbing the eyes and trouble in opening the eyelids clinches the homeopathic diagnosis for the use of the remedy.

• All symptoms are better from warmth • All symptoms are worse after injuries; or, after a blow to the affected area; for touch or pressure on the affected area; for sexual excess; and, for movement.

OTHER USES • Corns

• Gunshot wounds; head injuries, concussions, fractures of the skull, splintered bones • Perineum wounds • Tennis elbow; twisted or sprained ankles • A symptom that seems out of place is weakness, and prostration from sexual excess.

Dosage. Symphytum Officinale 30C, 4-5 pills, thrice daily, or as prescribed or advised by your homeopathic doctor.

CLINICAL STUDY A clinical study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Homeopathy, evaluated the effect of Symphytum Officinale in its homeopathic potency [6C], on the removal torque and radiographic bone density around titanium implants, inserted in rats’ tibiae.

Implants were placed in male rat tibiae and the animals randomised to two groups [control and Symphytum Officinale 6C treated]. They were evaluated at 7, 14, 28 and 56 days post-implantation. Radiographic bone density was measured at six points around the implant, using digital radiographic images, when implants were inserted and at sacrifice.

Removal torque of the implants was also evaluated. Both removal torque and radiographic bone density evaluation showed that Symphytum Officinale 6C treatment enhanced bone formation around the micro-implants, primarily at 14 days. At 56 days, the radiographic bone density was higher in the treated group. The study concluded that Symphytum Officinale 6C enhances — predominantly at the early stages of osseo-integration — bone formation around titanium implants in rats’ tibiae, based on radiographic and mechanical analysis.

Dr Tejal Ajmera-Patel, MD [Hom], has a special interest in asthma. In her long, distinguished career, Dr Tejal has treated over one lakh patients — most notably, difficult-to-treat skin and other disorders. As National Head-Business with a leading homeopathic healthcare group, her responsibilities extend to training programmes for doctors , overseeing medical communications and PR.

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CHILD HEALTH

HOMEOPATHY FOR FLU & DIARRHOEA Homeopathy treats not just the flu, or diarrhoea, but the child having the problem. In simple terms, it treats the child as a whole. Every child with an illness ought to have certain physical and emotional symptoms. They also have a certain type of personality, feelings, likes and dislikes. A suitable homeopathic remedy is prescribed, based on these findings.

By Dr VAISHALI KAMAT

I

nfluenza [flu] has an erratic pattern or severity of symptoms, even though it may often be thought as an uncomplicated, self-limiting illness. Its consequence, or complication portfolio, when not adequately treated, could be ear infection and pneumonia in 25-30 per cent of cases.

There are two major forms of influenza: types A and B. They cause the epidemic flu illness. Yet another form, type C, produces sporadic cases of respiratory infection.

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Infection with the influenza virus provides limited immunity. This may last for a few years, until a new form of the virus produces something different to ‘beat’ this safety mechanism. What’s more, every virus is new for infants — this is reason why the prevalence rate is highest in them and in younger children [30-50 per cent].

Influenza A and B cause almost identical symptoms, although the duration of symptoms in type A infection

is usually more than a few days, whereas symptoms in type B infection may last for 2-3 days.

While the influenza vaccine is suggested to protect against both types A and B, new studies show that complication rates may be the same with all children, irrespective of their environment.

SYMPTOMS Common features are high fever and muscular aches, or pains, and headaches with weariness. While such symptoms usually last for 2-4 days, the cough and fatigue may persist for several days longer. There may be occasional wheezing in some children.

In older children and adolescents, influenza presents with the sudden onset of respiratory symptoms [e.g., cough], eye infection [conjunctivitis] and sore throat.

HEALING WITH HOMEOPATHY Homeopathy treats not just the flu, but the child having the problem. In simple terms, it treats the child as a whole. Every child with flu ought to have certain physical and emotional symptoms. They also have a certain type of personality, feelings, likes and dislikes.

A suitable homeopathic remedy is prescribed, based on these findings.

• The homeopathic remedy, Gelsemium, is a useful ‘first’ option in influenza. It is best given just before the onset of sore throat. The child feels tired and has aches all over the body. There is also a constant chilliness which feels ‘better’ with warm clothing.

• B aptisia is useful in influenza, when it is accompanied by tummy upset. The keynote is the child may have fetid diarrhoeic stools.

• Eupatorium Perfoliatum is an effective remedy when there is soreness and aching of the entire body, along with gruff voice and cough. Drinking water may cause vomiting.

• Drosera, likewise, works well when the child, presenting with severe cough, holds the chest with their hands. What is felt as ‘break-bone’ body pains are often a characteristic indication for this remedy.

CLINICAL STUDY Researchers from Miami Children’s Hospital, Florida, US, carried out a study to determine the effects of homeopathic remedies on cellular signalling pathways, more specifically the effects of two anti-influenza homeopathic combinations on normal human leucocyte — or, white blood cells, which defend our body against infecting organisms — cultures. When researchers compared the effects of the homeopathic combinations to 20 per cent ethanol solvent controls, it was found that exposure to either of the homeopathic combinations stimulated the production of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines by such cells. Cytokines are immunemodulating agents; they carry signals locally between cells and, thus, have ‘modulatory’ effects on other cells.

SELF-HELP • Allow your child to get plenty of sleep — to keep their immune system in top flu-fighting gear • Encourage them to drink 8-10 glasses of water, each day, to flush out toxins from their system • Keeping their body strong, well-nourished and always ready-to-fight infection is important in flu prevention • If your child’s symptoms worsen, despite medical treatment and auxiliary measures, consult your professional homeopathic doctor immediately.

DIARRHOEA Diarrhoea is one of the most common illnesses and, perhaps, the leading cause of death among children worldwide. Nearly half-dozen strains of viruses cause diarrhoeal illness [gastroenteritis] in children.

Most diarrhoeal problems are associated with localised outbreaks in day-care centres and schools.

Bacteria may also cause either inflammatory or noninflammatory diarrhoea.

The most effective prevention measure is for children to have access to clean food and water. Careful hand washing and good sanitation practices also help in preventing the spread of diarrhoeal infection among children. It is evidenced that an increased rate of breast-feeding reduces the occurrence of diarrhoea or gastroenteritis in children.

SYMPTOMS The key symptoms of gastroenteritis are diarrhoea, with or without vomiting. Other symptoms and signs may

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include fever and lethargy. Fever and severe abdominal pain are more common in inflammatory diarrhoea. The degree of dehydration should be established quickly, before diarrhoea worsens. This is often life-saving.

In most children presenting with viral gastroenteritis, fever and vomiting last less than 2-3 days, although loose stools may persist for up to a week. Most cases of diarrhoea caused by food-borne toxins last 1-2 days.

Most, but not all, bacterial infections continue for longer periods of time.

Diarrhoeal diseases, for the most part, are benign, or self-limiting. Yet, treatment should begin early to prevent complications. Death, due to diarrhoea, in the developing world, is primarily caused by dehydration, shock and circulatory collapse. With quick and proper treatment, rehydration and re-feeding, deaths from viral gastroenteritis are minimal. However, death rates from bacterial infections often depend on the virulence of the organism, timely treatment and also the nature of complications.

HEALING WITH HOMEOPATHY Homeopathy treats not just diarrhoea, but the child with the problem as a whole. Every child with diarrhoeal problems ought to have certain physical and emotional symptoms. They also have a certain type of personality, response to illness, feelings, likes and dislikes — to foods, cold or warmth, among other things. A suitable homeopathic remedy is prescribed, based on these findings.

• The homeopathic remedy, Arsenicum Album, is useful in diarrhoea brought on by eating spoiled or tainted food, or eating too much fruit, or when toxicity is suspected after intake of ‘tainted’ food. The child is exhausted, yet restless and unable to find a Dr Vaishali Kamat, BHMS, is a Mumbai-based homeopath.

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comfortable position. They feel worse at and after midnight; they are often thirsty, yet they take just a few sips at a time.

• Podophyllum is another effective remedy, when there is a gurgling sound in the abdomen, with a sudden urge to pass stools. The stools are profuse and offensive. The diarrhoea is aggravated by eating, drinking and moving around.

• C hamomilla is most often indicated in diarrhoeal states in infants and children, especially when they are extremely irritable, fitful and inconsolable, or when they ask for something and then reject it, when offered. The child feels better when carried around. Teething or ‘colicky’ infants, who experience diarrhoea, respond well to this remedy. The remedy is also useful when diarrhoea is smelly, green, and slimy, like chopped grass; or, when it smells like rotten eggs.

• V eratrum Album is indicated when children have diarrhoea and vomiting and/or are chilly and weak. Or, when they tend to, ironically, crave for ice-cold drinks, despite being chilly. They may also have a bloated abdomen and complain of stomach cramps.

CLINICAL STUDY In a randomised, placebo controlled study, published in Pediatrics, a group of children, suffering from acute diarrhoea, were individually prescribed homeopathic remedies. The homeopathic agents were found to be superior to placebo [dummy pill]. In another study, published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a group of children [aged 6 months to 5 years], suffering from diarrhoea, were given an individualised homeopathic remedy, or placebo, over a 5-day period. Results assessed at the end of the period showed homeopathy to be superior to placebo as a means of relieving diarrhoea.

Diarrhoea is not as simple as it appears to be on the surface. It can sometimes be dangerous, even fatal. It is, therefore, imperative that the disorder, whatever its form of presentation, mild or severe, is best treated by a professional homeopathic doctor at the clinic.

Self-help eep your child away from foods or beverages that K ‘trigger’ symptoms of indigestion Wash vessels, vegetables and fruits with filtered water — especially if your child has diarrhoea or a tendency for it. Good food hygiene is just as important to prevent a relapse Hydrate well; encourage your child to drink 6-8 glasses of water, everyday. This will help to prevent dehydration Call your professional homeopathic doctor promptly, if your child’s symptoms worsen.

DOCTOR’S ORDERS

By Dr MUKESH BATRA LCEH, FSRH [MED] P [LOND], MDH [USA], FBIH [UK] PADMA SHRI RECIPIENT

Q

I am a fifty-five-year-old man. I strain a lot during urination. I feel there is incomplete emptying of the bladder after I pass urine. Please help.

You seem to be presenting with symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy [BPH]. Statistics show that approximately 45 per cent of men over age 50 are expected to present with symptoms of BPH. Homeopathy is ideally poised to treat it symptomatically. You may take Sabal Serrulata [mother tincture] 8-10 drops in half cup of water, twice daily. Please consult a doctor, if symptoms persist.

A

certain medicines, and cancer can cause swollen gums. Bacteria from chronically infected gums, and transported by blood, can give rise to other infections.

Your mother should aim to maintain good oral hygiene by brushing her teeth twice daily and gargling after every meal. She should increase her intake of vegetables and fruits, especially vitamin C-rich citrus fruits. She may take Kreosotum 30C, 4-5 pills, twice daily. Please let me know her progress.

Q

I am a forty-two-yearold lady diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Can homeopathy help?

Fibromyalgia is common among women in their 30s and 40s. The disorder is characterised by diffused areas of pain in the nape of the neck, shoulders, arms, and legs, with apparently no detectable cause. Prolonged lack of sleep, emotional turmoil and physical stress may be the likely triggers.

Homeopathy is mind-body medicine. It helps to ease the pain and combat your stress better.

A detailed case analysis will be needed. However, in the meanwhile, you may take Rhus Toxicodendron 200C, 4-5 pills once before bedtime to relieve the pain. Hot water fomentation may be a useful adjuvant; it often provides transitory relief.

A

Q A

My mother, aged 56, has swollen gums. Please suggest a homeopathic remedy.

Chemical irritation by toothpaste, physical trauma due to ill-fitting dentures, infections, scurvy [vitamin C deficiency],

Do you have a health question? Need an answer?

E-mail your health questions to: expertadvice@ homeopathyandyou.com Renowned homeopath Dr Mukesh Batra will answer your questions.

Q A

Is there any specific homeopathic remedy for corns?

I develop them often.

Corns are painful, thickened areas of the skin. They develop on the feet and toes due to excess pressure over bony prominences. They are usually caused by ill-fitting footwear or deformities of the toes. Corns can be hard or soft. The latter variety may get infected and form a pus-filled core.

Corns should be treated promptly, especially in diabetics and people with poor immunity, to avoid complications.

Wear comfortable and soft shoes with a thick in-sole. Never pluck or prick your corn. Soak your feet in warm water and gently file them using a pumice stone. You’d take Antimonium Crudum 30C, 4-5 pills, twice daily.

Please let me know your progress.

Q A

I have multiple lipomas on my back and hands. Can homeopathy ‘dissolve’ them?

Lipomas occur in 1 per cent of the population; they are common soft tissue tumours. The scope of homeopathic treatment depends on factors like size, consistency and chronicity. The aim of homeopathic treatment is keyed to control the formation of new lipomas and arrest the growth of existing lipomas. You may take Lapis Alba 6C, 4-5 pills, twice daily.

Surgery may be considered in cases where lipomas grow beyond 5cm, or when they cause unpleasant symptoms.

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FOR WOMEN

MOODY BLUES & HOMEOPATHY Depression tends to affect more women than men. Homeopathy diagnoses and treats the type of moody blues one has, or is going through, while looking at each individual as a completely unique persona — as distinctive as their fingerprint.

By Dr SEJAL PAREKAR

N

o one is exempt from stress or tension. We all have to go through the ‘grind’ some time or the other — each in our own ‘individualistic’ ways. Besides, we all react to stress differently. Medical researchers say that there may be a biochemical foundation to depression.

Sadness and other negative feelings are all normal reactions to a serious loss and/or tragic event. Also, everyone suffers, now and then, from a mild case of blues.

When depression persists to a point where it affects your daily life, it also leads to a lack of ability to live normally.

Mind researchers suggest that depression may be biologically- or genetically-based. Neurotransmitters in the brain may be one possible cause of depression.

Neurotransmitters are chemicals released across a small space between a neuron, the basic unit of the nervous system and the receptive site of another neuron [synapse].

Lower levels of one neurotransmitter — norepinephrine — at the receptor sites are also blamed for depression.

Sometimes, the cause of depression may not be known. Certain conventional medications — like antihypertensives, or medications used to treat high blood pressure — may be one trigger. A severe lowering of the mood can also occur as a reaction to lack of sunlight

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all through the winter months, or changes in the inner biological clock that runs us all — especially during new or full moon nights.

Research suggests that people who are depressed have learned to be depressed. It is also suggested that a person who develops symptoms of depression may have few close relationships and little social support from those that do exist. Social support, in the form of family and friends, often acts as a pillow to stress.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS • Negativity in all aspects of life: a feeling of pessimism, a belief that nothing can make your life better • Changes in sleep pattern: sleeplessness; disturbed sleep, getting up too early, or sleeping more than is necessary • Changes in eating patterns: lack of or change in appetite, or eating too little or too much • Fatigue; difficulty in concentrating or making decisions • Isolation, withdrawal from people, and neglecting your appearance • Persistent sadness; and, self-disgust • Social withdrawal, digestive disturbances, gloom and, in certain cases, suicidal tendencies.

FACT-FILE Depression, the ‘common cold’ of emotional illness, is clearly on the ascendant in the elderly age-group — the ‘trigger’ being post-retirement blues, loss of spouse, loneliness and nuclear families, with grown-up children living separately. Researchers say that people who are depressed have only ‘learned’ to be depressed. They also emphasise that most elderly people with depression may have few close relationships and receive little, or inadequate, emotional support from their children.

While surveys suggest that depression is widespread, although several cases never come to the attention of doctors, studies signify that anti-depressants, the mainstay of conventional treatment, provide no more than modest benefit, not to speak of adverse side-effects.

Besides, 40-60 per cent of depressed patients experience ‘relapses’ after conventional treatment. This exemplifies why there is a need for effective, natural alternatives, such as homeopathy. Homeopathy ‘distils’ and diagnoses the type of depression a person has; it does not just look at the apparent symptoms in isolation. It analyses each person [mind-body] as a completely unique individual. This holistic approach relates to the individual’s personality, temperament, sensitivities and also sensibilities.

HEALING WITH HOMEOPATHY Twenty-six-year-old Mitisha, a business analyst, came to us with weight problems. When we began to record her case, her mother reported that she suffered from extreme mood swings with frequent bouts of depression. She also, as we analysed, seemed to lack interest in routine activities, because she felt ‘that nothing was going her way — in life and also career.’ Her thyroid function tests pointed towards hypothyroidism. When we distilled her detailed case history and analysis, we deduced that the homeopathic remedy, Graphites, appeared to be the remedy of choice for her health issues. We also began to track and monitor her weight, body fat, bone mass, visceral fat, muscle mass, total water content, basal metabolic index [BMI], and metabolic age on every followup. As the treatment progressed, she slowly began to feel better. Her mood swings too became less and not as frequent as they were before. She also began to shed her excess weight — this seemed to help her regain her lost confidence.

Obesity is a chronic disease. It is believed to be the outcome of certain interactions between our genes and the environment — and, also our mind. While overweight is defined as ‘abnormally high body weight due to excessive accumulation of body fat,’ there are certain ethnic differences in the distribution of subcutaneous fat.

Yet, the general cause of the disorder is plain overeating.

Besides, excess weight may also result from abnormal retention of water, bizarre muscular development, or some tumours, including a few endocrinal disorders.

Depression is one of the most commonly treated

conditions by professional homeopaths worldwide. In a 6-year study of 6,544 patients, published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 71 per cent of patients on homeopathic treatment improved.

In another review of 1,783 patient conditions, published in Homeopathy, 63.06 per cent of depressed patients experienced significant improvement with homeopathic treatment. Yet another randomised, double-blind study of a group of patients, suffering from moderate-to-severe depression, found homeopathy to be as effective as antidepressant drugs. There was no evidence of side-effects, following homeopathic treatment.

Homeopathy not only helps patients who first and foremost suffer, or have problems to recover, from depression; it has also been shown to reduce related depression in patients having fibromyalgia, or following oestrogen withdrawal in cases of breast cancer.

Depression affects over 250 million people worldwide. It accounts for 4-5 per cent of total short-term disability days; in 76 per cent of such cases, the employee is a woman.

It is also reported that employers are losing billions of dollars every year in lost productivity, directly related to depression. A study published in The American Journal of Psychiatry found that an employee with depression averaged 27.02 lost workdays per year, from absence or poor performance on the job.

Homeopathy has the potential to offer a fairly costeffective, effectual and safe alternative treatment plan for depression, in comparison to conventional medicine, while contributing significantly to reduced lost workdays.

How does homeopathy work? Most individuals with depression present with common symptoms, but these symptoms come about as a result of different causes.

When treating depression, the ‘cause’ of what leads, or has led, to depression often helps your homeopathic doctor in choosing the right homeopathic remedy.

SELF-HELP • Sit quietly; think what exactly is disturbing you • Take a good look at how you respond to daily events • See how you can make adjustments to reduce your stress levels • Don’t blame others for your problems • Exercise regularly for 20 minutes, 4-5 times a week; or, go for a 30-minute walk, 4-5 times a week • Eat healthy and nutritious food, with 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables, everyday • Avoid sugar and caffeine. Remember: sugar and caffeine raise your stress levels • Develop a hobby to take your mind away from stress • Try relaxation, yoga, meditation, music tapes etc., • Become socially involved; watch a TV comedy show • The individual, or a loved one, or caretaker, should consult their doctor, if one is not able to control one’s depressive spells, and follow-up on a regular basis.

Dr Sejal Parekar, BHMS, is a Mumbai-based homeopath.

HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

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HOMEOPATHIC HAPPENINGS

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90 PER CENT VOTE FOR HOMEOPATHIC VETERINARY PRACTICES

he American Veterinary Medical Association [AVMA] recently voted ‘no’ to a resolution “to discourage the use of homeopathy by US veterinarians and identify the approach as unsafe or ineffective.” An overwhelming response of 90 per cent of votes against the resolution made a powerful stand in support of homeopathic veterinary medicine.

The AVMA acknowledged that they already have established guidelines for complementary and alternative therapies; they also refused to single out any single homeopathic method for judgment. They did admit that more evidence-based research needs to be done in support of homeopathic veterinary methods.

Dr Jeff Feinman, VMD, CVH, owner of HomeVet and past President of the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy [AVH], said, “I am absolutely thrilled for the wonderful opportunity this gives me and the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy [AVH] to help educate other veterinarians about the fantastic effectiveness of veterinary homeopathic treatment. The overwhelming support from our AVMA colleagues is already being shared by other conventional

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HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT OF ELDERLY PATIENTS: ENCOURAGING RESULTS

t is reported that little is known about the range of diagnoses, course of treatment and long-term outcome in elderly patients who choose to receive homeopathic medical treatment. Researchers Teut M, Lüdtke R, Schnabel K, Willich S N and Witt C M, investigated homeopathic practice in an industrialised country under everyday conditions. The aim of the study was to determine the spectrum of diagnoses and treatments, as well as to describe the course of illness over time among older patients who chose to receive homeopathic treatment.

In this subgroup analysis of a prospective, multicentre cohort study of 3,981 patients treated by homeopathic physicians in primary care practices in Germany and Switzerland, data were analysed from all patients >70 years consulting the physician for the first time. The main outcome measures were: assessment by patient of the severity of complaints [numeric rating scales] and quality of life, or QoL [SF-36] and by the physician of the severity of diagnoses [numeric rating scales] at baseline, and after 3, 12, and 24 months.

A total of 83 patients were included in the subgroup analysis [41 per cent men, mean age 73.2 +/- 3.1 years; 59 per cent women, 74.3 +/- 3.8 years]. 98.6 per cent of all diagnoses were chronic with an average duration of 11.5 +/11.5 years. 82 per cent of the patients were taking medication at baseline. The most frequent diagnoses were hypertension [20.5 per cent, 11.1 +/- 7.5 years] and sleep disturbances

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veterinarians who want to learn more.

The AVH has received requests from state veterinary associations for continuing education programmes in vet homeopathy. As education chair of the AVH, I see the outcome of the one year of careful study of this resolution and deliberation by our colleagues as a very good thing.”

HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

[15.7 per cent, 22.1 +/- 25.8 years]. The severity of complaints decreased significantly between baseline and 24 months in both patients [from 6.3: 95 per cent: 5.7-6.8] to 4.6 [4.0-5.1; p <0.001] and physicians’ assessments [from 6.6: 6.0-7.1] to [3.7: 3.2-4.3; p <0.001]; quality of life, or QoL. The number of medicines taken did not significantly change.

The researchers concluded that the severity of disease showed marked and sustained improvement under homeopathic treatment, but this did not lead to total improvement of quality of life [QoL]. Their findings indicate

A

that homeopathic medical therapy may play a beneficial role in the long-term care of older adults with chronic diseases.

Studies on comparative effectiveness, as experts observed, may be needed to evaluate the hypothesis.

COMPLEMENTARY END-OF-LIFE HEALTHCARE GAINING GROUND

lternative therapies can help relieve discomfort and stress. Families can pursue and sometimes administer these therapies in both hospice and hospital settings. Of the countless painful decisions surrounding a loved one’s end-of-life care, the trickiest is how to provide physical comfort in a way that also provides a dignified ending. “For end of life, the opioids are important for pain management, but they do leave people very sedated,” says researcher and physician Josephine Briggs, MD, who heads the National Institutes of Health’s [NIH] National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine [NCCAM]. “Some people are looking for adjuncts to help with that.”

Increasingly, those adjuncts include acupuncture, massage and other complementary therapies. “We’re seeing increased interest in complementary approaches in hospice settings,” Briggs says, “and recognition by patients and caregivers that some of these approaches may be helpful in this stage of life.”

A comprehensive survey by the Centers for Disease Control [CDC], US, has found that 41 per cent of hospice care centres offered complementary and alternative

therapies [CAT] had a CAM provider on staff or under contract, or both. According to Dr Porter Storey, Executive Vice President of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, “It’s certainly gaining momentum, especially in the past 4-5 years.”

[Culled and compiled from media reports]

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WHAT LIES BENEATH: MYSTERIES OF HOMEOPATHY

HOMEOPATHY: BESPOKE MEDICINE Homeopathy is ‘designer medicine.’ It is based not merely on-the-surface presentation of the given illness, but on the totality of unique or distinctive symptoms we present with, or experience.

By Dr AKSHAY BATRA

H

omeopathy is ‘bespoke’ or ‘customised medicine.’

It evolved 200 years before customised clothes, or gadgets, came into vogue. In other words, homeopathy is tailor-made medicine — tailor-made to suit the temperament and personality of a particular individual, who presents with the illness. This is because, one size, or medicine, does not fit all.

You may also call homeopathy ‘designer medicine’ — a system of healing that is specially made... keeping you and you alone in mind, because you are unique in your own way.

So, don’t you think it is a travesty that homeopathy, the most recent of medical sciences, is not referred to as modern medicine? Curiously, orthodox, or conventional [allopathic] medicine, is called modern medicine — though it is not.

Twenty-two-year-old Janaki was bogged down by allergic rhinitis [nasal allergy, or hay fever], since age nine. Her incessant nasal sniffles used to get worse in winter, but a

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relentless bout in May prompted her to visit us. Her principal complaint was frequent, violent and erratic sneezing. She had watery, runny nose. This led her to arm herself with hankies all the time. Her nose would get blocked and stuffy.

The skin under her nose presented a red, inflamed and sore look. She reported that her eyes were itchy, dry and irritating. Her forehead was itchy, no less — she would reach and scratch it, time and again.

Janaki looked the exhausted type with allergy. She said that, although she slept for 7-8 hours, she felt unrefreshed.

Following case-analysis, we prescribed her Sabadilla Officinalis, a homeopathic remedy made from Mexican grass. This remedy is useful for spasmodic sneezing, nasal congestion, itching inside the nose and abundant watery nasal discharge, which Janaki presented with. Her sneezing and itching got relieved to a great extent [60 per cent] within six months’ time. When she visited us for follow-up,

after four months, she reported that she was more or less ‘sneeze-free,’ although she was prone to ‘catch’ a cold like everyone did, once or twice a year.

Clayton, a thirty-two-year-old banker, reported, “I’m allergic to everything, including spicy, fast-food, which I otherwise love.” Clayton’s nasal anguish showed in the form of a white, cloudy discharge that flowed day-in and day-out. His eyes appeared puffy, itchy and watery. As we were eliciting his case-history, he wiped his nose, with tissue paper, more than a dozen times. He also told us that when he slept he had an annoying post-nasal drip. He complained of sore throat, cough and sinusitis with frontal headache, worse while bending forwards. He reported that he had taken every conventional over-the-counter [OTC] cold and allergy medication available at the chemist — with momentary relief. We prescribed him Hydrastis Canadensis, a homeopathic remedy, which ‘matched’ his symptoms.

Clayton visited us a fortnight later to report that his nose was “but just a little dry.” His itching was, more or less, status quo, albeit his throat irritation and cough had reduced a bit. He reported that he continued to experience a blocked feeling in his nose. His frontal headache, he said, “was less; not noticeably better.” By the time he came for one of his follow-ups, eight months later, his symptoms had eased to a significant extent, giving him lengthy, tangible relief from his nosey distress.

THE BASICS Conventional [modern or allopathic] medicine concerns itself with drugs that treat the symptoms. They do nothing to strengthen the immune system, or treat the cause.

Homeopathic remedies, or medicines, work by rebuilding our defences, or immune system. With homeopathic treatment, the individual, or patient, recovers steadily and in the best, natural manner possible while becoming resistant to the particular illness in the future. Such immunity is also passed on to the next generation.

Homeopathy is based on the law of similars — or, the ‘like cures like’ principle. It analyses and treats the similarity between the symptoms caused by the healing properties in natural substances, by ‘matching’ them with symptoms produced by the illness. Put in simple terms, homeopathy aims to ‘match’ the symptom-picture of the individual, or patient, with the remedy-picture — the closer the ‘match,’ the more effective the healing outcome. In other words, for a homeopathic remedy to work effectively, its symptom-pattern should suitably correspond, or ‘match,’ with the symptoms of the illness and vice versa. The right homeopathic remedy strengthens the body’s own ability to ward off, or fight, infection or illness; it also restores balance and harmony.

CAUSE & EFFECT In conventional [modern or allopathic] medicine, the use of

antibiotics, for example, is based on the premise that there is a fight in progress in the body that must be resolved — and, that the body is not capable of succeeding without antibiotics. Antibiotics ‘kill’ the micro-organisms related to a given disease; they also hamper their duplication, all right. The downside is antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, antihistamines, and so on, do not produce immunestimulating effects, like homeopathic remedies. They relieve ‘trouble’ only on the surface, not from the inside out. Over time, they may lead to drug-dependence, or cause sideeffects — some of them serious — including dysbiosis, or microbial imbalance in the body, aside from iatrogenic [drug-induced] diseases.

Homeopathy agrees that the body certainly needs support in fighting infection, but this should take place by way of holistic, natural therapeutic assistance. It also evidences that the real cause of infection is not merely the microorganism, but a set of conditions in the body that provides the ‘soil,’ or environment, in which viruses, or bacteria, can survive and reproduce.

What homeopathy does is it restores the natural ecosystem of the body, which was affected by the illness, so micro-organisms no longer find it conducive for their existence. They will, in other words, no longer be able to trigger the illness, or go on the rampage in the body.

Homeopathy works on the mind-body plane rather than against it. Illness, in homeopathic parlance, is energy imbalance which takes place first at the most fundamental level and reaches a deeper level. This underlying imbalance, according to homeopathic tenets, is also the cause of illness or disease. This presents itself, over time, in the body, as symptoms, while trying to correct the inequity. The foundation of homeopathic healing is, as a result, keyed to addressing symptoms that are unique to the individual — and, using them as a guide to the natural homeopathic medicinal substance that can be employed in the entire healing process.

In simple terms, homeopathy treats the individual; it does not limit treatment to the diagnosis of illness alone.

When you are ill, your illness has its own unique pattern of symptoms. You tend to also get those illnesses that result from the particular pattern of imbalance with your immune and other systems — one that is unique to your personal temperament, disposition and susceptibility. Yet, the interesting fact is — people with the same illness, or diagnosis, as we summarised in the two nasal allergy cases cited [Janaki and Clayton], are not be prescribed the same homeopathic remedy.

It is precisely through the understanding of such symptom-portraits, or presentations, that professional homeopathic doctors treat the body, mind and emotions, simultaneously. This, in turn, stimulates the body’s ‘selfcorrecting’ internal systems to overcome imbalance or illness effectively — without side-effects.

Dr Akshay Batra, the first-ever trichologist from Asia to be elected President of the Trichological Society of London, his alma mater, is Managing Director, Dr Batra’s.

He is the youngest and the first-ever non-UK-based trichologist to receive the prestigious Robert Olding Award for outstanding achievement in the field of trichology.

He is also India's first hair specialist to be associated with the European Hair Research Society [EHRS]. His published work includes the first-of-its-kind, bestselling book, Hair: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know, which is available at all good bookstores and on www.flipkart.com. He lives in Mumbai.

HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

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HOM[E]O TRUTHS

HOMEOPATHY & VACCINE THERAPY: NOT JUST THE SAME Vaccine therapy may look somewhat similar to the homeopathic principle — ‘what can cause, can cure.’ However, it is not the same, as some people perceive.

Homeopathy and vaccines differ from each other like sugar and salt.

By KAVITA NADKARNI

H

omeopathy is based on the principle of ‘like cures like,’ according to which a substance that causes certain symptoms of a disease in healthy people will cure similar symptoms in sick people. It recognises that all symptoms of ill-health are expressions of disharmony within the whole person and that it is the patient who needs treatment, not the disease. Homeopathy realises that each and every individual is completely unique. Thus, in order to find the right remedy for you, a detailed understanding of who you are, what your complaints are, and how you experience them, is needed to accurately assess your case. Therefore, every individual gets a different remedy, depending upon his/her symptoms and also their overall personality.

Vaccines, on the other hand, introduces into the body the pathogens [viruses or bacteria] that are believed to cause particular diseases, but in an attenuated form that is supposed to trigger the production of antibodies without causing the disease itself. These antibodies provide the protection against ‘catching’ the disease in the future. Thus,

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in vaccine therapy, the same vaccine is given to everyone.

Yet another significant difference is related to testing of vaccines and homeopathic medicines, or remedies.

Vaccines are tested on animals; they are evidenced to cause several adverse effects; some of them serious.

Homeopathy, on the contrary, is tested on healthy human beings [provings]; they are safe.

ONE PREVENTS. THE OTHER CURES AS WELL The aim of vaccination is to only prevent diseases, whereas homeopathy also cures them.

Homeopathy believes in the idea of whatever causes the disease can be super-diluted to cure it. In vaccines, the weakened virus is used to ‘train’ the immune system to fight the virus when exposed to it. Thus, vaccines can only prevent the infection; they are not used to cure after it has happened.

Vaccines ‘rev-up’ the immune system directly and produces antibodies specific to a particular illness.

Homeopathy, on the other hand, works at a more subtle,

dynamic level, activating all the inner workings in the body and building general and overall immunity.

In classical homeopathy, remedies are never injected, but are given by mouth, unlike vaccines. Whereas a vaccine causes a limited and specific reaction from the immune system [i.e., the production of antibodies], a homeopathic remedy elicits a non-specific and more general reaction which stimulates the entire immune system.

NO ADVERSE EFFECTS WITH HOMEOPATHY Homeopathic remedies do not cause, or trigger any sideeffects. For long, homeopaths have successfully used Anthracinum for anthrax, Pertussin for whooping cough and so on. According to The Journal of the American Institute of Homeopathy, during the infamous outbreak of meningitis in Brazil, in 1974, 18,640 patients were given the homeopathic nosode, Meningococcinum [prepared from the diseased tissue], as a preventative remedy. Just four cases of meningitis were reported in this group. On the contrary, 6,340 people, who formed the control group, and didn’t receive any treatment, developed 32 cases. The homeopathic efficacy was evident.

Vaccination does not guarantee immunity from disease. It is often accompanied by side-effects, and in some cases it can cause disability and death.

There is a school of thought now gaining ground — it holds the view that conventional vaccines may be harmful.

The latest debate is related to the new swine flu [H1N1] vaccine. It’s weighed down by controversy, thanks to its side-effects profile.

It is known that in the period after vaccination, the recipient may be more susceptible to disease. Immediate reactions include fever, allergic responses, convulsions, central nervous system [CNS] illness etc — they may sometimes lead to temporary or permanent disabilities.

Delayed reactions may be more insidious and less obvious.

They can also result in persistent conditions such as epilepsy, mental retardation, learning disabilities and behaviour disorders.

Vaccines have adverse reactions in children as well. The reactions vary greatly from child to child. Some children do not react at all. Some get redness and inflammation at the site of the shot. Some get headaches and fever, while others might suffer from convulsions and brain damage.

Some conventional doctors today are of the view that vaccines suppress our immunity. This means they reduce our natural immune function, leaving us vulnerable to several illnesses.

Homeopathic remedies do not cause such problems.

They are friendly on the system. They cause no tissue damage. They protect, treat and also prevent illness.

Homeopathic ‘vaccines’ are non-toxic and effective in prophylaxis. For example, Parotidinum works well as a preventative remedy for mumps, Influenzinum for flu, Diphtherinum for diphtheria and so on. This is

homeopathy’s most fundamental advantage. This is also its holistic therapeutic reality.

INGREDIENTS DIFFER The main ingredients of vaccines are cultured bacteria and viruses. The bacteria are grown in a culture medium, while viruses are grown on animal or human cells. Animal material in vaccines includes monkey kidney cells, chicken or duck egg protein, chick embryos and gelatine from cows.

These proteins are foreign to the body, and are toxic as they are injected directly and do not get filtered by the digestive system, or pass through the liver.

Vaccines also contain stabilisers, neutralisers, carrying agents and preservatives. These include toxic metals [e.g., mercury and aluminium] and chemicals such as formaldehyde [an embalming fluid used to kill viruses; a potential carcinogen], phenoxyethanol [a component of anti-freeze], and monosodium glutamate [a mutagen and neurotoxin, added as a stabiliser]. Antibiotics [e.g., neomycin] are added to prevent the growth of germs in vaccine cultures, but they also suppress the immune system and may trigger allergic reactions.

On the other hand, there are more than 3,000 homeopathic medicines in practice; the basic ingredients of homeopathic medicines come from as many different sources — from plants and minerals. Their active principles are extracted into various solvents. For better palatability, the liquid homeopathic medicine is poured into small globules, which are highly porous and, therefore, absorptive.

Thus, homeopathy and vaccine therapy may appear similar in principle, yet they differ in several ways.

Homeopathy offers safe and permanent results in most cases, without any side-effects; it also improves general resistance, while easing and purging out the illness, or disease, from the inside out.

Kavita Nadkarni is a writer and healthcare communications professional. She holds a degree in microbiology with a master’s in bio-informatics. She has managed editorial teams in media groups, specialising in healthcare and pharmaceutical publications. Her other areas of interest include complementary medicine and alternative healthcare. She is Assistant Editor, Homeopathy & You.

HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

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GRIN AND BEAR IT

Laughter,

the best Medicine gOOD IN PerSON due to a job transfer, John moved from his hometown. he had maintained a comprehensive health history — he brought along all of his medical paperwork, for his first check-up with his new doctor. After browsing through the extensive medical history, the doctor stared at John for a few moments and said, “Well, there’s one thing i can say for certain — you sure look better in person than you do on paper!”

NO NeWS IS gOOD NeWS tom, one of the world’s greatest hypochondriacs, bumped into his doctor one day at the supermarket. “doc,” tom exclaimed, “i’ve been meaning to tell you, remember those voices i kept on hearing in my head? i haven’t heard them in over a week!” “Wow! What wonderful news, tom! i’m so happy for you!” his doctor exclaimed. “Wonderful?” asked a dismal looking tom. “there’s nothing wonderful about it. i’m afraid my hearing is starting to fade now.”

LIVe tO Be 80? sam goes to his doctor for his yearly check-up. “everything is fine,” says the doctor, “You’re doing okay for your age.” “For my age?” questioned sam, “i’m only 75, do you think i’ll make it to 80? “Well” said the doctor, “do you drink or smoke?” “no,” sam replied. “do you eat red meat, or sweets?” “no,” said sam “i am careful about what i eat.” “how about your activities?” “do you engage in thrilling activities like speeding or skiing?” “no,” says sam, taken aback, “i would never engage in dangerous activities.” “Well,” said the doctor, “then why in the world would you want to live to be 80?”

IN the eYe OF the StOrM “i was awfully scared about going to the eye doctor to get a certain procedure done on my eyes. the doctor tried to put me at ease, but to no avail. it was after he finished with my first eye that i nearly jumped out of the chair.” “there, there,” he said, “only one eye left!”

COuCh POtatO At the psychiatrist: “do you consume alcohol?” “no.” “do you smoke?” “no.” “do you use drugs?” “no.” “do you play cards?”

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“no.” “so, why did you come to me?”

“You see, doc, i have one little problem. i lie a lot.”

NerVOuS reSPONSe “Just relax,” the hospital staff kept telling Jim, but it was to no avail. Jim’s wife was in labour and Jim was a nervous wreck. After what seemed like a week, to both Jim and the hospital staff, a nurse came out with the happy news, “it’s a girl.” “thank god, a girl,” exclaimed Jim, “at least she won’t have to go through what i just went through!”

QuID PrO QuO A young guy comes to the company doctor. After examination, the doctor says, “so, we will have to cut one of your lungs.” the guy is astonished and tells, “but, doctor, my lungs have always been great. i have never had any problems with them.” “i see it myself. but, your liver has no room anymore.” [culled from the ‘net]

CELEBRITY SPEAK

FAMOUS WORDS

Homeopathic remedies for me are effective natural remedies that have no side-effects.

Dr Robert Mendelsohn, MD, American physician, heretic and virtuoso writer

An allopath comes and treats cholera patients and gives them his medicines. The homeopath comes and gives his medicines and cures perhaps more than the allopath does because the homeopath does not disturb the patients but allows nature to deal with them.

Swami Vivekananda

I believe homeopathy as a system of cure has a great scope in a poor country like India and deserves encouragement.

Babu Rajendra Prasad, former President of India

Homeopathy is supposed to work miracles.

Sardar Vallabhai Patel, ‘the Iron Man of India’

Complementary therapies, like homeopathy, get to the cause — rather than just treating the symptoms. I know from my own experience that they work. I’d like to see doctors prescribing homeopathic treatment.

Peter Hain, Secretary of State for Wales, UK

Homeopathy, unaided by the state, has wonderful progress to its credit. It’s cheap; its simplicity is remarkable. The cures it has affected are no less remarkable. I have no doubt, therefore, that it deserves state patronage as any other system of medicine.

J Narayan, former health minister, India

HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

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LIVING WELL: LIFESTYLE

SIZZLE THIS SUMMER The scorching summer heat can cause sun tan, sun burn, dehydration, blemishes, pimples and pigmentation. One can avoid skin damage by following some simple tips — whether you are in your 20s, 30s or 40s — to keep your skin fresh and moisturised, even as the mercury levels rise.

Y

oung women in their 20s can follow the following tips to keep their skin radiant in summer: Stay hydrated. Women in their 20s spend maximum time outside of their home and travel long distances to their college, or for work. Amidst their hectic work schedules, they tend to skip one of the major health routines to be followed religiously in summers — drinking water at regular intervals. Your body tends to lose a lot of moisture in summer. Therefore, it is important to regularly replenish the water content in your body, more so if you are out of your house for longer durations, or if you exercise regularly. Drinking water keeps your skin hydrated and helps it to stay soft and moisturised.

Use sun protection. The hottest part of the day during summer is the most damaging time. Therefore, if you can, try and stay indoors between 11:00am and 3:00pm.

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This is the time when sun rays are the strongest and can have an adverse effect on your skin. Also, don’t forget to apply sunscreen 30 minutes before you step out.

Avoid fried food. Young girls enjoy eating a lot of junk-food in fast-food outlets. However, eating excessive fat or fried food leads to lethargy, as it slows down the digestive process. It also affects the skin, making it look unhealthy. So, reduce your trips to fast-food centres in summer.

Reduce tea and coffee intake. Being a diuretic, too much tea or coffee can cause increased urination; this leads to water loss and dryness of skin.

Stay away from aerated drinks. Youngsters like to have ice-cold aerated drinks to quench their thirst on a really hot day. However, it is important to remember that these drinks are full of sugar; they are not good for your skin and your health. Instead, drink some water, fresh

lime, fresh fruit juices, or coconut water, to stay hydrated.

It is also best to minimise, or better still avoid the intake of alcohol.

Avoid tight-fitting clothes. Tight, skin-fit clothes hamper circulation, increase sweating and cause discomfort. Loose-fitting and light-coloured clothes will keep you cool all day.

Cleanse your face twice a day. This is important even if you are at home all day. Cleansing and moisturising your skin before sleeping is an absolute must during summers.

Get rid of your tan. Gram flour can be used to get rid of an uneven tan. Mix it with yoghurt and a few drops of lemon and apply it on your face. Leave till it is dry. The citrus properties of lemon are effective in removing the tan.

Wear a hat and sunglasses. Sunglasses protect sensitive eyes and skin as well. Eyes are prone to melanomas and cataracts; the sensitive skin around your eyes is prone to early aging. Wearing a hat protects you from direct sun rays.

SKIN CARE FOR WOMEN IN THEIR 30s Use water-based moisturiser. Do not skip your moisturising routine in summer. If you find your regular moisturiser too oily, go for a water-based product.

Use a toner. It is important to keep your pores closed and skin cool by using a toner. Look for a brand that suits you, or try rose water. The natural cooling properties of rose water make it an excellent toner for the hot season.

Exfoliate. It is really important to exfoliate your skin in summer to remove dead skin and improve blood circulation to the face. You can select from any of the cosmetic scrubs available, or make one at home. Try this simple way of making your scrub at home. Use 4-5 tbsp of gram flour, a pinch of turmeric, 5–6 drops of rose water and milk, or yoghurt. Mix it into a paste and apply it on your face. Follow it up with a facemask and moisturiser.

Use homemade packs for summer glow. Papaya is full of natural goodness; you can use it in your homemade face pack. Just mash 2 tbsp of papaya with a tsp of honey and 1 egg white. Leave the mixture on your face for about 15 minutes.

Cool your skin. Blending half a cucumber and 1 tbsp of yoghurt in the mixer can make another simple and effective homemade face pack. Apply and keep on your face for 15 minutes.

check.

You can opt for a few treatments given below — more so, if your skin shows signs of excess pigmentation, rashes, wrinkles and redness, or loses its elasticity: • Skin renewal treatment. Fights aging; removes dead skin cells and corrects uneven skin tone • C larity treatment. Inhibits skin discoloration and melanin production, improves skin tone, texture and clarity • Skin resurfacing. Removes pigmentation on arms, chest, neck and face • S kin tightening. Helps tighten up loose and crinkly skin on hands, neck and face • Skin elasticity. Helps stimulate collagen production • Botox. Gets rid of unwanted wrinkles.

SUPPLEMENTS Skincare in your 40s isn’t only about what you put on your body — it’s also about what you eat. Dermatologists recommend a daily supplement regimen, including a complex of amino acids, glucosamine, vitamin B-6 [pyridoxine], grape seed extract and antioxidant vitamins A, C, D and E. SELF-HELP • Maintain a regular, simple, nourishing and balanced diet plan • Avoid aerated beverages • Water is the only wholesome beverage, but never in its chilled form and/or after over-exertion. Maintain adequate hydration • Cotton clothing is ideal summer wear • The use of cotton socks is perfect, especially for those who sweat profusely. Dust feet with a mild talc or antiperspirant before wearing shoes. Sandals make ideal summer footwear • Exposure to pollutants should be avoided, as also predisposing factors that may lead to summer illnesses • Cold/lukewarm water bath, twice daily, is beneficial • There is no substitute to good personal hygiene.

SKIN CARE FOR WOMEN IN THEIR 30s Use thick and rich moisturiser. As we get older, our skin does a poor job of maintaining its moisture level, so dryness can set in before we realise, making fine lines look worse than they really are. Increase the thickness and richness of the moisturisers you use. Make sure your moisturiser includes a broad-spectrum sunscreen [SPF 30].

Get rid of your acne. Don’t underestimate your acne just because you are in your 40s. See a dermatologist for a reasonable, safe regimen that will keep your acne in

HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

35 47

LIVING WELL: LIFESTYLE

THE MOBILE CONUNDRUM Mobile phones are an indispensable tool of modern day life. However, your handy ‘gizmo’ does have safety risks.

T

he antenna of the mobile phone emits radio waves.

In addition to this, some radiation discharge into the mobile phone body, or case, cannot be ruled out. Whatever the position of the phone, radio waves are directed towards the head of the mobile phone user.

One way or other the radiation seeps into the users’ body tissues, and is absorbed by them.

Once absorbed, these waves transfer their energy to body tissues. This could have a negative effect on the energy levels and also on the metabolic processes in the body.

The body can absorb the additional energy transferred to the tissues by radiation. This may cause the body to thermo-regulate and raise the body temperature. Studies have demonstrated the maximum temperature increase produced due to absorption of radio waves is about 0.1ºC. Even though experts have not highlighted any unpleasant effects on health at this level of exposure, this is not a unanimously held belief and multiple health guidelines recommend restrictions on the use of mobile phones.

Research related to exposure to radio waves emitted from mobile phones is now the focus of sustained attention.

The absorption of radio waves by the body is measured in terms of the Specific Absorption Rate [SAR] of energy.

Scientists advise that SAR should be below 2Wkg-1 [watt per kg].

This reading has been accepted by the mobile phone industry — in most parts of the world.

There is though, for the most part, no definitive consensus as regards the measure of SAR produced by a mobile phone. Results also seem to vary from one test to the other.

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SAR values with respect to mobile phones can be obtained from the respective manufacturer’s websites.

SAR values mentioned for mobile phones represent what a mobile phone transmits by way of maximum possible power for a period of six minutes. This is easier said than done, because one major feature of mobile phone technology is that there is no fixed output power level when a call is made. This depends on the quality of the radio link to the base station. Provided the link is reasonably good, a low output power level will be used. If it is the opposite, there will be a need for a higher output level.

Though disputed, some researchers have stated that there is considerable evidence to show that radiation emitted by mobile phones has adverse effects on the body.

It may be said that the consequences of mobile phone usage on our health is not precisely known to us. All the same, a body of scientific opinion indicates the possibility of damage to our genes and the risk of cancer caused by exposure to long-term mobile phone radiation effects.

Hence, the following simple but effective safety measures may be used: • Use a hands-free mobile phone; it’s better and relatively safe • Find out the SAR values prior to buying a phone • Be brief; make mobile phone calls short, and to the point • Keep your mobile phone away from your head, as far as possible • Make an effort to minimise the frequency of use and duration of the call.

GOOD FOOD

CARROT TREATS FOR GOOD HEALTH Carrots are low in saturated fat and cholesterol. They are also a good source of B vitamins, folate and manganese, including dietary fibre, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K and potassium. Here are two recipes made from this nutrient-rich vegetable for you — to celebrate good health.

By TARLA DALAL

CARROT AND CHEESE SANDWICH

CARROT DOSA

The duo and noodles in a creamy sauce are quite different than the regular noodles.

The garnish of spring onion greens, sesame seeds and peanuts gives a nice taste and crunch to these soft noodles.

A soft, pancake-like dish made with rice flour and grated carrots, the carrot dosa is ideal for breakfast or as a snack any time you feel hungry, as it can be prepared within minutes without ado. The addition of grated coconut provides an energy boost and also lends softness to these pancakes. Have these pancakes fresh off the tava, and you will love the crisp yet soft feel of every bite.

Preparation Time: 15 mins. Makes 2 sandwiches.

Preparation Time: 5mins. Cooking Time: 8mins. Makes 8 servings.

Ingredients • 4 toasted whole wheat bread slices • 2 tsp melted butter To be mixed together for the filling • 3/4 cup grated carrot • 3 tbsp mozzarella cheese • 3 tbsp grated paneer [cottage cheese] • 1 tsp chopped green chillies • a pinch of mustard [rai/sarson] powder • 1 tbsp milk • Salt to taste.

Method • Divide the filling into 2 equal portions and keep aside • Place 2 bread slices on a clean, dry surface and apply ½ tsp of butter on each bread slice • Put 1 portion of the prepared filling in the centre of 1 buttered bread slice and spread it evenly using the back of a spoon • Cover with another buttered bread side facing downwards • Cut the sandwich into 2 triangles • Repeat steps 3 and 4 to make 1 more sandwich • Serve immediately.

Ingredients • 1 cup rice flour [chawal ka atta] • 1/2 cup grated coconut • 1 cup grated carrot • 2 tsp sugar • 3 green chillies , chopped • 4-5 tbsp curd [dahi] • Salt to taste.

Other Ingredients Oil for cooking Method • Combine all the ingredients in a bowl with enough water to make a batter of pouring consistency • Heat a non-stick tava and grease it lightly with some oil • Pour 1 ladle full of the batter on the hot tava and spread it to get a dosa of 125mm [5”] in diameter and 3mm-4mm thick • Cook on both sides using a little oil, over a slow flame until golden brown in colour • Repeat with the remaining batter to make 7 more dosas • Serve hot with green chutney.

[Courtesy: www.tarladalal.com]

Tarla Dalal was a noted Indian food writer, chef, best-selling cookbook author and host of cooking shows like Tarla Dalal Show and Cook It Up With Tarla Dalal.

HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

37

LIVE & HELP LIVE

THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF COW URINE THERAPY Cow urine, according to people who drink it, has many benefits: it improves digestion and intelligence; it is useful in treating abdominal colic and bloating. It is useful in conditions like intestinal worms, including skin diseases, obesity and anaemia. It also acts as a natural detoxifier.

By MANEKA GANDHI

I

inaugurated a small gaushala — a protective shelter for cows — in a village outside New Delhi. After the ceremony the gaushala committee head handed me a bottle of distilled cow urine. I asked him what I was supposed to do with it. “Drink it,” he said, “it cleans the body.”

I may be an animal lover but I draw the line at drinking cow urine. I took it and decided to experiment on a dog which had fleas and ticks. We rubbed the urine on and

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after some time in the sun, bathed her with soap. The fleas and ticks disappeared and there was no smell at all of urine.

I am now sending it to my animal hospital to try it on other animals with parasites.

According to those who drink it, cow urine has many benefits: it improves digestion and intelligence; it is useful in treating abdominal colic and bloating. It is useful in conditions like intestinal worms, including skin

diseases, obesity and anaemia. It also acts as a natural detoxifier.

PREPARATION Apparently, cow urine has to be boiled and distilled first. There are several companies that sell distilled cow urine. But, if you can get fresh urine, you can prepare the distillate like this: • Put it in a pressure cooker • At the opening on top, where the whistle normally is, attach a heat-resistant pipe. The other end of the pipe should open into a clean vessel kept dipped in water • Heat the urine in the pressure cooker and collect the distillate in the vessel. Do not use the pressure cooker for anything else • The distilled cow urine can be used for 1-2 months, if preserved in an air-tight container.

Start with drinking 3-4 drops of cow urine once or twice a day. After a week, increase it to one spoon, twice a day.

However, there are some important dos and don’ts: • Check whether the cow is well first • Do not store raw cow urine for more than an hour • Take the cow urine for the prescribed time period only.

For example, if used for indigestion, it should be taken only till proper digestion is restored • Do not take it if you are extremely thin, emaciated, tired, suffer from severe fatigue, male infertility and insomnia • It is not to be given to children • Remember: cow urine therapy is not nourishing. It is detoxifying and cleansing in nature.

AYURVEDIC CONNECTION Certain ayurvedic medicines use cow urine as an ingredient: shiva gutika, panchagavya ghrita, maha panchagavya ghrita, gomutra haritaki, and mandoora vatakam. Some ayurvedic physicians recommend cow urine to be taken along with their medicines: punarnavadi kashayam, mahayograj guggul — in the treatment of anaemia. Vyoshadi guggulu, khadiradi kashayam — worm infestation — and, kankayan vati — to treat abdominal lump of kapha origin. Cow urine is also used, along with pathyadi lepa churna, an herbal powder, to prepare a paste — this can be applied externally to relieve skin diseases, such as dermatitis [eczema].

Cow urine is used in the process of making of loha bhasma too.

Our old texts like Atharva Veda, Charaka Samhita, Rajni Ghuntu, Vridhabhagabhatt, Amritasagar, Bhavaprakash and Sushruta Samhita extol the health benefits of cow urine.

The Cow Urine Treatment and Research Centre, Indore, which has conducted scientific studies, claims that it is capable of curing diabetes, blood pressure, asthma, psoriasis, eczema, heart disease, blockage in arteries, fits, cancer, piles, prostate problems, arthritis,

migraine, thyroid disorders, ulcers, acidity, constipation, gynaecological problems, ear and nasal problems, varicose veins and dysmenorrhoea, ringworm and other skin problems, including acne. The most important claim is for curing AIDS –– it would be a revolution if this turned out to be true.

Villagers use cow urine as a disinfectant and apply it on wounds.

Cow urine analysis shows it contains nitrogen, sulphur, ammonia, copper, phosphate, sodium, potassium, manganese, carbolic acid, iron, uric acid, urea, silicon, chlorine, magnesium, calcium salts, vitamin A, B, C, D, E, minerals, lactose, enzymes, creatinine and aurum hydroxide.

I may not drink it, but I certainly think it should be used as both pesticide and biofertiliser. Hundreds of case studies have been done. In one, 11 farmers of Kali Talavadi in Maharashtra have made a club that uses cow urine as biofertiliser on cotton, groundnut, maize, castor and chillies. They say that spraying 100-200 litre per acre increases the production of crops and, of course, reduces the cost of production because the urine is collected from the village cows. The farmers reported that chilli production increased by 10 per cent and maize by 15 per cent.

FARMING A REVOLUTION Farmers from this club bring all the animals, under one shed, and collect the urine at night. In two years they have collected 1.7 lakh litre of cow urine and sold 1.68 litre at Rs 2.50/litre earning Rs 4.2 lakh. At present 107 families are using cow urine as a biofertiliser in the area and they say that if cow urine is used on the fields for three years, you will never need chemical fertilisers and pesticides again.

I firmly believe that the cow and the buffalo are nature’s answer to all our agricultural issues. If the government that forced our farmers into chemical dependence would simply see the cow as our saviour and let her out of this trap and stop letting her be killed for leather and meat export, we would get cheaper food, less cancer and a far healthier economy.

Maneka Gandhi is a noted politician, animal rights activist, writer and environmentalist. She is well-known for her books in the areas of etymology, law and animal welfare. She lives in New Delhi.

HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

39

FIGHTING FIT

NO TIME FOR EXCUSES When you bump into people who coin excuses, at the ‘drop of a sinew,’ don’t let their pretences rub off on you. Brush the dust off your feet and hit the gym, right away.

I

lifestyle. There are too many out-of-shape doctors have been playing the iron game for more who are far too quick to say that if it hurts to lift, years than some of you have been alive. don’t lift. A good sports doctor will understand I can’t wait to tell you how many people your drive and ambition and work with you.

I have seen come and go, some of them for Get it corrected. If your problem is correctable, ‘legitimate’ reasons. This is okay. But, it’s the it may only mean time off for recovery, but it’s far lame, wimpy ‘poor me’ excuses that I get tired

By KERRY better than an immobile joint or worse. of hearing. “I hurt my shoulder,” “I pulled a DULIN Find an alternative exercise that works. I have muscle in my back,” or “I sprained my ankle.” dealt with chronic elbow inflammation for years. Some I’m sorry, but I just don’t have any sympathy for them. days I simply can’t curl or do wide grip lat pulls. It These are the same people I will see a few years from sucks, but I follow it up with enough pull-ups to make now claiming that they would have been competitive an Olympic gymnast proud. Pull-ups ‘hit’ the back and bodybuilders if only they hadn’t met with such biceps at the same time. As a result, my biceps will still misfortunes. beat the majority of people out there. I also vary the grip When you encounter such people don’t let their from narrow [to focus on the biceps] to wide [to bring in excuses rub off on you. Brush the dust off your feet and the lats]. hit the gym immediately.

Understand to relate. If you understand and relate to WHEN YOU CAN’T DO WHAT YOU WANT, DO WHAT what I am saying, take a break. You are an extremist [as am I] and may just be overtraining. Muscle growth YOU CAN occurs during the recovery process and the word, If your shoulder hurts and you can’t bench, find another recovery, implies some well-earned relaxation. Your pain movement that works the same muscle group that doesn’t hurt [or, at least doesn’t hurt as much]. There are may simply be due to not getting enough recovery time.

If this is the case you may find that by increasing the several variations of the press that you will most likely number of days before you work the same muscle group, find an acceptable alternative. It can be depressing, but you will not only reduce the amount of pain that you it’s better than sitting at home on the couch watching experience, but your strength and growth will improve as what other people are doing. well.

Squats are probably the biggest ‘obstacle’ here. Some The bottom line is that we all have excuses for not people avoid the squat rack like it’s going to give them doing something. As I sit here writing this piece I feel a disease. “I’d squat, but I hurt my back in a freak train pain in my left elbow and lower back. But, it’s mine; I accident two years ago.” Well then, do hack squats or earned it. Nobody kicks my ass like I do. Well, after the leg presses, or leg extensions. Do something! final word is written, I’m going to take a couple of deep Don’t be stupid. A good lifter is an educated lifter. breaths and hit the gym.

Know the source of your pain. See a qualified fitness See ya there. professional who understands and respects your Kerry Dulin, a world-renowned fitness guru, first got into professional bodybuilding at age 40. He won his first bodybuilding competition at 41. Now 54,with a physique that would put someone half his age to shame, Dulin has what he calls “a manageable programme,” 12 top trophies to show for his fitness endeavours and three health and fitness websites. He lives in the US.

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GOOD FOR YOU

HOMOCYSTEINE & VITAMIN B A simple vitamin B supplement is all you need to ease high homocysteine levels and reduce the risk of heart disease.

I

homocysteine cannot be transformed back t is reported that half-a-million people die into these ‘safe substances;’ it accumulates of heart disease annually. Heart disease to dangerous amounts. Some individuals may will continue to ‘ring out’ its death toll have a genetic predisposition to elevated until we accept the whole truth — that high homocysteine levels and would need extra B cholesterol alone is not the ‘root’ cause. In vitamins. fact, many people die from heart attacks and Homocysteine causes damage to the coronary artery disease [CAD] with normal or By Dr RICHARD FIRSHEIN lining of the arteries and any low-density low cholesterol levels. lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol that might A special derivative of an amino acid called be found there. This is why LDL cholesterol — or, homocysteine lurks in the shadows. It lets cholesterol ‘bad’ cholesterol — is so harmful. Not because it is take the blame as it stealthily sabotages our arteries. the ‘root’ cause of coronary artery disease [CAD], Homocysteine is derived from an amino acid called but because when oxidised it causes free radical methionine. Methionine is found in several foods, damage and makes arterial disease worse. Think of like garlic, onions, legumes, fish, eggs and meat. A homocysteine as the creator of potholes in the walls process called transulphuration turns methionine into of the arteries and when fat or cholesterol surrounds homocysteine. the potholes they clumsily plug up the hole, further Physicians who practice natural therapies are aggravating the damage. not the only ones taking note of homocysteine’s The current mainstream treatment for heart disease dangers. A study in The New England Journal of includes coronary bypass surgery, literally a chestMedicine confirms that increased plasma levels of splitting procedure; angioplasty, which inflates your homocysteine confer an independent risk of vascular vulnerable arteries like balloons to deflect cholesterol disease. This means that even if you are a healthy plaques; and, numerous potent medications with person with normal cholesterol levels, no family various side-effects. Keeping homocysteine low, history of illness, and good eating habits, high levels however, is often a matter of one simple, natural tool: of homocysteine in your body can predispose you the dietary supplement. High homocysteine levels to heart disease. This predisposition to heart risk is powerfully increased if you smoke, or have high blood have been linked to deficiencies of three crucial vitamins: B6, B12 and folic acid. pressure [hypertension].

As McCully observed in the 1960s, homocysteine Kilmer McCully, a pathologist at Harvard Medical levels increase as a direct result of deficiencies of the School, US, made a series of intriguing observations three vitamins and that its levels decrease when they about homocysteine and our hearts. are consumed. The inference is obvious: with just a As explained earlier, homocysteine is created little help from a basic vitamin B capsule, the threat from — and is related to — several quite innocuous of high homocysteine levels could be wiped out and compounds, like the amino acid methionine. It can the frequency of heart disease reduced. Folic acid too be changed in two directions: it can use vitamin is just as important to our health. We, in the US, are B6 [pyridoxine] to change into two other important blessed with a wealth of nutritional knowledge and amino acids, cysteine and taurine, or it can use an abundance of food, yet it is shocking that so many vitamin B12 [cobalamin] and folic acid to return people lack B vitamins. The credo applies to people back to its methionine form. In a normal, healthy across the globe. The answer is simple — we can body, homocysteine is just a brief intermediate step bolster our diets with the right vitamin nutrients and between methionine, cysteine and taurine. control homocysteine.

Well, in as many as one in four victims of heart You get the point — the simplest of cures are disease, that step is not so brief. If our levels sometimes the best of cures. of vitamin B6, B12, or folic acid, are low, then Dr Richard Firshein, Founder-Director of The Firshein Center for Comprehensive Medicine in New York City, is a leading innovator and authority in the field of preventative and nutritional medicine, integrating both Eastern and Western medical practices. He is Board Certified in Family Medicine and has served as professor of family medicine. An internationally recognised leader in the field of integrative medicine and healthy aging, a cancer researcher, prolific author and writer, Dr Firshein has written several groundbreaking books, including the bestselling Reversing Asthma, Your Asthma-Free Child, The Nutraceutical Revolution and, most recently, The Vitamin Prescription [For Life].

HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

41

POISE & BALANCE

YOGA FOR YOuR SpiNe The body and mind according to tantra yoga is one — with the body being the vehicle of the mind and the spine the ‘seat’ of all responses.

By pReeTi MANDAWeWALA

T

antra yoga considers the body and mind as one, with the body being the vehicle of the mind.

According to this system of yoga the mind is abstract and the body concrete; to work with the abstract mind we need to use the concrete material body. Because, it is in the body that the psychic centres [chakras] are located. The functional aspect of the cerebrospinal system is called the mind. The spine is the seat of all responses.

We have seven major chakras — as already discussed in one of my columns [H&Y, February 2014] — running along our spine. Each chakra is a bio-energetic sphere emanating from our major nerve ganglia. The spinal centres, or chakras, are found at the points where tributary streams of energy [prana, or life force] from the body join the upward flow of energy in the deep or astral spine.

The astral, or energy, spine is not the backbone [those knobs that can be felt along the back], but it runs more or less through the centre of the body. Energy flows through the central nervous system [CNS] and through the astral spine. In our sleeping or ‘unawakened’ state, the main energy-flow is downward, away from the brain, and outward to the organs and limbs.

The chakras correspond to the spinal plexuses in the physical body, from which nerves branch out to provide energy to different parts of the body. As we go deeper in meditation and prayer, uplifting our consciousness, the energy begins to flow upwards in the spine.

1. The first chakra is located at the base of the spine.

It is called the mooladhara, or coccyx centre. This centre radiates from the nerves that go to the lower parts of the body: the anus and the legs 2. An inch-and-a-half above the first chakra is the swadisthana, or sacral centre. The nerves from this centre regulate the reproductive system 3. Opposite the navel in the astral spine is the manipura, or lumbar centre. The nerves from the centre regulate the digestive system and all the internal organs and glands in the abdominal cavity [spleen, liver, kidneys, pancreas, adrenals etc]

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4. At the region of the heart [in the spine] is the anahata, or dorsal or thoracic centre, from which nerves radiate to the heart, lungs and chest, and into the arms and hands 5. The vishudha, or cervical centre, from which nerves radiate to the throat, neck and vocal chords, is opposite the throat [in the spine] 6. The highest spinal centre is located in the medulla oblongata, at the base of the brain, just above the place where the skull connects with the neck. Its positive pole is the ajna chakra, at the point between the eyebrows. The medulla oblongata is the centre through which cosmic energy feeds the entire body with prana [life force, or conscious cosmic energy] 7. The sahasrara chakra is located in the cranium, at the top of the head. This centre is traditionally known as the thousand-petal lotus, or crown chakra.

YOGASANAS FOR CHAKRAS Mooladhara is the body in physical space and time.

It relates to grounding, stability and foundation. In yogasanas, attention is aligned in all poses and to building awareness and strength in the legs, especially in all standing poses. Anything that stabilises and ‘roots’ the foundation reinforces mooladhara. Examples: garudasana, trikonasana, setubandhasana, utkatasana, tadasana, natrajasana, vrikshasana etc. This also includes kapalabhati, the rapid breathing exercise that stimulates the mooladhara chakra.

1. Assume the starting position.

2. Keep 1-2 inches distance between the legs 3. Steady your body and distribute body weight equally onto both the feet with hands hanging on both the sides 4. Now fix your gaze on a point in front of the eyes 5. Your eyes should remain fixed on this point throughout this asana 6. Slowly raise both your arms from the sides till they reach shoulder level 7. Turn the palms facing upward. Now inhale and raise them above your head, while simultaneously raising

your heels, so that you come to stand on your toes 8. Maintaining balance stretch your whole body upwards, from top to bottom 9. The stomach should be sucked in 10. Hold this final position for minimum 30 seconds 11. Body weight is completely on the toes and gaze should be fixed 12. To release, exhale slowly and lower the heels and bring the hands back to shoulder level, turn the palms to face the floor; now, lower the hands to your sides.

13. Relax in shithil dandasana.

Benefits. The asana develops physical, emotional and mental balance. The entire spine is stretched and loosened.

Spiritual. On mooladhara and ajna chakra.

TRiYAKA TADASANA 1. Stand with the feet about 10cm apart and arms by the sides 2. Steady the body and distribute the weight equally on both the feet 3. Fix the gaze directly in front of you 4. Raise both the hands up to shoulder level 5. Turn the palms facing upward; while inhaling take them upward over the head in pranam mudra [hands joined together above the head] 6. Hands between shoulder and elbow should be touching the ears 7. Now interlock the fingers and turn the palms upward 8. Stretch the arms, shoulders and chest upward 9. Bend towards left side from the waist in that stretched state. Return to centre. Pause. Now bend towards right side 10. Do not bend forward or backward or twist your trunk 11. It is important to see that there is equal distribution of weight on both the legs 12. Your face should be lying between both your hands 13. Inhale slowly, come to the upright position with hands stretched and repeat on the other side 14. To release come back to the upright position with hands stretched 15. Open the fingers, in pranam mudra, lower hands to the shoulder level, turn the palms facing down and lower arms back to the sides 16. Relax in Shithil tadasana.

sides of the waist. It balances the right and left groups of postural muscles.

Spiritual. On mooladhara chakra and manipura chakra.

ReLAXATiON ASANAS The importance of relaxation asanas cannot be overemphasised. They should be performed before and after the asana session and at any time when the body becomes tired. There are relaxation asanas for all the four group of asanas, viz., shithil tadasana for standing asanas group, shithil dandasana for sitting asanas group, makrasana for asanas while lying on the stomach and shavasana for asanas while lying on the back.

SHiTHiL TADASANA 1. Stand erect with the feet about shoulder width apart 2. Take both the hands behind 3. Hold the wrist of one hand with the other 4. Lean the head back slightly and relax.

Benefits. Shithil tadasana relaxes the body between the asanas, while practicing asanas in standing position.

Awareness. On the breath synchronised with the movement, keeping balance, the stretch along the side of the body, keeping the body and head facing forward without twisting.

Benefits. This asana develops physical, emotional and mental balance. The entire spine is stretched and loosened. It also massages, loosens and exercises the Dr preeti Mandawewala, PhD, comes from a traditional Marwadi business family. She first discovered, as housewife, her love for yoga and completed Yogacharya certification followed by Yogavachaspati. A few years later, she learned all she could about chakra meditation and pursued her doctorate in the subject. She conducts regular workshops and has found chakra meditation to be therapeutically effective for acidity, spondylitis, diabetes, high blood pressure, migraine, thyroid disorders and tennis elbow, among other health issues.

HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

43

WHOLE & SOUL

THE POWER OF SELF-BELIEF Self-confidence is essential ingredient for success in any field. Without it we are scared of taking risks, or don’t have the courage to explore newer horizons.

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do something good and you tell somebody about elf-belief, or self-confidence, is not what you did, by that telling you exhaust most of based on our achievements or success. the credit of what you have done.

It is based on the realisation as to who 4. In our world today we want to take credit we are, what our purpose is and what we for what we have not done and we want to represent to ourselves, our families and the blame others for what we have done. This is world around us. another quality of a person with low self-esteem.

A person with proper disposition and They make excuses and blame others for their attitude is willing to accept even major By RADHANATH apparent shortcomings, whereas a person with failures in order to preserve the high values SWAMi self-confidence doesn’t make such excuses, that s/he believes in. If we’re willing to sell our doesn’t blame others, and takes responsibility ideals, our ethics, our character, our integrity, for what s/he has done or what s/he has not done, while and our souls for adoration of this world, our so-called always striving to improve. self-confidence will be built on the foundation of sand. It 5. People with low self-esteem are dependent on the has no real substance; it can bring us no real fulfilment. appreciation, praise and approval of others, whereas 1. People with low self-esteem like to gossip. Why? people with self-confidence are willing to speak what is Because this is what that gives them pleasure. They true and do what is right even if it is unpopular. Most do not have any substance inside. On the other hand, people smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, or do all illicit people who are actually self-confident speak of their things, not simply because they really want to do them, ideals in life and not about the faults of others. but because they want to look cool and be accepted by 2. A person with low self-esteem is quick to criticise the people around them. others, whereas a person with inner fulfilment is 6. Those with low self-esteem are jealous about other respectful of others and is naturally longing to show people’s successes. We are so hollow, so empty within, respect to others — to be caring toward others. there is so much lack of satisfaction about our worth, 3. A person with low self-esteem is arrogant. He our value, and who we are, that we actually have to feel thinks, I’ve done this, I’ve conquered, and I’ve made a type of hatred and jealousy towards others who appear millions and so on. Such people are eager to convince to be better. A person with real self-confidence is the other people of how great they are, how successful they well-wisher of everyone. are, and what they have accomplished within this world.

A person with real self-confidence is not so concerned But a person with actual self-confidence is humble. with his/her reputation, but is concerned with character.

Why? Because, s/he simply doesn’t need to impress They are not so concerned with what they can get and people with cheap words, or conceit.

If you are actually weak within, you have to brag about what they can prove to others; they are more concerned whatever great or little things you have done to try to get with what they are giving to others. Actual selfconfidence doesn’t mean we become absorbed in our the approval, recognition, and adoration of others. But, egoistic self. The art of real self-confidence is to become if you have inner contentment, if you have confidence in selfless, because in becoming selfless there is inner yourself, you don’t need all that. fulfilment.

A sage in the Himalayas once told me that when you Radhanath Swami, a spiritual guide, is the author of the bestselling book, The Journey Home. To know more about his work on leadership and spirituality, visit www.tulsibooks.com. Website: www.radhanathswami.com

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All is WELL

AWAKEN THE GIANT WITHIN Emotional intelligence [EI] determines our potential to learning practical skills.

Emotional competence shows how much of that potential we have realised by learning and mastering skills and/or translating intelligence. They hold the key to success and fulfilment.

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nestle in the four EI clusters of EI abilities n his landmark book, Working with Emotional cited earlier. His model also suggests that Intelligence, noted psychologist and bestwe cannot demonstrate the competencies selling author Daniel Goleman, PhD, set out a of trustworthiness and conscientiousness framework of emotional intelligence [EI]. It reflects without the mastery of the fundamental ability how an individual’s potential for mastering the of self-management — or, competencies of skills of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management translates

By NELRESSA influence, communication, conflict management etc., — without having a grip on managing into life and ‘on-the-job’ success.

STALLINGS relationships.

Goleman defines emotional competence as “a learned capability, based on emotional intelligence that The following framework presents the essential of the results in outstanding performance at work.” To be skilled essentials of emotional competencies. at an emotional competence like conflict management, or customer service, as Goleman emphasises, requires an SELF underlying ability in EI fundamentals. It is needless to say • Personal competence that emotional competencies are learned abilities, even though having social awareness or skills alone at managing • Social competence • Recognition relationships do not guarantee that one has mastered the additional learning required to handle a person or customer • Self-awareness • Emotional self-awareness expertly and/or to resolving conflicts, even when we have • Accurate self-assessment the potential to become skilled with such competencies.

Emotional competencies are job skills that can, and must, • Self-confidence • Other be learned to do well and excel at work — in addition, an underlying EI ability is necessary to manifest competence SOCIAL AWARENESS in any one of the four EI domains, or clusters, that Goleman • Empathy introduced.

• Service orientation 1. The ability to identify and name one’s emotional states • Organisational awareness and to understand the link between emotions, thought and action REGULATION/SELF-MANAGEMENT 2. The capacity to manage one’s emotional states — to control emotions, or shift undesirable emotional states to • Self-control • Trustworthiness more adequate elements • Conscientiousness 3. The ability to enter into emotional states — at will — • Adaptability associated with the drive to achieve and be successful • Achievement drive 4. The capacity to read, be sensitive to, and influence other • Initiative people’s emotions, along with the ability to enter and sustain satisfactory interpersonal relationships.

RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT Consider, for instance, the IQ corollary that a person can • Developing others have excellent spatial abilities, yet never learn maths. So • Influence too can a person be highly empathic, yet poor at handling • Communication people or customers if s/he has not learned the required • Conflict management competence in customer service. There we are — our emotional intelligence determines our potential for learning • Leadership • Change catalyst practical skills that highlight Goleman’s EI clusters. In like • Building bonds manner, our emotional competence shows how much of • Teamwork and Collaboration. that potential we have realised by learning and mastering The bottom line: keep working on your EI and emotional skills and/or translating intelligence into ‘on-the-job’ competencies on a daily basis — because practice makes capabilities, or managing things at home. things better, if not perfect.

Goleman identifies a host of competencies that Nelressa Stallings, a copywriter-PR consultant, writer, teacher and ESL instructor, is a qualified life-coach. An Indophile, Stallings has worked and consulted at top companies like HarperCollins, Pentagram Design, Exceed Communications, Scholastic, and DirecTV, aside from Dow Jones. A resident of New York City, Stallings now lives in the Middle East.

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MIND MATTERS

OF HURRY, WORRY & CURRY A British hairdresser once told me that we Indians have three weaknesses.

A little annoyed and a bit confused, I reacted, “No, I don’t know.” He smilingly responded, “It’s hurry, worry and curry.”

By AMITA QUENIM

W

e laughed and the conversation eased as we continued to talk about Indian culture and food. The hairdresser was all praise for Indian cuisine. I proudly explained our rich heritage and culture.

Today, after several years when I analyse what he said I feel the impact of the struggles for self-preservation of the common man, Indian in particular — in our context.

It is obviously threatening. We are torn between conflict, tension, greed, jealousy and ego in our increasingly competitive world.

Life would be simple if all our needs were automatically satisfied. We all would wish for that, but in reality, however, there are several obstacles both personal and environmental that prevent such an ideal situation from taking shape, or being a part of our landscape.

Hurry. You are about to leave for work. Your wife bids you goodbye and as you are about to acknowledge, you realise you have forgotten your watch. You hurry — to get it from the dressing table. She runs to the room and brings it for you and you leave.

You have to attend a meeting at 8:00am. You leave at 7:30am to cover the distance quickly. You tell the driver, ‘Hurry up, I will be late.’ ‘Drive fast,’ traffic or no traffic. You reach late and realise that the meeting is being delayed by 20 minutes.

Pause for a moment and think. You have lost out on that lovely moment when your wife smiled. You have lost out on enjoying the drive and organising your thoughts for the meeting. Such situations lead to stress — something you could have easily avoided, if only you’d focused to organise, relax and enjoy your daily routine. When you rush or hurry, it causes damage to you and to people around you. It leads to an unpleasant situation, also milieu. When this becomes a habit, it will trigger health problems.

Remember, hurry was considered the first weakness.

Worry. One day, at the grocery shop, I forgot to pay for an extra article I picked up till the shopkeeper brought

it to my notice. “I felt so embarrassed and kept worrying the entire day as to what they may be thinking about me.” Everyone worries to a certain extent. If it crosses a certain limit, it leads to anxiety. Anxiety can be adaptive, if the discomfort that goes with it motivates you to learn new ways of approaching life’s challenges. Adaptive or maladaptive, the discomfort can be intense — it can prevent us from experiencing positive outcomes in life.

It’s your belief system which takes you to certain thoughts; your reactions are automatic. Your childhood experiences, especially critical incidents leave an imprint which conditions your beliefs. These grow along with you and you react automatically — this is displayed through your emotions, behaviour and physical responses.

Worrying has become a part of human existence.

Worrying to a certain extent may be beneficial, because it may act as a positive stressor — one that improves your performance. Excess worry can lead to health problems.

Remember, worry was considered the second weakness.

Curry. Curry represents eating, or rather overeating. The aroma of Indian curries is simply irresistible; it drives you with the temptation to indulge, or overeat. It is not eating which is harmful, it’s overeating that damages our body and mind. An obese person develops physiological illnesses and psychological problems. Psychological problems can trigger poor self-image, depression, sleep and mood disorders. It is rightly said, “You must eat to live, not live to eat.” The right amount and combination of food will make you feel active and healthy. A healthy mind and a healthy body is your passport to a successful life. Remember, curry was considered the third weakness.

It is time we thanked our British friend — because, it is never too late to do the right thing at the right time.

More importantly, to keep the three so-called weaknesses under control — for our good and everyone’s good.

That time begins now.

Amita Quenim is a clinical psychologist for over 33 years. A teacher, principal, first member of the jury for Children’s Court appointed by the government of Goa, a writer, columnist, member of Manipal Health and Education, and Director, Mandovi Hotels Pvt Limited. She lives in Goa.

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CORPORATE WELLNESS

MIND ‘INTEL’ & GROUP DYNAMICS Organisations are increasingly looking for professionals who have practical intelligence and also apparent preference for group dynamics. The proven principle being that the two attributes would enable them and the company to surmount bumpy or tough business cycles.

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— and, P M S Prasad, CEO, Reliance Industries. he customary review meetings that take They have not only donned, or play, a critical place at corporate offices, month after role in interweaving intelligence with group month, subtly take stock of the key abilities dynamics, they have also redefined the doctrine of their line managers. The litmus test often of leadership. is whether they are able to carry the group While Charles Spearman and Louis Thurstone with them, or they merely exhibit individual formulated New-Age psychological theories, intelligence to score brownie points. Participants

By BADRINATH Gardner and Robert Sternberg propounded often fail to note such subtle, but critical DURVASULA groundbreaking theories, no less. Gardner’s observations; as a result, they get exposed to the theory of intelligence gives credence to multiple prying eyes of the senior management. The spinpackets of intelligence, while Sternberg’s off would be the ‘identification’ of individuals connotes analytical, creative and practical areas — the who would climb the corporate ladder in organisations or ‘triarchic’ roots of intelligence. occupy the corner space. It is, therefore, imperative that Organisations measure intelligence quotient [IQ], based the sooner one learns the rules of the game, the better on various tests developed from time to time. Studies would be their chances to succeed, or win. of brain function also show that people, who score well Intelligence is the fundamental ingredient expected on intelligence tests, perceive stimuli faster, retrieve of every functionary. As psychologist Howard Gardner information from memory quickly and show rapid brain summed it up, intelligence is the “ability to solve response time. Hence, while intelligence is the ‘basic problems, or create products that are valued within one or ingredient,’ group dynamics is the catalyst for working more cultural settings.” True to perception, organisations proactively and effectively. expect their employees to perform in every situation for a To be a successful manager and to reach the top, the productive purpose and ‘value-add’ at every level. golden rule is to wrap intelligence into a group with whom Concurrently, the group dynamics blueprint of the the individual works to — individual is also observed. From the organisational • Attain high skill sets and motivation levels for dynamic context, this measures and ‘taps’ the individual’s impact growth on the working group and its collective performance. The • Deliver group goals, which make the team happy observation extends to discerning the skills necessary • Demonstrate a high degree performance to intervene and improve group performance and align • Throw up opportunities for individual credit them with organisational goals and results. The bottom • Achieve recognition for professionalism. line from the resultant ‘index’ is whether or not the value As Albert Einstein put it, “Intellectuals solve problems proposition expected of a professional is delivered or not.

If one succeeds in doing consistently well, one is bound to and geniuses prevent them.” To reach to the top, the journey, therefore, has to begin today and every day. reach the top.

Let this be early, emphatic and emulative. When your Leaders play a pivotal role in charting and every day voyage, to do well, gets into the skin of your benchmarking such overall dynamics and diagnostics. thought process, and is supplemented with palpable, To cull a few classic examples of our time — Indra Nooyi, effective action, success is assured for oneself and the global head of PepsiCo, Kris Gopalakrishnan, CEO, organisation.

Infosys, K Venkata Ramanan, MD, L&T— fondly called KV Badrinath Durvasula is Vice-President and Head, Legal and Strategy, Larsen & Toubro Ltd, Mumbai. He holds master’s degrees in nuclear physics, law and management.

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Funny bone

THE ART OF SMALL TALK The art of small talk, or taking that first step, may or may not lead to friendship.

It can be hard, but if you make a little effort, you can talk your way to a happier social life.

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simple as saying, “I am a housewife. What an you instantly fascinate do you do?” Or, “I am not keen on jazz — strangers? Produce sparkling I prefer classical music.” Shy people tend conversation at will? Make friends to answer questions with ’yes’ or ’no,’ or with ease? Always talk others into doing flat statements — the kiss of death. The what you want? No? Thank God, you ball never comes back over the net. would be insufferable. But, without Another fault is showing off your serve. aspiring for such heights, most of us If you are a woman, don’t ever make the could exploit the enormous power of

By RUBY adolescent mistake of trying to impress speech to attract, explore, persuade and LILAOWALA a man by insulting him. It only works in comfort more effectively than we do.

Hindi films. It doesn’t demonstrate that The art of small talk — or, taking that you are hard to get, just hard to like. first step may or may not lead to friendship. It can be The progress towards a deeper relationship is hard, but if you make a little effort, you can talk your carefully graded. You reveal a bit of yourself — way to a happier social life. It’s, of course, a social something impersonal to start with, an interest, a like skill that sounds a little trivial, even meaningless. It or dislike. They reveal the same amount and so on. has got nothing to do with the real communication But, sometimes a gut feeling enables you to cut right you yearned for. Yet small talk is what opens the door through the conversation and speak to the real person to more important talk. Most love affairs and lifelong friendship, perhaps, began with it. It passes time when under the social mask.

These days when we go to a so-called high society two strangers acquire a ’feel’ of each other and decide party, we most often find trivial shallow ‘cocktail’ whether to remain strangers, or get closer. It gives what psychologists call ’strokes.’ Both participants feel conversation which does nobody any good. There’s hardly any meaningful communication following stroked, noticed and warmed a little. the breaking of ice with small talk. It all sounds so Well, if you ever want to deepen the relationship, to superficial. But, I’ve learnt to make the best of that ask favour, perhaps, the basis of mutual goodwill is too. For starters, if some strange person comes to me laid. That’s why the ambitious person in the new job at a party saying, “I’ve heard so much about you.” My takes time to exchange small talk with everyone — riposte, “Yes, but they haven’t been able to prove a from the receptionist to the attendant upwards. thing.”

For small talk to deepen, the conversation must be A strange man, who I hardly knew, came up to me like a tennis game, with the all-important difference that you are always careful to aim the ball, so the other at a party saying, “My wife doesn’t understand me.” I moved away with a smile saying, “Neither do I.” Then person can easily lob it back. there was this social butterfly, covered with more Some people grab the ball — for example, you make-up than clothes, who asked my husband for ask where they live and get ‘solid minutes’ on their the third time, “What time is it, darling?” I replied on neighbourhood, where they lived before and how behalf of my better-half, “It’s time you bought yourself convenient it is for work. Ouch! Others leave you a wrist-watch, darling.” nothing to say. Always give the other person an So, just don’t sit there — say something. opening for a question, or comment. It can be as Ruby Lilaowala, a former special correspondent for Gulf Times and an ex-censorship officer for the government of Qatar, is a writer, columnist, life-coach and counsellor. She lives in Mumbai.

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HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

HEALTH HAPPENINGS GUM DANGERS Chewing gum may be a habit or an obsession, with sportspeople, especially cricketers and others, but either way, it can have nasty consequences. Chewing gum could lead to gastro-intestinal problems. This is because when you chew gum, you swallow excess air which can lead to abdominal pain and bloating.

Besides, chewing gum may cause you to eat fewer healthy foods. Researchers believe minty gums can give fruits and vegetables a bitter taste, making you want to eat junk food. Another wicked side-effect is chewing gum can release mercury into your body. Research has also shown the act of chewing gum can release a small amount of mercury from silver teeth fillings into your system.

DIET DRINKS & HEART DISEASE IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN Healthy post-menopausal women who drink two or more diet drinks a day may be more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular problems, according to researchers at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, US. The researchers analysed diet drink intake and cardiovascular risk factors from more than 59,000 women, making this the largest study of its kind. The results showed women who drank two or more diet drinks were 30 per cent more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease [CVD] and 50 per cent more likely to die from a related disease.

According to lead investigator Ankur Vyas, MD, the association between diet drinks and cardiovascular problems raises more questions than it answers and should stimulate further research. “It’s too soon to tell people to change their behaviour based on this study; however, based on these and other findings we have a responsibility to do more research to see what is going on and further define the relationship, if one truly exists,” Vyas also said, “This could have major public health implications.”

HONEY COMBATS ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE A new study has revealed honey could be a solution to bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Medical professionals sometimes use honey as a topical dressing, but the sweet delight could play a larger role in fighting infections, the researchers predicted. The unique property of honey is its ability to fight infection on multiple levels, making it more difficult for bacteria to develop resistance, according to study leader Susan M Meschwitz, PhD, at Salve Regina University in Newport, US. The osmotic effect, which is the result of the high sugar content in honey, draws water from bacterial cells, dehydrating and killing them. Another advantage of honey is that unlike conventional antibiotics, it doesn’t target the essential growth processes of bacteria. The problem with this type of targeting is that it results in the bacteria building resistance to drugs. Honey is also filled with healthful polyphenols,

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HEALTH HAPPENINGS or antioxidants. Research suggests that honey is an effective antibacterial.

Meschwitz says, “We have run standard antioxidant tests on honey to measure the level of antioxidant activity. We have separated and identified the various antioxidant polyphenol compounds. In our antibacterial studies, we have been testing honey’s activity against E Coli, Staphylococcus Aureus and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, among others.”

DRINKING & STROKE Men who drink alcohol more than twice a week have a three times greater risk of dying from a stroke, according to a Finnish study. Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland examined data from a heart disease study which included 2,609 middle-aged men and a follow-up time of 20 years. The data was then used in conjunction with data on alcohol consumption and national record data on strokes. They found men who consumed alcohol more than twice a week had a three-fold increased risk of stroke mortality than men who did not consume alcohol. This effect was irrespective of the amount of alcohol consumed.

BACTERIAL INFECTIONS & SEPSIS A new study at the University of Leicester, UK, shows how localised bacterial infections from just a single bacterium can turn into dangerous sepsis. Marco R Oggioni and his colleagues injected mice with three different variants of Streptococcus Pneumoniae. Half of the mice developed sepsis, and in almost all cases the bacteria causing sepsis came from only one of the three variants. The study data also suggest the ‘founder bacterium’ had no obvious advantage over the 999,999 others, and random events determine which of the injected bacteria survives and multiplies to cause disease. The scientists found a type of immune cell, called macrophages, that eats up bacteria are the principal contributors to an efficient immune response.

If bacteria survive that initial counter-attack by the

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HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

host, a single founder bacterium multiplies and reenters the bloodstream, thus causing sepsis. The study researchers conclude: “Although selective pressure generates diversity in bacterial populations during infection, invasive disease starts from a single founding cell which escapes initial immune clearance — a paradigm predicted to apply also to human systemic infections.”

NEW WEIGHT LOSS: ‘IN & OUT’ More than one-third of Americans are obese –– putting themselves at risk for heart disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes and certain cancers. When diet and exercise don’t work, many turn to surgery. But now — there’s a new therapy that may work just as well for some.

Kari Adams, to highlight an example, has been overweight most of her life. At her highest –– she weighed 220 pounds. “I have tried Weight Watchers.

I have tried South Beach. I have tried Atkins.” But nothing worked. So, Adams enrolled in a clinical trial to test a new and radical weight loss method. It’s called aspiration therapy.

“If we can put food into the stomach, can we also take food out of the stomach?” Shelby Sullivan, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Washington University in St Louis, US, told reporters.

Patients first have a skin port placed in their

abdomen. After a meal, they connect a tube to the port — and, into the stomach. When they turn on the valve, water is infused, and food travels from the stomach to the outside of the body. “The food is just emptied out into the toilet,” Dr Sullivan said.

The device allows users to remove 30 per cent of the food from the stomach before its absorbed. In a clinical trial, patients lost an average of 46 pounds during the first year using the therapy. Adams went from 220lb to 145lb — after five years of aspiration therapy. And, she’s more active than ever before! “The main thing is, I’ve started running, and I did two half marathons so far,” Adams explained. Now, nothing holds her back.

Patients have to aspirate about 20 minutes after a meal and the process takes about 20 minutes — so they do have to plan ahead. Doctors also monitor the patient’s nutrient intake and can provide them with special supplements, if required.

A BLOOD TEST THAT SPOTS DEPRESSION Cholesterol, cancer, or infectious diseases: our blood can help doctors detect them all. Now, blood is being used to figure out what’s going on inside your head.

Depression affects millions of people around the world and impacts women twice as much as men.

Psychiatrist James Smith, MD, says that with its wide variety of symptoms, diagnosing depression and getting patients the right treatment can mean a lot of trial and error. “Piecing it all together can be a bit of a challenge,” Dr Smith observes.

The best part is ‘blood work’ could now take out some of the guess work. MDDScore is the first blood test to assist in the diagnosis of depression. With a routine blood draw, it measures nine biomarkers and ranks a person’s likelihood of having the condition from one to nine. The higher the score is, the higher the chance of depression.

“I see it as extremely accurate,” Smith explains.

In studies funded by the test maker, MDDScore was more than 90 per cent accurate in catching depression.

“MDDScore has more than anything else given me the opportunity to hit it right on the nose.”

Not everyone is impressed with the test. Duke psychiatrist Harold G Koenig, MD, has some concerns, because “False positives and false negatives people who are diagnosed with depression with this test, and don’t have depression, or missing the depression potentially in someone who really has it, would be a problem.”

Clinicians agree that the test could be helpful in diagnosing major depression, although they have called for more studies to make it acceptable as a ‘standard diagnostic tool.’

7 VEGGIE HELPINGS CUT DEATH RISK Eating at least seven daily portions of fruits and vegetables has been linked to lower risk of death, according to research published in The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The UK government currently recommends eating five daily portions of fruits and vegetables. For the study, the authors looked at data from more than 65,000 adults aged at least 35 and tracked their recorded deaths for seven-and-a-half years. The results showed eating at least seven daily portions of fruits and vegetables were associated with lower risk of death from all causes including cancer, heart disease and stroke. The higher the intake, the greater the protective effects seemed to be. The researchers concluded that current dietary guidance might need to be revised.

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HOME[O]PATHY

COCONUT WATER: A BEVERAGE LIKE NO OTHER It feels divine to sip or drink coconut water straight from a green tender coconut — a great way to beat the summer heat and stay cool.

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oconut water has much more to it than just being a refreshing and tasty drink. It has multiple medicinal properties. No wonder, the coconut tree is called kalpavriksha, ‘the divine tree of life,’ in Sanskrit.

Drinking tender coconut water can save us from a host of health problems. Coconut water contains a whole lot of supplements and nutrients that are needed to sustain life.

HYDRATING PROPERTIES Coconut water is widely known to replace minerals and fluids that we lose during physical activities. Therefore, it is highly recommended to people who workout on a regular basis. Due to its hydration properties, coconut water has been used to treat dehydration caused by dysentery, cholera and diarrhoea too.

HELPS YOU STAY YOUNG Coconut water contains cytokines and lauric acid, the two important elements for cell growth and regulation.

Cytokines can slow down the aging process of skin, regulate the pH level and keep the connective tissues strong and hydrated.

HEART HEALTHY Coconut water is good for people who suffer from high blood pressure, as it is rich in magnesium and potassium. It also reduces the risk of heart attack, as it regulates blood circulation and prevents the formation of plaques. It helps prevent strokes; it increases HDL [‘good’] cholesterol levels in body.

WEIGHT LOSS Drinking coconut water helps a person to lose weight as it is low in fat. It makes you feel full and reduces food cravings.

DURING PREGNANCY Coconut water is generally recommended during

pregnancy as it helps to ease constipation, heart burn and slow digestion. Lauric acid in coconut water has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties, which boost the body’s immune system. Coconut water is free from artificial flavouring and colouring, unnatural sugars, high fructose syrup or other chemical ingredients that pregnant women should avoid.

KIDNEY STONES Coconut water helps in dissolving kidney stones, because of the presence of potassium. It plays a key role in alkalising the urine and preventing the formation of kidney stones.

DIGESTION Coconut water is composed of bioactive enzymes, such as folic acid, phosphatase, catalase, dehydrogenase, diastase, peroxidase, RNA polymerases and so on.

These enzymes help in easy digestion and metabolism.

PREVENTS MUSCLE CRAMPS Coconut water prevents muscle cramps. Coconut water is high in potassium, whose deficiency can lead to muscle cramps. It is also rich in calcium and is good for healthy bones, muscles and tissues.

ANTIOXIDANTS Antioxidants in coconut water help in fighting free radicals. They also help to reduce the toxic effect of antibiotics and sulpha drugs. ` SKIN & HAIR BENEFITS Coconut water can be used as a moisturiser. It is ideal for people with oily skin. It improves blood circulation in the scalp, strengthens the hair follicles and increases the density of hair. Lauric acid in coconut water has water-conditioning abilities. It also shields the hair proteins and protects the root of the hair strands while preventing hair breakage. Coconut protects the scalp from dandruff, lice and itchy distress.

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Vol 1. Issue 7.

May 2014 • `100

& You

www.homeopath yandyou.com

Dr MUKESH BATRA The homeop athic Natrum Mu riaticum personality PREETi MAnDAwEw Yoga for the AlA spine

PlUS Homeopath y: Bespoke me dicine Sizzle this sum mer

RADHAnAT H SwAMi The power of self-belief

Thali-ho!

Essential iod ine Juhi Chawla ’s secret mantr a

HoMEopaTH Y & diaBETES

HomeopatHy, HealtH and wellness are powerful issues today.

SUgAR conTRol

HomeopatHy & you is loaded with exclusive and wide-ranging content; a magazine like no other.

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FITNESS EQUIPMENT

‘JUMP’ YOUR WAY TO OPTIMAL FITNESS If you want to shed a few kilos of weight, but don’t want to gym, just buy a skipping rope and get started with your exercise regimen at home.

It works.

D

o you remember the last time you took a skipping rope in your hands? Most of you would say, ‘When we were kids.’ But, a jumping rope isn’t just for kids. It is, in fact, a high-intensity workout that also helps to burn calories.

Skipping for 30 minutes can rid you of approximately 300 calories. While this may seem a little daunting in the beginning, it will promote the greatest amount of weight loss in the healthiest manner possible.

Skipping may be used for cardiovascular workout; it is similar to jogging or bicycle riding. It can achieve a ‘burn rate’ of up to 700 calories per hour of vigorous activity, with about 0.1 calories consumed per jump.

Ten minutes of jumping rope is roughly equivalent to running an eight-minute mile.

Even if you are not looking at reducing weight, the jump rope is ideal for increased cardiovascular fitness.

While strength training can increase muscle tone, regular low-to-moderate exercises, such as walking, biking, or jumping rope are the best ways to improve the quality of your cardiovascular system. Your cardiovascular system involves your heart, arteries and veins that bring blood and oxygen to and from the heart and the rest of the body. Therefore, by improving the ability of cardiovascular system to work, you will have the improved ability to perform your daily tasks; your health would also be optimal.

Skipping is a great way to improve the muscle tone in your legs and lower body. In the beginning, you may experience a little soreness in your legs, as a result of the muscles working hard enough to cause micro-tears [When muscles are asked to do more work than they are accustomed to, they suffer minor ruptures. You will feel these micro-tears as muscle soreness. They will be repaired while the body rests]. The resulting muscle effect is slightly larger than before and is better able to handle the stress that caused the initial tear.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF ROPE EXERCISE There are different types of exercises that can be performed with a skipping rope — basic jump, alternate jump, combo jump, high step etc. However, the most common are basic and alternate jump.

BASIC SKIPPING EXERCISE Swing the rope over your head and jump as it passes your feet. You do not have to jump too high, just high enough to clear the rope. Land evenly on both your feet. You can also perform it by landing lightly on the balls of your feet, without letting your heels touch the ground on landing.

ALTERNATE FOOT JUMP Swing the rope over your head and jump as it passes your feet [near right]. Land on your right foot. On the next rotation, land on your left.

JUMP SAFELY • Wear proper footwear • Pay attention to your footwork to avoid tripping or slipping • Exercise at your own intensity level • Never stop abruptly. If you are tired, try to stay moving, even if you’re just walking in place. As you progress, try to finish the entire regimen • Proper rope length is crucial. To determine your correct rope length, place one foot on the centre of the rope and pull the handles up the sides of your body. If the handles extend beyond your shoulders, the rope is too long. It should be at armpit level.

Important. If you have high blood pressure, or heart disorders, or any other health issue, for example, asthma, please speak to your doctor before you embark on your jump to good health regimen.

HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

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THE WAY WE WERE & ARE

THALI-HO! Serving food in a thali is an age-old Indian custom, especially during auspicious occasions. It is not just variety that makes the thali an amazing experience, but also its varied taste and nutrient content — a complete meal that also balances food flavours and textures.

T

he thali is often [though, not always] a vegetarian meal. It often consists of dal, prepared from various lentils like moong, beans and so on, including Indian bread, rice, vegetables, milk products, a side dish and sweet.

DAL: YOUR DAILY PROTEIN FIX Dals are rich sources of protein; in addition they contain phosphorous, magnesium, manganese and copper. Dals boiled with herbs and tomatoes, seasoned with spice and eaten with Indian bread, like chapati or rice, provide the right amino-acid balance — it also constitutes your complete protein plan.

A variety of beans are available in Indian cuisine — besides different beans are mixed to prepare a wholesome protein substitute for animal products.

INDIAN BREADS & RICE: NUTRITIOUS AND FILLING Indian breads are generally made of whole wheat. They can also be made of white wheat flour [maida], for example, nan and puri; or, with other grains, such as millet flour. There are a variety of Indian breads available, some plain, others spicy, or stuffed with vegetables. These breads are healthy since they are made with a few basic ingredients, such as wheat and water. They can be made quickly as they do not contain yeast. Such unleavened breads are also easy to digest.

While breads are more often than not made of wheat and served as the ‘first course,’ along with dal and vegetables, rice on the other hand is often served as the ‘second course’ to be eaten generally with dals, but also occasionally with vegetables. Some rice dishes are a complete meal by itself, such as khichidi, pulao, or biryani.

Rice can be served plain, spiced or fried.

VEGETABLES: YOUR DAILY DOSE OF MULTIVITAMINS Nature has provided us a lavish spread of vegetables. These are seasonally prepared with various spices and served dry, or in gravy. While there are specialties, each family has its own version of the given recipe — this allows individual expression and creativity. Green vegetables provide all the vitamins, including carotene, iron, calcium, folic acid, and potassium.

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MILK: RICH IN CALCIUM Yoghurt, raita and lassi are the main milk products served along with the thali. Raita is a good source of calcium, vitamin A and D, phosphorous, as well as protein; it also introduces flora into the digestive system. Milk is rarely served and if it is served it is prepared by mixing other ingredients to reduce its kapha or mucous-producing propensity. In north India milk products are common, but in south India milk products are uncommon. They are served in a diluted form.

BALANCING TEXTURE AND FLAVOUR WITH SIDE DISHES Apart from the main thali food, there are also a variety of side-dishes and snacks that are not necessarily served in every thali, but add to the richness of the cuisine. Chutneys, papads and salads are the most popular, besides samosas.

Papad helps in digestion. There are several other side dishes too; they are served to provide a balance of textures and flavours.

PICKLE DELIGHT Pickles act as a supplement of salt, vitamins and minerals.

They are made up of almost all fruits and vegetables — from mango, lime, chilli, ginger, carrot and tamarind to Indian gooseberry, to name a few. Lime is a good source of citric acid, while green mango is a source of vitamin C. The primary purpose is pickled fruit/vegetable provides nutrition, including probiotic effects, even when a seasonal fruit/vegetable is not available. Pickles can be eaten with anything. They have the power to spice up any bland food.

SWEETS: CONTRASTING TASTE Sweets are often eaten as part of the entire thali, as opposed to at the end of the meal dessert. This relates to an important concept in ayurveda — to provide the palate with all contrasting tastes and a rich sensory experience.

Indian sweets are generally made of milk boiled slowly over a period of time, or grains and vegetables cooked in ghee.

Thus, the concept of thali is that all the nutrients are included in the meal plate. To state the obvious — as with most Indian customs/rituals, the thali has a scientific connotation to it, right from its content to presentation.

MINERAL WEALTH

THE ESSENTIAL IODINE Iodide occurs in the body in minuscule amounts. Yet, it is an important mineral, an integral part of thyroid hormones, which regulate body temperature, metabolic rate, reproduction, growth, the making of blood cells, nerve and muscle function.

W

hen the iodide concentration in the blood is low, the cells of the thyroid gland enlarge in an endeavour to entrap as many particles of iodide as possible. If the gland enlarges until it is visible, the swelling is called goitre. Goitre affects about 200 million people the world over.

People with iodine deficiency become sluggish and gain weight.

Goitre may be the earliest and most obvious sign of iodine deficiency, but the most awful and prevalent damage occurs in the brain. Iodine deficiency is the most common cause of preventable mental retardation and brain damage in the world. Children with even mild iodine deficiency typically have goitre and perform badly in school. With simple iodine supplementation, however, their performance in the classroom as well as thyroid function improves.

A severe iodine deficiency during pregnancy causes the extreme and irreversible mental and physical retardation known as cretinism. A child with cretinism may have an IQ as low as 20 [100 is normal] with the face and body showing several abnormalities. Cretinism can be prevented if the pregnant woman’s iodine deficiency is detected and treated in time.

Excessive intakes of iodine too can trigger problems. It can enlarge the thyroid gland, just as deficiencies can.

The ocean is the world’s major source of iodine. In

coastal areas, seafood, water and even iodine-containing sea mist are important iodine sources. The use of iodised salt has largely wiped out iodine deficiency in the world.

Consuming too much iodine can challenge the thyroid, impairing its function and reducing the synthesis and release of thyroid hormones. Because of this, the upper level for adults for iodine is suggested not to exceed 1,100mcg.

Most important. Early detection of iodine deficiency and treatment in children is critical to avoiding irreversible damage.

FOOD SOURCES The amount of iodine found in most natural foods is small; it also varies depending on environmental factors, such as soil concentration of iodine and the use of fertilisers.

Some of the richest food sources of iodine are often processed foods — this includes iodised salt, and breads that contain iodate dough conditioners. Sea vegetables are an excellent source of iodine. Yogurt, cow’s milk, eggs and strawberries, not to speak of mozzarella cheese, are also good sources.

Fish can provide higher amounts of iodine, as they concentrate it from seawater. Iodised salt provides adequate iodine per teaspoon. Processed foods that use iodised salt or iodine-containing preservatives are also a source. It may, of course, be mentioned that not all salt has added iodine. Kosher salt, for example, has no additives, including iodine.

RECOMMENDED DAILY INTAKE

Age

Male

Female

Pregnancy

Lactation

Birth-6 months

110mcg

110mcg

7–12 months

130mcg

130mcg

1–3 years

90mcg

90mcg

4–8 years

90mcg

90mcg

9–13 years

120mcg

120mcg

14–19 years

150mcg

150mcg

220mcg

290mcg

20+ years

150mcg

150mcg

220mcg

290mcg

HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

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SELF-HELP

WRITE RIGHT Anybody can write — no two ways about it. Only thing is you need to cultivate the habit and develop it every day, if you want it to work well and stand out.

D

on’t you write letters, mails, and/or ‘script’ your presentations? You do. You have it in you — only thing is you need to cultivate the habit, and develop it. If not for a career in writing, but to communicate well.

This is because communication holds the key to success in life.

Writing well, at any point of time, helps — it helps you to make a better impression of a good impression.

To be a writer, in your own ‘write,’ you need not always aim for magical, flowing prose, long-winded phrases, metaphors, or even stylistic, literary connotations though. They are not required — unless you are writing a literary meditation. This is not required in a workplace situation.

Well, if you have useful connotations in your bag — great.

Nevertheless, you need to be cautious and also know how best to use them, or convey your overall message to the reader. So, recognise —

• How to employ and spell the words you like or prefer • How to choose from among identical words with diverse meanings • How to interpose • How to put the parts of a sentence together in a way that makes ‘good’ sense.

All this will help you to draw the reader’s attention and promote better communication.

PRACTICE. PRACTICE. PRACTICE. Practice, of course, is most essential for a satisfactory,

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consistent outcome. Because, without constant practice and/or ‘grounding,’ not only will you have problems communicating — you may, without knowing, produce ‘sidesplitting’ results.

READ. READ. READ The problem today is everyone thinks of oneself as being a writer without endeavouring to being one. Most ‘writers’ are contended or happy doing their ‘stuff,’ or feel they have reached the top — without scaling up to the next level. Or, setting high standards for themselves. The best way to cultivate good writing is by reading and cultivating the sort of writing you want to develop — in your area of activity.

To get going, thereafter, you must, again, pay focused attention to detail — and, to what you read and write. Also, most importantly, allocate quality time for it — with devotion and passion.

Well, if you don’t do that, it’s like doing an activity without zest, love, passion, or fun. In which case, you won’t also know yourself.

So — the first thing you should be, as a writer/presenter, is excited and also enthusiastic about what you write/speak, or are writing, everyday.

Most important. You ought to ‘understand’ who you are writing for — your fellow associates, general or specialised readers, boss, or penning a general memo/circular, or business letter/presentation, or a newspaper or magazine article.

SELF-HELP AVOID ERRORS • Follow the fundamental rules of grammar and syntax at all times. Know also, for instance, what is slang and what is not • Remember — the good, old Wren & Martin High School English Grammar & Composition, read carefully, referred frequently and put to practice, will sure help you avoid the most common errors. We are not asking you to go back to school — but, the book is a useful starting point to cultivating good, effective writing • If you want to expand on your business/professional writing abilities, just think of a few simple, but notable self-help books or CD-ROMs available on the subject at your local bookshop. Or, enrol for a writing course, or workshop. Select the one you think fulfils your needs best — not someone else’s ‘pitch.

If you are looking at the prospect of good tutoring in traditional usage and writing, you’d get ‘hooked’ to Malcolm Beazley and Grahame Marr’s The Writer’s Handbook.

A useful ‘toolkit’ for using clear, accessible language, recognising problems, and gaining control over your writing, The Writer’s… is, in actuality, a practical workbook for writing tasks in every subject.

POINTS TO REMEMBER • No matter what you wish to achieve with your usage of words, language is your only real ‘instrument.’ It can make or mar your image and career, more so if you deem yourself to be a writer, communicator, public relations [PR] or corporate communications professional • You should also not expect to successfully construct ‘writing,’ without first learning the written language — your basic tool • You’d also need to take into context the several differences between the spoken and the written language. Don’t mix them up • Apart from being able to sculpt good, decent prose, try to be proficient to write and present your view, work, or project, speech and presentation, in a manner that is riveting to the eye and mind.

10 STEPS TO BETTER WRITING 1 You need to sculpt your writing/letter/memo/ presentation/project report/article etc., — make it the best. Let the idea/s evolve. Look at it, re-look at it — if need be, after a few hours’ gap, if you’ve the time for it [or, just find the time for it] 2 Rewrite — if you find a style does not meet/suit your needs, or house-style. Amending a work is a good sign, and even if it means that your boss wants you to re-do the thing, it tells you a subtle fact — s/he likes your work, but would need something that suits his/her requirement.

Also, proofread, proofread and proofread 3 You’ve to meet deadlines. There’s just no other way. If you succeed in nine assignments, and fail to deliver the tenth on time, you may lose your standing, if not reputation.

Hence, know what to take up, and what not to 4 Know your strengths — the ability to complete a given task in time. Also, don’t you ever discolour your image!

Missing deadlines is unprofessional. Don’t you ever get that ‘tag ’ 5 A block that disturbs the flow of writing can come along any time. It is, indeed, a fact. It happens to all of us. Just relax. Think of it as a passing phase. Like a batsman’s lean trot. You’ll be back in form, sooner than you’d think 6 Interruptions are the spice of life. You’ve to attend to your work, home duties, your own needs etc., and you may also need a coffee break. Besides, your mobile phone may ring at the wrong time, or somebody may need your help at short notice. Relax. Don’t get worked up 7 You should have a dictionary at hand and also a thesaurus — to express yourself better and minimise the possibilities of using the same word/s over and over again 8 Remember: everyone’s different. Also, remember you may have your own fan club and critics just as well. Take the smooth with the rough and vice versa 9 Patience holds the key. People don’t respond, instantly, always. You may, at times, need to wait for days on end before you get the word that your project/work, or article, is through. Be polite. Hum the good old Beatles song: “The long and winding road…” Think that you’ve been there before, even if you have had a potholed ride. It’s only through struggle and perseverance that rewards reach their fruition. So, don’t you ever give up 10 Try to be always animated, eager about what you write, or do, whatever the nature of your idea/draft etc., — whether it is big or small. Remember that language is your best toolkit, or gizmo — keep working and improving it, everyday.

HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

59

SUPER FOODS

LET LETTUCE ‘CANTALOUPE’ YOUR WELLNESS Lettuce is a powerful natural antioxidant. It helps our body to fight infectious agents and harmful free radicals. Cantaloupes ease diabetes-induced oxidative stress and kidney cell damage. They also lower the risk of cancer.

L

ettuce is a small-size annual plant. Its leaves give out milk-like ‘sap’ when cut. There are about six varieties of lettuce that exist. The leaf varieties that have a mild bitter taste are rich in antioxidants.

A low calorie green-vegetable, fresh lettuce provides just 15 calories per 100gm. Put simply, the vegetable is a ‘powerhouse’ of phytonutrients, with a variety of health-promoting and diseaseprevention properties.

Fresh raw lettuce provides our daily vitamin A and beta-carotene requirement. Vitamin A is required for maintaining healthy mucous membranes and skin; it is also essential for vision. Lettuce is ‘packed’ with vitamin K too, which promotes metabolic activity in the bones and prevents neural damage — a likely cause of Alzheimer’s disease.

Lettuce is rich in folates and vitamin C too, a powerful natural antioxidant, which helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and harmful free radicals.

Zeaxanthin is another important dietary carotenoid found in lettuce. It is selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea, in the eyes, where it is suggested to provide antioxidant benefits and filter ultra-violet [UV] rays that fall on the retina. A diet rich in xanthins and carotenes is evidenced to offer therapeutic protection against agerelated macular disease [AMD] in elderly individuals Lettuce also contains adequate minerals — for example, iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium, all essential nutrients for body metabolism. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids — it helps to regulate heart rate and blood pressure. Copper is required for the production of red blood cells. Iron is essential for red blood cell formation. In addition, lettuce is rich in B-complex group of vitamins — in other words, thiamin, vitamin B6 [pyridoxine] and vitamin B2 [riboflavin].

The only caveat is — pesticides are often used in lettuce crop. The best thing one can do is to wash lettuce thoroughly in filtered water before cooking. Better still, one would do well to opt for organic varieties, which are free of pesticides, or toxins, and safe for consumption.

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REFRESHING FRUIT Cantaloupe is a refreshing fruit. It derives its name from Cantalup, the ltalian papal village, where it was first cultivated around 1700 AD. It belongs to the same family as the cucumber, squash, pumpkin and gourd.

Like many of its ilk, cantaloupe grows on the ground — on a trailing vine.

It is also called rock melon or netted melon, because it has a ribless rind with a distinctive netted skin. There is a hollow cavity inside — it contains seeds encased in a web of netting.

Cantaloupe is, in actuality, a musk melon. True cantaloupe is a different species of melon; it is primarily grown in France.

Cantaloupes range from orangeyellow to salmon in colour; they have a soft and juicy texture with a sweet, musky aroma that emanates through the melon when it is ripe.

Choose your cantaloupe by its beautiful melon fragrance, well-rounded shape and ‘heavy’ weight for its size.

Check for good webbing over the creamy-coloured rind and a distinct cavity where the melon was pulled from the vine. Avoid cantaloupes that are bruised, have cracked rinds or smell too strongly; they are a sure sign of overripeness.

Cantaloupes should be eaten soon after purchase. If you refrigerate them, store in an airtight container, they absorb other food odours easily.

Cantaloupes are generally not allergenic, or allergycausing.

They are an excellent source of vitamin A and vitamin C. They are also a good source of potassium and dietary fibre, vitamin B3 [niacin], vitamin B6 [pyridoxine] and folates.

• Studies evidence that cantaloupe reduces diabetesinduced oxidative stress and kidney cell damage. It is also said to be useful in the prevention of diabetic nephropathy [kidney problems] • Cantaloupes are rich in beta-carotene; they may, therefore, lower the risk of cancer of the larynx, oesophagus and lungs • Cantaloupe contains a compound called adenosine, a blood-thinning agent; it is evidenced to be useful in angina [chest pain].

READ. WATCH. LISTEN. EXPLORE HAPPINESS EXPLAINED This book, in reality, is one man’s search for the meaning of happiness. It also talks about the most important quest in your life — happiness.

This is because all of us want success, prosperity and financial gain, aside from recognition and fame. However, when we look within, the core question that each of us stops and asks oneself, every now and then, is: am I really happy? Are You Really Happy? collates a fascinating journey of happiness exploration — from books to wise men, including psychiatrists, both past and present, in an endeavour to find

the answers for every question you wanted to ask on happiness, but never did.

Are You Really Happy?

Embassy Books Deepak Chatterjee pp: 116 Price: `250.00

TOTAL DETOX, NATURALLY Ever thought of a natural detoxifying weight loss programme that leaves you feeling refreshed, renewed and relaxed? Or, really change you for the better in every way to feel great about your mind and also body? Koh Samui Health Oasis Resort in Thailand offers a real value for money detox programme. The accommodation is fantastic, just a stone’s throw from the beach — this adds a whole new dimension and experience for a natural detox plan. You may also walk on the lovely beach, dive in the sea, chill in a hammock, or by the pool, or get a great full body massage. For bookings, call: +66 77 420 124.

GREAT DESERT FARE Chokhi Dhani Royal, in Bengaluru, offers the best of both the worlds — rural or ethnic and royal Rajasthan. Its regal dining hall serves food in the best Rajasthani tradition.

Perhaps, the best-known Rajasthani food is a combination of dal, bati and churma — but, there is also a lot of variety for the adventurous diner, willing to experiment.

Chokhi Dhani Royal boasts of an array of Rajasthani savouries and sun-dried snacks too. Be it khichda or gatte ka saag, each item is a veritable gastronomic invite for all seasons. For bookings, call: 080-4148 7878/4152 7878.

PLUMBING YOUR INNER SPACE This DVD helps you to know how rooted you are in the ‘Now,’ or ‘being’ — because it holds the key to sublime freedom. A fundamental part of the process of awakening is letting go of the need to know and understand more. When we learn to renounce thought and thought forms, we can step out of the stream of conscious thought into spacious awareness. When you step out of the need to think, you also begin to experience inner peace; also joy. A great liberation is felt following which a miracle happens. Of being present in a ‘field of awareness,’ rather than as an individual invested with the sense

of ‘self’ — one that helps you to realise how vast the space is inside you, how profound the stillness, or inner peace deep within.

The Discovery of Inner Space [DVD] Eckhart Tolle Yogi Impressions `845.00

HOMEOPATHY & YOU | MAY 2014

61

CELEB FITNESS

JUHI CHaWla’S SECRET ManTRa

A

good movie on a weekend is always a treat.

And, it just cannot get better than watching your favourite star make a comeback on the silver screen after a long hiatus. With Gulab Gang, it was super exciting to watch Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla, the actresses who once ruled the industry and the hearts of movie fans. Juhi, who mesmerised millions with her riveting performances, continues to win hearts with Gulab Gang as well. Blessed with good looks and elegance, we reveal this likeable diva’s diet and fitness secrets, by courtesy celebfitness. blogspot.in.

DIET I am a vegetarian, but we do eat eggs as well. I take three proper meals a day, lots of vegetables and juices. I avoid oily food.

I begin my day with a big bottle of water or lime juice with honey.

My breakfast. Eggs and brown bread toast/oatmeal porridge/idli sambar and a glass of fresh fruit juice, or a cup of tea.

My lunch and dinner. Lunch consists of veggies, lentils and rotis [made of jowar, bajra or nachni, alternately, apart from wheat] with soup and salad sometimes. I avoid white rice. I eat brown or red unpolished rice. Dinner is the same as lunch.

My childhood memory of food. Mango milkshakes with cubes of ice on hot summer afternoons in New Delhi, playing board games with my cousins, laughing, fighting and having fun.

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When I am shooting. I try to carry dry fruits, like kaju, raisins, pista for hunger pangs in-between meals, but I forget and end up eating something useless instead.

In the evenings. I ask for a fruit or juice. I am tempted to eat a toasted snack, so I have to control my urges!

In my fridge you will always find. Lots of veggies, yogurt, jams and vanilla ice-cream. It’s simple and nice to serve vanilla ice-cream with freshly-cut fruit, like grapes, oranges or mango as dessert.

My Sunday lunch. Masala dosa with a glass of cold chaas.

My comfort food. A piece of dark or almond chocolate, or brownie.

My favourite food. Paneer shashlik.

My favourite beverage. Coconut water, or pineapple juice.

EXERCISE & RElaXaTIon I am realising the benefits of yoga and follow Iyengar yoga. I have also started a half-hour brisk walk on the treadmill when I have the time. I learnt music, so it’s a meditative exercise for me. Though I am allergic to gym workouts, I do hit the treadmill thrice a week. I also go for brisk walks.

I take off my make-up with Johnson baby oil. I have got an oily scalp. So, I shampoo and condition my hair frequently. Every month, I get my face clean-up to rid blackheads and whiteheads. I also enjoy going to the spa, I pamper myself with a good body and hair massage, manicure and pedicure.

RNI TEMP REG No MAHENG13369/13/1/2013-TC