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| HEALTH & FITNESS |
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How to beef up your brain power Naturopathy can help avoid heart bypass surgery Herbal dialysis for hepatitis B and C patients BP targets not achievable for most patients Untidy homes: impact on children’s mind Ayurveda & you
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How to beef up your brain power Memory is inextricably linked to the health of our brains, where memory is stored. Although the brain is not a muscle, so can’t be exercised in the same way to improve it, it does respond to being used in a demanding way. Psychologists refer to three different types of memory: sensory, working and long-term. Sensory memory is fleeting, and we will only remember something if it grabs our attention and activates our working memory. Even this will fade if it’s not transferred to our long-term memory store, where it will remain - even if we sometimes have trouble recalling it. When we are born, the surface of our brain is quite smooth, but over time as we grow and learn new things, from learning to walk to complex mathematical sequences, we create neurological pathways that are, in effect, the circuitry of the brain. After a certain age, we tend not to learn new things in the same way but —- if we do —- we again create new neurological pathways. This is why keeping the brain challenged, especially as we age, keeps it functioning well. “Use it or lose it,” says psychologist Robert Allen, who runs mind-training seminars and is the author of the book “Improve your Memory”, which contains a multitude of memory-boosting exercises. “Our memories are important because they are who we are, not just some cute trick we use to find the car keys. It’s true that some things we remember auto But we need to stay in the habit of remembering, consciously committing something to memory because this works. And when we consciously want to remember something, we need to relax. Stress is detrimental to memory, which is why revising for exams is more difficult if you are anxious about it.” Dr Dharma Singh Khalsa, author of “Brain Longevity: the Breakthrough Medical Program that Improves your Mind and Memory”, is even more adamant about the detrimental affect of stress, depression and anxiety on the brain because of the release of the hormone cortisol in stressful times. “In moderate amounts, cortisol is not harmful,” says Dharma. “But when produced in excess, day after day —- as a result of chronic stress —- this hormone is so toxic to the brain that it kills brain cells by the billions. I am now certain that chronic exposure of the brain to toxic levels of cortisol is a primary cause of brain degeneration during the ageing process.” — The Independent
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Naturopathy can help avoid heart bypass surgery “Even after it was discovered that Mr Clinton had blocked arteries, the operation could have been avoided because the diet recommended by me has the potential of not only lowering the cholesterol level but also unblocking the arteries,” Dr Goindi asserted in an interview with TNS here the other day. “We plan to write to him in this regard shortly”, says his wife, Dr (Mrs) Gurkirpal Singh Goindi, who is herself an established naturopath. In support of his claim Dr Goindi cites the case of Dr Kuldip Singh, a former Professor and Head, Department of General Surgery, PGI, who had undergone a heart bypass surgery. After a second heart attack, he was advised by the doctors at the PGI to have another bypass. However, instead of going in for the second bypass, he opted for the naturo-food diet recommended by Dr Goindi. Within four months the need for the second heart bypass surgery vanished. Dr Goindi says there is no magic involved in the simple diet recommended by him for curing diseases like heart ailments, bronchial asthma, osteoarthritis and gynaecological problems. “Look at the animal world. None of the animal species has had a change of dietary habits over the past centuries. It is only the human beings who have strayed away from natural diet and have, therefore, fallen a prey to a large number of ailments. The answer to their problems lies in returning to naturo-food”, he adds. Dr Kuldip Singh has since written a number of articles on the usefulness of naturo-food therapy. Excerpts from one of them: “Bypass surgeries are no solution to heart ailments as new blockages occur much faster than in the original vessels. The reason is obvious. The conditions in the body that led to the development of a blockage in coronary arteries continue to exist. Those surviving a heart attack with or without a bypass surgery are in the ever-present danger of subsequent blockage of another vessel. “Three immediate steps are necessary to change the total metabolic environment of the body to avoid further trouble. The first step is the reduction of excess body weight. The second is complete change in the dietary habits and avoidance of all foods which promote blockage in the arteries. To this end, Goindis’ fat-free food preparations from sprouted grains as part of one’s daily diet are a help both in weight reduction and in lowering the cholesterol level.The third step is moderate exercise, like brisk walk daily for half an hour.” An England-based NRI, Mr Santokh Singh Parmar, who was recently cured of arthritis by Dr Goindi, has set up a Goindis Naturo-Food Therapy Trust at Mohali. He also took the husband-wife team of naturopaths to England for about two months. On their return from there, they are now in the process of setting up a website to enable those interested in corresponding with them over the Internet. In the meantime, they continue to monitor their patients either personally or over the telephone.
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Herbal dialysis for hepatitis B and C patients Chennai: The Kidney Diseases and Institute of Organ Transplantation (KIOT) here, popularly known as St Thomas Hospital, has claimed to have invented a herbal dialysis system for curing patients suffering from Hepatitis B and C. Dr P. Ravichandran, Chief Consultant and Head of Nephrology and Transplantation Department of the hospital, claims that for the first time in the world the herbal dialysis systems has been used by the hospital for treating and curing patients affected by the hepatitis B and C virus. He said the hospital had come out with the treatment after extensive research. Dr Ravichandran claimed that 35 crore people in the world were suffering from the virus which still evaded a cure, and treatment for which was expensive. In India, at least 1.3 per cent of the total population is affected by the disease, of which only 30 per cent are able to undergo treatment.
— UNI
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BP targets not achievable for most patients Washington: Studies conducted by Aberdeen University experts have revealed that blood pressure targets are unachievable by most of the patients. The study, reported in the British Medical Journal, states that even in clinical tests most of the patients failed to achieve their newer, more stringent blood pressure targets. It further reported that patients above 60 years of age and those suffering from diabetes were also less likely to ever achieve their targets. The experts further add that, although the perception towards risk from blood pressure and its side-effects vary from person, to person, the reality was that the patient’s initiative and role in deciding his or her own blood pressure target received least attention. “If targets have a role, it is as something to be aimed for, not something that must be achieved at all costs,” the journal quoted experts Neil Campbell and Peter Murchie as saying. The experts are of the opinion that the best way to keep track of the blood pressure is not to blindly follow a system of maintaining a blood pressure target, but to purposefully go through a disciplined regimen in consultation and under the guidance of professional doctors. — ANI
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Untidy homes: impact on children’s mind Pittsburgh: Growing up in an untidy home can mess up a
child's mind, according to a new American study. Researchers from Pennsylvania State University studied data from about 8,000 three and four-year-old twins. By comparing identical twins, who are genetically the same, and non-identical twins, who are not, they were able to separate the influence of genes and environment on intelligence. They discovered that disorganisation and chaos had an impact on mental skills that was unconnected to social background. This was despite the fact that the homes of wealthier and better- educated parents were slightly more organised.
— DPA
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Ayurveda & you Food
is the life force of all living beings. Giving due importance to proper diet and nutrition, ayurvedic texts have devoted long chapters to discussing various digestive problems. Anorexia or the loss of appetite has been dealt with under two heads: “aruchi” and “agnimandya”. It is noteworthy that the learned authors have mentioned the loss of appetite in many ways —- as a separate disease, as a symptom and also as a causative factor of other health problems. The word “aruchi” stands for the lack of desire to eat. It is a situation when a person is hungry, but is not driven to eat and has aversion to all types of food. The loss of the desire to eat generally arises due to both physical and psychological reasons. Any acute febrile illness, chronic infection, intake of antibiotics, stomach malfunctioning and mental worries and fears can affect a person’s normal craving for food. “Aruchi” is generally a milder form of digestive disturbance and can be easily managed. “Agnimadya” is a wider term, which includes a specific type of anorexia having significant implications. It is a stage where a person’s weakened digestive fire not only affects the appetite but also slows down his digestion, absorption and assimilation of food. Constantly taking food items which are incompatible, meals on improper time or before the previous one is digested, excessive intake of those food articles which are heavy, fried and are known to obstruct body channels and addiction to any single taste have been cited as the reasons for the weakening of the digestive fire. Lifestyle indiscretions have also been described to vitiate the normal pattern of appetite and digestion. Ayurveda believes that many times undefined anorexia occurs as a predominating sign of some impending disease. Autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, viral infections, chronic gastritis and malignancy are invariably accompanied or preceded by episodes of lessening of appetite. Long-standing anorexia also results in severe nutritional deficiency and leads to anaemia, muscle wasting, edema, hormonal imbalance and mental apathy and confusion. Old age anorexia is more or less related to an inactive lifestyle, psychological reasons and a general decline of vitality. Practically, the ayurvedic subject of “kaya chikitsa”, which is inappropriately referred to as general medicine, is nothing but an effort to restore the proper functioning of the digestive fire. The traditional Indian kitchen is based on the principles of ayurveda and adores all the herbs on its shelves which are known for their appetising effect. It is the adoption of a proper daily routine and adherence to right eating habits which, to a large extent, can help a person to maintain his normal appetite. Any psychological reason leading to anorexia should be redressed accordingly. Of the home remedies, just before the meals chewing a thin slice of fresh ginger sprinkled with table salt and lemon juice enlivens the taste buds and enhances gastric secretions. A mild and less spicy diet is best suited for most of the cases of anorexia, and excessive use of tea and coffee should be avoided. The classic ayurvedic literature prescribes many medicines for “agnimandya”. These include “agnitundi vati”, “agni sandipan rasa” and “agnimukh churna”. Loss of appetite with serious implications or associated with any other disease should not be ignored and needs to be treated carefully. The writer is a Ludhiana-based ayurvedic consultant. |
Chandigarh: