Stop these anti-depressants….instead….imbibe in a natural escape mode to deal with…

…..Stress and depression

 ‘WHO’ studies reveal that India is the most depressed state in the world

As the depression is growing more and more in the developed and developing countries, India ranks the top as the most depressed country in the world. The WHO assumes that depression will be the second leading cause of disability by 2020. The study states that 36 per cent of Indians suffer from Major Depressive Episode (MDE) while 9 per cent has an extensive period of depression in their lifetime.

If these statistics are to be believed, we need to understand that it is high time we become more aware, vigilant and watchful.

Report of journal PLoS Medicine

As per the latest data published in the journal ‘PLoS(Public Library of Science)Medicine’, a thorough probe conducted on the impact of new generation anti-depressants the difference in improvement between patients taking placebos and patients taking anti-depressants is not very great. Lead author prof Irving Kirsch from university of Hull UK said ‘There seems little reason to prescribe anti-depressant medication to any but the most severely depressed patients, until alternative treatments have failed to provide a benefit’. It further assesed that fluoxetine(prozac), the world’s most commonly popped anti-depressant, taken by 40million people worldwide, does not actually help improve your mood.

Role of herbs:

• As indicated earlier, it should be primarily noted that herbs can rarely replace modern drugs in major depressive disorders but can be used as adjuvant to the appropriate medications. Selection of herbs should be individualized and the herbs chosen should be mild relaxants, gentle and soothing as per the requirement.
• Some herbs are adaptogenic and they regulate the entire endocrine function, increase the activity of nervous system, stimulate the adrenals and increase the metabolic activity during stress.
• Herbs which are hepatics support the detoxification process of liver so they act as immunity boosters.
• Some herbs have tonic properties required to fight out exhaustion and protect the body from depletion of energy.
• The herbs with mild sedative properties prove helpful to cardiovascular system.

The process of stress/depression…..

• When feeling sad, unhappy & generally low in spirits become long lasting and develop into much more than normal grief, it affects the mental & physical health as well as lifestyle of the person. This leads to depression/stress.
• Both these conditions are illness & not weakness.
• Most debilitating type of stress called distress or negative stress, generally occurs when you view change and pressure as burdens and rising demands as threat. You feel a sense of isolation, frustration and helplessness. This results in disease, disorder and dissatisfaction.
• Stress is the excessive wear and tear on the nervous system.
• Mental stress and depression have become part and parcel of urban lifestyle today. The very competitiveness at every level as well as the rushed schedule imposes an extra burden on the brain cells resulting in conditions of stress and various other psychological disorders.
• Repeated or prolonged negative stress can trigger complex psychological reactions involving multiple chemical changes in the body leading to exhaustion of mental, physical and emotional energies which results in decreased immunity and a hastened ageing process.

Know the ayurvedic aspect…

• DEPRESSION, as per ayurveda, is caused by an imbalance of ‘kapha’ and ‘vata’ doshas. ‘Kapha’ type is less serious in nature and is more likely to occur in winter months due to climate and inactivity. Whereas ‘vata’ type is quite serious and is due to imbalance due to lifestyle can lead to anxiety and overactive mind.
• Ayurveda explains different types of STRESS manifestations namely, mental stress (due to overuse or misuse of mind), emotional stress (any situation that might hurt the heart like loss of a relative) and physical stress (due to overuse or misuse of the body).
• Ayurveda emphasizes on individualized treatments and aims at targeting the causative factors so as to bring in that area into balance. Thus every manifestation of stress and depression requires different solutions and therapies as per ayurveda.

Symptoms of stress

Mental:

• Difficulty in concentrating
• Unclear thinking
• Feeling anxious all the time
• Worrying about little things
• Imagining the worst
• Fluctuating mind

Physical:

• Fast heartbeat
• Restlessness
• Headache
• Stomach pain
• Insomnia
• Palpitation
• Fatigue

Symptoms of depression

• Feeling deeply sad & hopeless
• Loss of interest & enjoyment in life
• Feeling of guilt and worthlessness
• Sleeping disorders
• Major appetite & weight changes
• Tiredness, loss of energy
• Feeling restless, irritable, agitated
• Difficulty in concentrating
• Thoughts of suicide or death
• Aches & pains without any debility in the body

Dealing with stress

• Writing prescriptions for sleeping pills or tranquilizers may not solve the problem all the time. On the contrary, it may produce rebound insomnia and debilitating side-effects. Worst still, these drugs are addictive.
• The benign cases of stress/depression should not be taken as a disease or physical illness but should be considered a disease at psychological level.
• It should be noted that herbs can rarely replace modern drugs in cases of major depressive illness. They can be used as adjuvant to the appropriate medicines.

Preventing stress

• Do not try to do all the things at once instead do one thing at a time.
• Learn to recognize the things which are worth worrying and the ones that are not.
• Plan the things ahead of time.
• Identify the causative factor.
• Take time off from pressure and duties to do something totally for yourself.
• Keep in touch with your friends for that extra support you may need.
• Try to write down your feelings in a diary.
• Learn to say ‘NO’ to jobs that put you under too much pressure.
• Exercise is a good way of relieving stress. A short walk may suffice.
• Deep breathing exercises in between your work schedule helps.
• Yoga, meditation and herbal massage help reduce/prevent stress.

Some useful herbs

• Centella asiatica(mandukparni)
• Bacopa monnieri(brahmi)
• Convulvulis pluricaulis(shankhapushpi)
• Celestrus paniculatus(jyotishmati)
• Benincasa hispida(kushmanda)
• Acorus calamus(vacha)
• Withania somnifera(ashwagandha)
• Nardostachys jatamansi(jatamansi)
• Ocimum sanctum(tulsi)
• Tinospora cardifolia(guduchi)
• Valeriana wallichii(tagara)
• Terminalia arjuna(arjun)

Gist
It is high time we start taking charge of our life and imbibe in a natural escape mode to combat stress instead of randomly popping in anti-depressant pills.

The Green Thing…….A short story…

In the line at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment.

The woman apologized to him and explained, “We didn’t have the green thing back in my day.”

The clerk responded, “That’s our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment.”

He was right — our generation didn’t have the green thing in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store.The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.

But we didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.

But she was right. We didn’t have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby’s diapers because we didn’t have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts — wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But that old lady is right; we didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house — not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana.

In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn’t have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she’s right; we didn’t have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But we didn’t have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

…….the green thing….??!!!??….

Believe in yourself and believe in your goals

• Chalk out a specific strategy.

• Do not expect overnight results.

• Be patient in your approach.

• Mere wishing never helps but effort has to be put in to reduce weight.

Human body is not designed for sedentary lifestyle.

• Work hard physically to burn off the extra calories.

• Take in only the amount of food that is required by the body.

‘Eat to live’ and not ‘live to eat’.

• Do not bring extra food on the table. This reduces the tendency to over-eat.

• Do not over stuff yourself.

• While eating 3/4th of the stomach should be filled while 1/4th should remain empty.

• Leave the dining-table when ‘satisfied’ not when ‘stuffed’.

• No fast no feast is the best approach.

Family’s dietary habits affect the weight.

• Use grilled preparations instead of fried food.

• Do not crash-diet yourself.

• Small frequent meals decrease the habit of snacking on heavy stuff.

Some causes of overweight are under our own control

• Overeating

• Oversleeping

• Sedentary lifestyle

Do not torture your body.

• Every individual has a distinct and basic body-frame which cannot be changed. So be comfortable with your own body-frame.

• Try to be practical and not too rigid with your expectations.

• Check with your doctor for the ideal body weight that is healthy and comfortable for you before starting with any regime.

Overweight is ‘kapha-dosha’ predominance as per Ayurveda.

• ‘Kapha’ dosha accumulates in the body and makes it lethargic.

• Such persons have a dislike for changing their routine and thus need some motivation to exercise and lose weight systematically.

• Get your ‘Body-constitution analysis’ done by an Ayurveda doctor and move as per directed.

Exercise is most important tool for reducing weight.

• Warm water with one squeezed lemon in it helps in cleansing off the toxins and excess ‘kapha dosha’ from the system.

• Choose meal that balances the body constitution as per the time.

• Dinner should be early and light.

• Have sufficient amount of water.

• Limit food with a predominant taste of sweet, sour or salty.

• Have food with tastes of bitter, pungent and astringent.

• Dates are good to satisfy a sweet tooth.

• Raw unheated honey is the best sweetener to balance kapha and to gently scrape fat.

• Use of warming spices such as black pepper, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom while cooking help stimulate agni(metabolism) and aid digestion.

• Ayurvedic herbs such as Punarnava( Boerhoavia diffusa), Chitraka( plumbago zeylanica), Vidanga( embelica ribes), Guggulu(commiferra mukul) are good for proper metabolism and elimination of excess kapha.

JUST A MUM?!!? …….a short story…!

A woman, renewing her driver’s licence was as asked by the woman at Registry to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

‘What I mean is’, explained the woman at Registry, ‘do you have a job or are you just a …?’

‘Of course I have a job’, snapped the woman. ‘I’m a Mum.’

‘We don’t list ‘Mum’ as an occupation, ‘housewife’ covers it,’ said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself In the same situation. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high sounding title like, ‘Official Interrogator’ or ‘City Registrar.

”What is your occupation?’ she probed.

What made me say it?  I do not know. The words simply popped out.   ‘I’m a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.’

The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and looked up as though she had not heard right. I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

‘Might I ask,’ said the clerk with new interest, ‘just what you do in your field?’

Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, ‘I have a continuing program of research, (which mother doesn’t) In the laboratory and in the field, (normally I would have said indoors and out), I’m working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family) And already have four credits (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities, (any mother care to disagree?) And I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it).  But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers And the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.’

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door.

As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants — ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model, (a 6 month old baby) in the child development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.   I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy! And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than ‘just another Mum.’

Motherhood! What a glorious career! Especially when there’s a title on the door.

Does this make grandmothers ‘Senior Research associates in the field of Child Development and Human Relations’

And great grandmothers ‘Executive Senior Research Associates?’ I think so!!!

I also think it makes Aunts ‘ Associate Research Assistants.’ Please send this link to another Mum,Grandmother,Aunt, And other friends you know.

May your troubles be less, your blessing be more, And nothing but happiness come through your door!   Be kinder than necessary.  Everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.You never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life.

So, this was the story. I’d love to know your comments on it!

This(B.C. PPT) is a powerpoint presentation which tells us the importance of individual body constitution analysis as per Ayurveda and its relevance in present time.

This(therapeutic smoking.txt) is a powerpoint presentation which gives a glimpse of medicated smoking described in Ayurveda. This is a rare form of smoking and  is not known to most of the population even in India today. This was described as an integral part of the ‘Daily Routine’ by the scholars of Ayurveda and its benefits are specified in the texts.

This link leads to a powerpoint presentation which gives some basic and interesting facts straight from the pages of Ayurveda text.

The opposite of ‘healthy’ is ‘unhealthy’ but as per Ayurveda, “being unhealthy” does not necessarily mean that one is diseased.

The understanding of difference between being disease-free and being healthy is very important. A glimpse of this difference is brought forward here.

People often come across a common experience within themselves, wherein, despite all the recent laboratory investigations showing favourable results they get up in the morning feeling sick. There are bags under the eyes and no freshness on face. There is that feeling of incomplete bowel evacuation. Dizziness, fatigue, lack of energy and muscle weakness haunts one in the early hours of the morning. There is lack of that sparkle in eyes and the enthusiasm in mind. These symptoms cannot be classified into any known disease-syndrome under the prevailing medical system but these certainly ascertain that one is not well or is definitely not in a positive state of health.

Let go the morning hours, it is observed that vague aches and pain, stomach upsets, abdominal discomfort, muscle spasms, muscle weakness, lower backache, headache, nervousness, fatigue and mood swings are being accepted as ‘part-of-life’ routine by one and all today. The unhealthy state of mind, despite the fact that they are disease-free, is also reflected in the instances of going for baseless arguments with colleagues and staff at work-place and with children and spouse back at home. It again ascertains the unhappy state as a whole.

Now, as the laboratory investigation analysis is favourable in all the above cited experiences, the allopathic solution offered for such complaints had been vitamins and tonics in the past whereas the current trend is to prescribe the popular anti-stress drugs. This is generally an acceptable trend by one and all, and, each one is comfortable to go in for these medicines without any complaints as such. Here, I would like people to open up their minds to other available options today and explore their goodness.

Life is comprised of four essential aspects – physical, mental, psychological and spiritual. We identify with our physical bodies, yet, underlying our physical structure is the mind, which not only controls our thought processes but helps assist us in carrying out day-to-day activities such as respiration, circulation, digestion and elimination. The mind and the body work in conjunction with one another to regulate our psychology. The clarity of our senses or psychology helps the mind and body to integrate their functions and help in keeping us healthy and happy individuals. Ayurveda believes that a perfect balance and harmony of body, mind and soul is health. It emphasizes the maintenance of positive good health by the control of diet, lifestyle, Yoga and Prayanam (correct breathing technique). It further asserts that the effects of ageing are due the accumulation of toxic substances in the body. The regular cleansing of these toxic substances, along with dietary and lifestyle counselling help to keep the person in a state of “Positive good Health”.

One should not accept headache, body pain, fatigue, stomach distress, arthritis, etc as part of life or part of the ageing process. They may be the result of an inefficient, not-so-balanced diet or lifestyle. Ayurveda, while prescribing a diet, keeps in mind not only its nutritive value but also its effect on individual body-constitution along with its digestibility. Diet also nourishes the mind thus maintaining physical and mental positive health. So a modified and more potent way of eating is essential.

Medicines are considered mere variants of diet in Ayurveda. It believes that the body handles medicines in much the same way as it does the dietary components. Thus, for example, the medicines which are supposed to kill the pathological bacteria may have the same effect on the bacterial flora which is considered essential for maintenance of health and longevity. Moreover, their prolonged use is liable to make the pathogenic bacteria resistant to these medicines. The alternative to this process could be to increase the internal immunity of the body so that it attains the natural defence mechanism to primarily prevent, and if necessary, ward off such infections.

Thus the principle of Ayurveda which is ‘Prevention of disease, Promotion of health and its Preservation’ should become the integral part of our lifestyles in order to remain healthy as well as disease-free.