As told earlier about ‘Mudras’, the different postures made out of five fingers, they are claimed to be very powerful in curing diseases in the initial stages and controls pain in chronic diseases. According to scientific orientation of Mudras, they produce electromagnetic currents, which trigger the necessary changes in our bodies. One would be astonished to hear that a particular Mudra named ‘Mrit Sanjivani Mudra’ can provide relief to heart attacks. Heart is the seat of emotions. ‘Mrit’ stands for death and Sanjivani is equivalent to relief, where Mudra stands for posture. This almost translates to ‘a posture that provides relief from death’. Other Mudras such as Ling Mudra, Pran Mudra, Apan Mudra, Prithvi Mudra, and Vayu Mudra have their own benefits to accrue for people that sincerely practice them. While the Pran Mudra increases in us the life force (‘Pran’ stands for life force, which is equivalent to ‘Chi’ in Chinese), Ling Mudra builds resistance to the body and provides protection from severe colds, coughs and Asthma related problems. ‘Ling’ is a shape that has an excellent scientific significance in that the shape of the nuclear reactor is also dome shaped, which is the shape of the Ling. We know that nuclear reactors produce enormous energy and store tremendous amounts of energy. Vayu Mudra is believed to be effective for Rheumatism and Sciatica. Also, Indian Sculptures of gods have been depicted with various Mudras to signify their importance in our daily lives. Self realized rishis and gods have always been portrayed with Mudras to establish their efficacies. Get to know more about Mudras through the internet, practice them and improve your physical and mental condition for the better.

One interesting aspect of the ‘Charaka Samhita’, an Ayurvedic treatise by Sage Charaka, who was a doyen in Ayurvedic medicine which states thus: No Significant change can be brought by external medication. It’s a natural process. But it gets spoiled by food habits and life style. A physician’s responsibility ends with identification of the change and treating the problem. When this is done, the body restores its original state of health.

Herbal usage, which is the most important ingredient in Ayurvedic medicine is estimated at $62 billion and is poised to grow between 7 to 12 percent. The exponential growth of this herbal medication is further expected to reach seven trillion by 2050.

The days of hectic living have made our bodies to be void of the required balanced Vitamins and to complement the need, many of us resort to taking Vitamin tablets at our own discretion. Though micronutrients are very much essential for the body, which are derived from sources of Vitamins, an indiscriminate consumption of Vitamins at one’s own discretion may spell disaster to one’s health. After all we can’t afford to play with our health. Isn’t it? As we pay attention to cholesterol levels, we need to focus on wellness that arises out of vitamin consumption too.

Vitamin B and its derivatives Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B9, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin C are Water soluble Vitamins. The other group is ‘Fat soluble vitamins’ which consist of Vitamin A, D, E and K. Here comes the caveat. As Vitamin E and Vitamin K are associated with blood clotting, they should be used only with Doctor’s advice. It is common knowledge that Orange is known for its richness in Vitamin C. But there is no substantiation that the exact micronutrient substitute is available in a Vitamin C tablet. Therefore the natural phytochemicals present in vegetables and phytochemicals and Anti-Oxidants present in fruits in themselves aid in good health and rejuvenation of cells – for a fuller health.

Mudras as said earlier are different combinations of our fingers, which helps in curing many diseases and improved wellness. The basic underlying principle is that the five fingers represent the five elements of nature. The thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger and little finger represent Fire, Air, Space, Earth and Water respectively. For any yoga related sitting posture, a lotus position or padmasan is recommended for better results. Yoga also relates to an erect positioning of spine and spinal wellness. Since the spine is considered to be the seat of the six Chakras or the important divine centres of our body, it's important that an erect posture for the spine is always recommended while sitting even in normal circumstances and to avoid any spinal injuries and damages.

1) Chin Mudra: Just touch the thumb with index finger. No pressure is necessary. A gentle touch is sufficient. This helps in increasing brain power, mental concentration and cures problems of Insomnia, tension and lack of concentration.

2) Vayu Mudra: Vayu means ‘Air’ in Sanskrit. Index finger pertains to the element air and therefore press the first mount of the index finger (after the finger is bent) on the base of thumb at the mount of Venus (the first mount). This is said to cure Rheumatism, Arthritis, Gout, Parkinson’s disease and blood circulation deficiencies.

3) Shunya Mudra: Shunya means void and as it indicates emptiness, this implies space. The number Zero is called ‘Shunya’ in Hindi. Middle finger indicates space and is to be kept bent and pressed with the thumb at the mount of Venus (the first mount). If done for about 45 minutes, it hopes to cure deficiencies of ear and Vertigo.

April 7 - World Health Day.

Today April 7th is World Health Day. It cannot be more appropriate for a site, which has health concerns, exhorts its esteemed readers to take care of their precious health and also wish them sound health. Today let’s have a peek at some stimulants to remind ourselves of its ill effects on our health. Obviously, the most easily available stimulant is Tobacco. I somewhere happened to see a wisecrack which read thus: As the life of a Cigarette goes down so does the life of the smoker. Beware of tobacco in any form and be aware of it. Some Cigar facts: A cigarette contains 19 to 27 mg of tar besides Nicotine, which is the most addictive substance. It is said that if Nicotine extracted from 4 cigarettes is injected in the blood stream directly, the chances of knocking the doors of death are maximum. Nicotine reaches the brain within 7 seconds of a puff and the next second it takes control of the brain. It also contains many powerful chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phenol, benzopyrene and nitrosamine- the substances that are supposed to be Carcinogenic (Cancer causing). According to reports by WHO 90% of Indians suffering from cancer are due to oral cancers, which is because of chewing of tobacco in one form of other. Why don’t we add nutrition to our food and diet than add toxins?

The Boeing Wellness programme conducted by the Boeing management to its employees is a fine example of management of Nicotine addiction. The dependence on tobacco and the time loss due to smoking sessions has been estimated to cause a loss of about $180 million to the Boeing company. Reports point to the fact that at an average an employer loses about $6000 an year due to smoking and its negative impact on its employees' health. This may be a very pertinent information on the eve of world health day.

Math is interesting; but ‘Meth’ is not. Wonder what’s Meth? Beware of Meth, the short form of ‘Methamphetamine’ which has become a challenge in the counties in America in terms of its addictive nature. The worst part is it need not be waited long for its yield at the appropriate time. This makes it much easier to prepare and make money of it. Naturally, any addiction is bad for health, especially if they are drugs and narcotics that dictate the brain. A report describes ‘Methamphetamine, as a highly addictive drug that alters the chemistry of the brain and overtime the personality of those who abuse it. Quoting statistics, reports say that there are 1.5 million Meth addicts and 12 million casual Meth users. Let’s hope that the figure doesn’t add any more. Let’s be positive and more nutrition oriented in our diets than mix hazards in the form of unwanted addictions.

Here’s Sweet news… Eyebrows still frown when children demand chocolates lest their teeth get stained and worms infect their bowels. Last but not the least, the sugar content discourages diabetics to lead a sweet life. But if scientific studies are any indications to go by, derivatives of cocoa products into chocolates had a significant impact on lowering blood pressure. According to a study in Netherlands, when surveyed on 470 healthy Dutch men aged above 65 years their blood pressure was significantly normal and the inference was that it was probably due to their consumption of 10 Gms of chocolate a day. The recent finding as far as Australia is concerned is 2, 50,000 people suffer from Diabetes, out of whom 80,000 are insulin dependent. Blindness, kidney damage, nerve dysfunction and blocked blood vessels are the side effects of Diabetes. Low Glycemic Index foods such as whole grains, bran and cereal fibre may reduce the risk of heart disease in diabetics. But as far as mortality rates are concerned it seems diseases that have played havoc are Malaria, Dysentery, Tuberculosis and respiratory disorders in general. It’s because of these diseases; nearly 75 million have departed this planet which in turn is in the grip of environmental degeneration like Greenhouse gases, global warming and what not. Even before problems can take to cudgels in the form of problems such as Diabetes, Blood Pressure etc. we can prevent it with regular exercises such as walking. Like to have a look at the latest statistics nation wise, so that we can be wary of the facts about the figures regarding exercising. Germans seem to be highly health conscious with 52% of people over 50s taking into regular exercise followed by Spain which is 47%. The third place goes to France at 43% and the last to UK at 28%.

Value Addition for health: What is a Mudra? A Mudra is a form of particular positioning of fingers of our hands. If formed in different combinations coupled with Asanas or seating postures and breathing exercises are carried out, beneficial effects accrue on our health. These are time tested combinations which we would be seeing gradually.

Smart Sniffers

Animals have been perceived to superior as far as understanding nature and geographical changes are concerned. It is common knowledge that rats are employed as guinea pigs for research that leads to conclusions about behavior of medicines in human bodies. When it comes to dog, they not only are faithful to their masters, but also help in detecting certain types of Cancers in humans. Does it sound strange? Not really. The faculty of sniffing in dogs has been found to give them the unique ability to detect Cancers. Doctors and Scientists around the globe are engaged in extensive research on Cancer detection and research on associated drugs. Considerable breakthrough has been achieved by ‘Pine Street Foundation’ of California, which related the sniffing of dogs to bring Cancer to the fore. Significantly, the foundation has been successful in finding the fact based on the theory that cancer cells of patients exhibit certain basic characteristics, while healthy people do not exhibit them. Three Labradors and two Portuguese water dogs were reportedly engaged in prolonged sessions of training with an exposure to samples of exhaled air of healthy people and Cancer patients. Remarkably, dogs were able to sniff the air of Cancer patients.

Dear Dolphins

If you can befriend Dolphins, you are one up. You have a short in the arm and pleasant splash in the water. According to Biophilic research, a discipline which deals with relationship of humans’ health with nature, swimming with Dolphins can improve relaxation and reduce mild or moderate depression. Studies reveal that 9 out of 10 patients who swam with these beautiful and friendly aqua creatures reported lasting improvement.

Tail Piece: Elephants are believed to possess instincts to sense earthquakes in advance. In some parts they have been reported to move in herds in advance to safer places.

Go Quizzing: What are Pachyderms?