Swathy and Sky

5 Healthy Takeaways from “Perfect Digestion” by Deepak Chopra {Five Series}

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Finally, I have also started reading some of the books which would be useful for the blog and me 🙂 And, this one has scored high on my list. For a beginner health enthusiast, it can serve as one of the foundation books. It explains ayurveda in a simpler way than I could ever understand it till date. So, check out 5 new things I learned from the book.

One holistic system

Ayurveda treats our entire body as a single unit with each part having its own portion of intelligence as opposed to a machine controlled by a central engine. The nutrients from our food enhance the said intelligence. Ayurveda also believes that perfect digestion is the key to keep the body free of any disease.

Our thoughts, our imaginations, our feelings, desires and energies are as much “us” as are our fingernails, our blemishes and our digestive tracts.

Ayurvedic Doshas

Pitta characteristics so do check out if they concur with your nature!
Ayurveda understands a body as a part of three doshas – Vata, Kapha and Pitta. 
Vata – controls movement like breathing, blood circulation, food passing through the digestive tracts, nerve impulses sent to and received from the brain. 
Pitta – represents metabolism or digestion like processing food, air and water and facilitate proper intellectual functioning. 
Kapha – governs body structure, holds cells together and forms muscles, fat, bones and sinew, also governs digestive fluids int he body. 
Everyone has all 3 doshas in equal measures but some imbalances in the body may lead to one or other dosha dominating over the others in which case the said dosha must be pacified and balanced . Our body is in a harmonious state when all these three doshas are in perfect balance. 
Digestion is considered a heating process in Ayurveda which is why it is denoted by the agni or digestive fire. 
  • Too high digestive fire means pitta dosha which leads to excessive appetite.
  • Too low digestive fire means kapha dosha which leads to low energy and weight gain. 
  • Too variable digestive fire means vata dosha which leads to extreme hunger or loss of appetite. 
  • Perfect digestive fire in which all doshas are balanced. 

Kapha characteristics so do check out if they concur with your nature!

Small Intestine and Its Role

Small intestine is one the major organs where the maximum digestion and extraction of the intelligence from the foods happens. To keep it healthy,

  • eat variety of foods everyday
  • foods should not be over-cooked or raw
  • foods must not be too hot or too cold  

That is why ice cold water is not a preferable option, as much you might crave it!!

Spice to eat to keep the digestive system in healthy order – black pepper, ginger and nutmeg.

Vata characteristics so do check out if they concur with your nature!

Ama and Ojas

When the body is in perfect harmonious state, it produces a biochemical called Ojas which represents the positive flow of energy in the body. It means the body is in complete harmony with the mind.

A complete opposite to this harmonious state is when the body feels sluggish. A sticky biochemical called Ama is produced in such a state. It can be due to improper lifestyle, improper diet or improper digestion.

Signs of ama production in the body – lethargy, feeling of  heaviness, weakness, weak immunity, fatigue, emotional instability, low energy levels.

Visible sign – white coating on the tongue which is also present throughout the digestive canals of the body. That is why tongue scraping should be done right after brushing your teeth.

How to eliminate Ama from the body?

  • Eat in a settled and quiet atmosphere where there is no television or talking. 
  • Rest quietly for a few minutes after a meal to begin the digestive process in a effortless way. 
  • Always eat while sitting. it helps the body relax. 
  • Do not eat while upset. Wait for a few minutes to stabilize your emotions and then start eating. 
  • Do not overeat. Always eat only 3/4th of your total capacity. leave eating when you feel almost full and still feel light. 
  • Always avoid cold drinks or foods. Cold freezes the digestive fires and may lead to creation of ama. 
  • Always eat slowly. After a bite, chew and wait till you swallow it before taking another bite. 
  • Do not eat till your preceding meal is digested. It takes 3-6 hours for the previous meal to digest so if you feel heavy but crave something to eat, snack on a fruit or any warm beverage. 
  • Always eat fresh food. 
  • Drink hot water throughout the day, as often as possible, to dissolve the ama in your body. 

sort of diet you should maintain according to your specific dosha

6 Ayurvedic Tastes

Ayurveda identifies 6 tastes in order of digestion – sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent. It is important to incorporate all these tastes in all our meals throughout the day. And, one should eat them in their order of digestion as specified.

For example, sweet should be eaten before anything sour which should be eaten before a salty dish which should precede a pungent one which should precede bitter and lastly, follow with an astringent. That is why dessert should be taken first and salad should be the last meal.

Have you read the book? Do you think digestion is the key element to our well-being? 

5 reasons for Anal or Rectal Burning or Itching and How to Treat It! {Five Series}

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Healthy Diet eases every Health Problem!

Hey All!! I know I disappeared again! Even I am tired with my habits but I shall surely elaborate on those reasons in some other post. For now, I came across this extremely important topic which I wanted to discuss. So, anything which has to do with the genitalia is a generally embarrassing topic to discuss and many times it is overlooked health aspect.

Sometimes when you are passing out stool, you might feel burning sensation or sometimes when you have a change in diet or hydration levels, the skin there might be prone to itching. Whenever you face such situations, it is generally the symptom for anal or rectal burning and inflammation. Let me discuss a few of the causes for this problem. 

Too Spicy Diet

This is one of the most important causes for any kind of change in your body. When you start eating too spicy foods or too much of peppers or hot sauces, the chemicals in them can irritate the skin near the rectum and cause it to inflame. Also, a lot of caffeine and sugary foods can also lead to this condition. So, this is the first thing you need to cross out of your check-list. 

Skin Diseases

Do you suffer from psoriasis or seborrhoea or dermatitis? If yes, you can also get those chronic dry skin conditions at the rectum area. Also, less hydration in skin or dry skin can also lead to irritation at the rectal area so drink a lot of water and keep the area hydrated by using hot or cold compress. That helps soothe the irritation there!!

Other Internal Body Problems

Presence of pin worms or diarrhoea or constipation or any other issue in the small intestine or anal or rectal disorders like piles can lead to anal irritation. Also, if the tissues are torn at those areas or abnormal skin growth at that area or using antibiotics can also lead to inflammation. 

Medical Problems

Well, another reason may be you are suffering from diabetes, anemia, inflammatory bowel disease, jaundice, leukamia, lymphoma, thyroid disease so check out if you have any of the above conditions.

Lack of Hygiene

Not washing the area properly or using too drying soaps and liquids can also irritate the area. A gentle cleanser or plain water should be used on the genitals and the basic clothes must be washed and changed on a regular basis. Also, excessive aggressive cleaning after bowel movements should be avoided. When using jets or bidets, make sure that the pressure of water is gentle enough and not too strong to hurt the skin. 

Solution – Banana

Banana is rich in potassium. Potassium is an astringent which shrinks or tightens the body tissue (Source). And, during the rectal inflammation, the tissues of the rectum also become inflamed. 

So, do you think any of the above may lead to your problems? Are you or have you ever suffered from this problem? And, how did you treat it? 

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Books 2014 Vol. 9 – “7 Secrets of Goddess” by Devidutt Patnaik

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7 secrets of goddess by devidutt patnaik

About the Author

Mythology has always been an inherent part of Hindu culture. Where we used to spend our Sundays being enriched in the epics, the newer generation is gradually being drifted apart by the new age technology. So, how do we fulfil this gap? 
Devidutt Patnaik is one of the authors who has been constantly churning stories from various epics for our delight and trust me when I say, we are unaware of some them. I have already read a few of them and would definitely recommend The Pregnant King. Yes, some of his books may be just too mature for kids but we can always retell the stories in our way!
Along with such retelling of small episodes in the puranas or retelling of the major epics themselves, he also specializes in writing about the interpretation of the epics in the factual form as they come! Whether this interpretation is true or not is something which the author right away absolves himself of by stating that every man’s interpretation of these works is correct.

About the Book

As much as we all love our mythology, we love it as a fiction. We love to visualize characters, we love to hail some of them and wish the others to the dungeons. But, here we have the stories of the Goddess and not just the stories but the literal interpretation of the female standing through the ages in our culture. 

It was a matriarchal society earlier, the male could not refuse the woman. In Mahabharata, Urvashi curses Arjuna for refusing her advances. In Greek mythology, Artemis turns Actaeon into stag that is ripped to pieces by his own hunting dogs….

Did you know what a virgin really meant? According to the book, it meant a woman who was ready to bear a child. Every woman was a virgin during the ovulation period which also explains how Draupadi’s virginity would be restored before going to the next husband. Also, the term whore was meant for females who were free to go to any man. As the times changed, both the terms lost their true meaning and started denoting the chastity of women. – Gaia’s Secret

7 secrets of goddess by devidutt patnaik
the book is full of such illustrations and the font itself is easy to read and easy on the eyes

Kali has been portrayed as a symbolism for both violence and sexuality. She is wild and naked (Smashan Kali) which represents she can not be domesticated. She (Bhadra Kali) also has been portrayed as the medium who connects Shiva to the universe and his domestic responsibilities by indulging in familial duties with him. 
 
As opposed to Kali, Gauri is the calmer version of the Goddess who is dressed in bridal finery but her unbound hair reveals her independent nature. She is self-created and rides a tiger. Brahma seeks to control her making him unworthy of worship. Shiva is indifferent to her which makes him desirable to the Goddess and Vishnu values both the importance of Kali and Gauri as opposed to both the extremes. 
Hinduism is mainly symbolism and even the small stories can be interpreted than what they actually appear in their face value. Similarly, Brahma represents the human mind that misbehaves. Shiva vehemently rejects this misbehaviour. Vishnu is the human mind which does not condone this misbehaviour, ye understands it. What is the misbehaviour? It is the assumption of property – that culture and all its creation belong to humans. 

My Verdict

The book is not a light read. It talks about philosophy but while reading it, one should remember that it is just one man’s interpretation and does not provide a holistic perspective of the issue. 
For example, while saying that the earliest of our culture was actually matriarchal, we also find a contradiction made by the author himself- the male partner chosen by the female (specified above) is killed at regular intervals.  

The chosen came to her during the sowing season and he was sacrificed at the harvest season.  

While the female gets the right to choose her partner, she does not have the right to stay with him for lifetime! In fact, love is then doomed in such circumstances. How does it become a matriarch society? 

Have you read the book or any other book by the author? How do you like his writing? 

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