Entries Tagged 'Ayurveda' ↓

In my earlier blog, in April 2007, I wrote about laser puncture therapy which I underwent in France some time back. Whilst there is gain of interest in alternative medicine in the western world, there is definitely a greater interest in taking care of one’s body. This is one of the thesis of Professor Maffesoli when he explained that there is greater awareness of our body. Michel Serres , another great thinker of our time also wrote extensive of the accrued awareness of our physical body.  Preventive care of one’s body is ever increasing. During my last visit to Singapore where I visited my uncle who had a similar stroke, I understood that besides his routing twice weekly physio-therapy his doctors advised a weekly session of acupuncture for his general health. Does acupuncture re-establish the functioning of your vital organs? Practitioners of reflexology and massages vouch that regular massages does promote well being. Now I am having my weekly session of foot reflexology by my brother in law, David.

I am of opinion that if one can save himself from taking in drugs and use alternative care instead, one should be healthier. Drugs while curing some ailments necessarily have disruptive effects elsewhere. We know for use that pain killers in whatever form taken, relieves the patient but taken in the long term has adverse effects on other part of our body. I am a great believer of the harmony of the body. Our body has the capacity of readjusting to restore a balance within itself much like water always goes back to find its own level.

Ancient Chinese Healing Method for Stress and Diseases

Acupuncture, as an alternative medical practice, is now making headway in the Western world. It is now accepted as a drug-free treatment and method of stress relief. Practiced in China for more than 2,000 years, acupuncture is a therapeutic system that makes use of sterilized needles for the purpose of restoring the body’s equilibrium. The needles are inserted on specific vital points that correspond to a specific internal organ. The light insertion of the needle into a vital point is supposed to free the flow of internal energy or “chi.” According to Chinese medical theory, any blockage in the flow of chi in the body’s “energy streams” or meridians can an imbalance in the body — resulting to an illness. The natural flow of chi ensures a person’s general state of health. The focus of acupuncture is on restoring harmony in the flow of the chi throughout the body and, in the process, balancing the metaphysical concepts of yin and yang.

Acupuncture is used to treat a wide range of ailments such as nausea, sinusitis, migraine headaches, lower back pain, knee pain, and chronic pain. Ancient Chinese texts also claim that the acupuncture can be used to treat minor mental and emotional problem such as anxiety disorder. For this reason, some even compare the Traditional Chinese Medicine method of acupuncture to the Western medical discipline of psychology. Both are seen as similar disciplines or therapy methods that have a positive effect on the mental health of patients.

The true benefits of acupuncture are found in its efficacy as a non-invasive, drug-free means of alleviating a number of physical ailments. It is also used in conjunction with traditional Chinese herbal cures that are perceived to be as effective as modern pills and medication. Acupuncture is concerned not only with providing cure to specific ailments. It is also used to determine the causes of physical discomforts and illnesses. Acupuncture practitioners make use of body charts that show the meridians or channels where internal energy flows to different parts of the body. These meridians correspond to the Western medicine layout of the central nervous system and circulatory system.

Studies are still being made by Western doctors and other scientists to determine the efficacy of this Eastern alternative form of healing. Even if acupuncture already accepted in different parts of the world as an alternative healing method, some quarters are still skeptical about its long-term effects.

While there are still no research findings that make the curative claims about acupuncture absolutely undisputable, it is interesting to note the depth of understanding that the Chinese had about the inner workings of the human body thousands of years before the formal organization and practice of Western medicine. Perhaps, one day, scientists will finally prove that the differences between Eastern and Western medicine is found mostly in culture and terminology; and that both systems are actually alike in terms of philosophy and theory in the use of the needle as a tool for healing.

A blog which I regularly read.

To bid farewell or to say goodbye may sometimes prove a more difficult task than you can imagine. Having spent over more than nine weeks at the center, I admit that I have taken some habits and mode of living which now I will have to part with. The material comfort and amenities are not the most important things to leave behind: the atmosphere and hospitality climate held by the people are what I shall have to forego. The smiles of the garden hands, the namaste greetings of the therapists met in the yard and the cordial welcoming of the staff which I have begun to know by their first names, the care and attention given by the medical team and last but not least, the friendliness of fellow co- residents will soon vanish for ever, as if it would be the end of a film in which I was one of the actors.

A new page has to be turned. A new page will soon open with, in the background, the memories, experiences of this Mysore hideaway. Life could never ever be the same again! My vision of life is now tinted with the learnings gained through the interactions with persons of such variety and from so many origins. Young,middle aged ,retired, be it from Europe Britain,France,Italy , Spain, Germany ,Austria,Australia , America, Canada,India,Japan, Singapore almost the world has been present. The time frame is lost forever, it cannot be reconstructed again in the same place, same setting with the same persons.

The wonderful moments are in the realm of memories now, too bad if one did not catch them to the fullest of their intensity and made the most of it.

I found that I whisked through the ten weeks. I did not have time to get bored. As opposed to my earlier fear, eating vegetarian for the period was a song! The massage treatments were a bliss and the health care was excellent and the hospitality wonderful. There were quite a number of minor improvements that could have been made to bring to perfection my stay. Perfection they say is not of this world!

I came to buy more mobility in my limbs, I came out without the mobility improvements sought for but depart now with a luggage filled up with love from the staff and co- residents and contented with a nice break from my routine life and hopefully a better body , mind & soul condition.

Thank you all for making my stay an enjoyable and enriching experience. Hopefully the mobility will come at a later stage. Golden cell 208 is now free!

Dear Doctor
Not every single day of your life is the same.
Each day brings its lot of happiness and challenges
because isn’t it life a continuous quest
for equilibrium between the opposing forces?
Today is so special for you.
Blessed was the day when many of moon ago
Out of the love of two persons so dear to
you came the emerging fruit of their union.
Propulsed by the initial impetus given by your parents
you have contrived with your own will and efforts
to forge yourself into the talented person you are today.
Teacher, as you have been trained, you will always be
a knowledge source to your entourage
Your delicate ways and keen attention to the needs of others
are the living proof of your Hippocratic oath
Even your Carnatic talents and singing
gift direct to the healing of mankind.
Man of so much talent I had the privilege to meet.
I am so thankful to the Almighty for this grace
I pray the Lord to bless you and your family to be accompanied by Him forever.
The departure of your daughter this week end from the family nest: like a small bird reaching maturity,
she will be flying on her own wings to catch the wind of success! True, a pinch of the heart may well be felt, but this will quickly be inundated by a feeling of hope at the prospect of the world opening to her
Isn’t it our aim: to nurture new spirits to cultivate our world?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR DOCTOR!

India without yoga could not be India. It may well be yet another gift that India has to offer to the western world. “Kriya Yoga brings about an integrated transformation of the individual in all five planes of existence: physical, vital, mental, intellectual and spiritual. Everyone can practice it and thus find happiness and peace.”

Yesterday, since I was confined to my room, during the day & because during the PanchaKarma treatment no one is not allowed to be exposed to the windy atmosphere, I did not witness the arrival of this large group of 20 persons strong at the center. I later got to meet and exchange with a few of the group who are all disciples of a yogi master who has his Ashram in Quebec. They come from all over the world in pilgrimage to south India with their teacher Marshall Govindan Satchidananda, who I saw from afar later at lunch.