Health Watch

Yoga keeps you healthy

Chelliah THURAIAPPAH

The world is actually suffering from over-drugging. Yoga can prove to be a great saviour of mankind if its practice is popularized in the length and breadth of the world, because yoga has the capacity to keep the body free from most types of sickness and thus to make the unnecessary use of drugs. It is easy to find thousands of allopathic doctors themselves who have lost faith in allopathic drugs. Yoga not only advises to avoid drugs but it also helps an individual to get rid of drugs.

Another plus point of yoga is that it operates not only on the physical level but also on the mental and spiritual planes. So far as the malfunctioning of glans is concerned, no medical system has really achieved any breakthrough. Here, also, it is yoga which can restore the normal functioning of glands by corrective yogic practices.

Regular practice of yoga not only keeps the body healthy and fit, but also prevents physical, mental and emotional imbalances due to various reasons in our day-to-day life. Daily yogic practices gradually bring about a change in one’s thoughts, conduct, attitude, behaviour words and deeds and also a total transformation in personality as a whole.

Yoga has the capacity to free the body from making diseases. It not only operates on the physical level but also has great benefits on mental worries and tension. Yoga comprises four types of exercises; postures (yogasanas), mudras and breathing exercises (Pranayama). Postures invigorate our internal organs, the mudras ensure healthy functioning of the glands and breathing exercises help in purifying our blood and decreases the intensity of mental stress. Meditation calms the mind. You become more aware of your body through meditation.

Creating a balance

Yoga is an ancient that aims to create a balance between the body, mind and soul, thereby curing physical, mental and spiritual disorders that are caused by this imbalance. In common language, yoga means union, it’s a union of the individual consciousness with super-consciousness. To be exact, yoga aims at reminding the individual of this union that already exists and has merely been forgotten. To put it simply, yoga is experiencing and knowing what already exists, not inventing anything new.

At the physical level, yoga can create a balance and harmony among the various organs and systems of the body, allowing the healing powers inherent in the body to work and cure physical ailments. At the mental level, yoga is the harmony between mind, heart and hands or between thought, speech and action. At the spiritual level, yoga aims to destroy the individual ego that stands between the individual and the cosmos, thus attaining to the ultimate truth.

Yoga is basically a set of systematically devised physical exercises that lay emphasis on balance and posture. Combined with breathing exercises they have the capacity to cure almost any ailment of the body and mind. The underlying concept of yoga is to create the situation in which the human body can function at its optimum capacity.

Yoga postures or positions are simple and effective body movements that massage the muscles, endocrine, glands, lubricate the joints and tone the whole body. Yoga postures help to keep the body healthy and the mind peaceful. Postures exercise the nerves and ligaments. These exercises increase flexibility and balance in the body.

Yoga postures refer to the sequence of exercises which is extremely important to get the best results. They are scientifically graded to move from the simple to the complex, to cure the body first and then move on to mental and spiritual goals.

Regular practice

By practising yoga regularly, you will improve your physique without any work out injuries to your bones and muscles.

Yoga is known to greatly enhance flexibility by almost 35 percent within a period of three months of regular practice. But for these results you will have to be consistent in your practices.

Yoga practices help increase the oxygen levels in your blood and keep you active. This is one of the main benefits of yoga. Yoga practices also normalize sluggish endocrine glands and help keep them healthy.

All the yoga exercises and poses you practice help you develop a healthier body and build up more strength.

Yoga is very, very helpful in toning up your body muscles as well as the internal organs. But, for this, you will also have to adhere to a yogic diet, one that is predominantly vegetarian, pure light and rich in fruits and vegetables.

Pranayama

Pranayama (breathing exercises) is an integral part of yoga. This part of your yoga regimen will help expand your chest walls, give you greater lung capacity and that itself will solve all your respiratory problems. But, for this purpose it is vital that you don’t smoke or indulge in any form of intoxication. Also, beverages such as tea and coffee tend to take away many of the health benefits of yoga.

Yoga will keep you both physically and mentally healthy; particularly if you practice regular breathing exercises and meditation. Deep, long breathing is the best way to uplift your mood, improve your coordination and concentration and keep all stress and tension at bay. But, for this you will have to maintain the consistency of your yoga practices.

Practising yoga regularly will definitely keep you healthy, fit and resistant against all forms of chronic diseases. Then again, to reap these benefits, you will have to resist the urge to resort to allopathy for every little cough, cold or minor indisposition. These medicines only weaken your body and increase your dependence on them.

Yoga therapy has been found to be effective in the treatment and management of the following problems and diseases: Heart disease, such as coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, back pain, arthritis, asthma, sinusitis, hay fever, headache, certain endocrine diseases, digestive disorders such as heartburn and ulcers, constipation, colitis and many other conditions.

Emotional stress

Many women experience cramps or dysmenorrhoea or pre-menstrual syndrome during their menstruation. The cramps can be caused by emotional stress as well as uterine contractions.

Dysmenorrhoea actually means painful menstruation. These are pelvic and abdominal pains. Easy pose (Sukhasana), cat pose (Bidalasana), bow pose (dhanurasana), Cobra pose (Bhujanagansana), Fish pose (Matsyasana), Wind relieving pose (Pavanamuktasana), Crocodile pose (Chararunga), Corpse pose (Shavasana) and Pranayama (breathing exercises) relieve both.

Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, is a deliberating progressive disease, affecting principally the elderly. Pain killers cause serious side effects. Yoga certainly helps in osteoarthritis. Simple poses (Asanas) help increase the blood circulation in the joints and limbs. Cobra pose (Bhujangasana), Warrior pose (veerasana), Triangle pose (Trikonasana), Tree pose (Vrikshana) are very helpful. Brahmari pranayama is very effective in osteoarthritis patients. Meditation releases mental and emotional tensions, reduces arthritic rigidly.

High mental strain results in high blood pressure. Modern medical science treats the blood pressure but not the underlying reason that is mental strain. When you take medicines, the blood pressure comes to normal for sometime but when the effect of the medicines is over, the blood pressure again rises. So the best remedy is to remove all underlying reasons for mental stress and strain. Yoga certainly helps achieve the stress-free mind. There is no solution except removing all the strains on mind and control the mental activities. Yoga postures, Pranayama, Meditation and Yoga Nidra definitely help achieve mental peace.

Pranayama reduces the need of oxygen, so also production of carbon dioxide. So the respiration rate reduces. In various Pranayama techniques, Ujjayee Pranayama balances the Pranic flow of energy in the body. Ujjayee also affects carotid sinus which helps reduce blood pressure. Nadishodhana Pranayama controls the Pranic flow. It purifies the nerves and thereby strengthens the nervous system. It is very beneficial in the ailments of the nervous system, lungs and hypertension.

Meditation saves the mind from dissipation and takes it to the realms of peace and perfection. It helps one handle stressful situations in efficient ways. It awakens the slumbering energies of the mind. It is a remarkably useful practice for those who get worried or agitated easily or those who suffer from high blood pressure and insomnia. Especially for high blood pressure patients, 15 minutes meditation every day shows miraculous results.

Yoga relaxation (Yoga Nidra) is psychic sleep. During this process one gets a feeling of freshness physically and mentally. It helps remove physical, emotional and mental strains very easily and effectively and controls high blood pressure very effectively. It also helps focus the mind and removes negative elements. It gives the results in a short time. Modern medical science accepts that a cleaned body and calm mind can act as curative force for many diseases.

People who do not exercise much or are obese or have diabetes in their family history are more prone to getting diabetes. Yoga controls and even curses diabetes. Certain yoga postures massage the pancreas and stimulate it to produce adequate quantity of insulin that controls the blood sugar level. Yoga poses help to cure obesity too. Practice of Pranayama techniques like Nadishodana pranayama, Bellow breathing (Bhastrika pranayama), Ujjayee pranayama and Meditation cure and control diabetes.

Yoga is very good for cardiovascular health. Since stress and bad lifestyle habits cause cardiovascular problems, yoga can combat both with pranayama and relaxation techniques. Through relaxation techniques, one can raise the heart rate variability (HVR). An increase in HVR leads to better cardiovascular health. Yoga postures and pranayama relax the body and mind, slow down the metabolism and control the breathing. Yoga also helps in the functioning of the nervous system and the endocrinal glands. Corpse pose (Shavasana), yoga relaxation (Yoga Nidra), Sun Salutation (Suriya Namaskar), Locust pose, Lotus pose (Padmasana), Camel pose, Bow pose, Cobra pose, and Ujjayee pranayama help to manage cardiovascular problems. Yoga improves the flow of blood while making the veins and arteries more flexible and elastic. This again reduces the chances of heart diseases.

According to WHO reports, the leading killers of the world population are non communicable diseases (NCDs), such as, heart diseases, stroke, chronic kidney and lung diseases, cancer and diabetes.

Almost 350 people die due to these diseases daily in Sri Lanka. About 10,000 to 12,000 new cancer patients have been reported annually. Non communicable diseases account for 90 percent of death in hospitals.

Addiction to alcohol, smoking, junk food, physical inactivity, artificial beverages and foods with excess sugar and flour are most prominent reasons of non communicable diseases. Health Ministry has given high priority for prevention of these diseases. Yoga therapy is extremely good at treating and managing these chronic diseases not incurring any expenses. Yoga therapy is gaining popularity fast now since it has been accepted as a Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in Western countries. It is said that no due recognition is given to this ancient science of living in our country.

Launch OF CoMSAA Website

The website of Colombo Medical School Alumni Association (CoMSAA) (http://comsaa.org) was launched recently.

From left to right are Dr. Chandra Jayasuriya (Assistant Editor), Prof. Jennifer Perera (Treasurer), Dr. Piyusha Atapattu (Assistant Treasurer), Dr. B J C Perera (Editor), Prof. Athula Kaluarachchi (Co-Secretary), Prof. H R Seneviratne, Prof. A H Sheriffdeen (Founder President), Dr. J B Peiris (President Elect), Prof. Sanath P Lamabadusuriya (Vice President), Prof. Ravindra Fernando, Prof. Rohan Jayasekera (Dean/Vice President), Dr. Saroja Siriwardene (Co-Secretary), Dr. Disna Liyanarachchi and Dr. Philip Veerasingam. The Colombo Medical School (Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo) is 141 years old. The inaugural meeting of the Colombo Medical School Alumni Association was held recently when a draft Constitution was passed. The President, office bearers and a general committee was elected.

Fourth Festival of Thinkers, Abu Dhabi:

One Sri Lankan among ‘World Thinkers’

Sri Lankan surgeon and activist Dr. Wijaya Godakumbura was one the World Thinkers chosen for the 4th Festival of Thinkers held recently in Abu Dhabi for 325 young people from around the world. It was organised by the Higher Colleges of Technology of Abu- Dhabi, and Six Nobel Laureates also participated in it as resource persons. Dr. Godakumbura was a panelist in the workshop on ‘ Leadership in Healthcare’ and in the panel discussion on ‘Health & UN Millennium Development Goals’. He also made a power point presentation on ‘Prevention of Injuries’, a subject that is not getting enough attention in some countries.

Dr. Godakumbura was chosen for this festival because of his kerosene burn prevention project of 19 years. Burns are the “most devastating form of injury that a person could sustain and survive”. Everyday, 700,000 families in Sri Lanka use kerosene for lighting, and more during power outages. Due to poverty and ignorance many of them use makeshift bottle lamps that easily tip over causing severe burns. While some die, others survive with gruesome scars on the face, neck and/or elsewhere; their mental agony is such that many ask, “Doctor, why didn’t you allow me to die”! The Safe Bottle Lamp Foundation gives out their ‘Sudeepa’ safe lamps free to kerosene users. They are now working in partnership with the Samurdhi Authority that has agreed to distribute the lamps while the production cost has to be born by the Foundation.

They gave 12,500 of their lamps costing Rs 562,500/= free to the Samurdhi Authority recently, to be distributed to the people in the Polonnaruwa District. Lamps have also been distributed in other areas, including Eastern and Northern Provinces with support from the army. They welcome donations from well-wishers to maximize their work.