These Regular Habits can Damage your Health !

 

The biggest difference between Modern Medical Science and Ayurveda is in their names itself.  Medical Science is the Science of Medicine , Ayurveda is the Science of Life . Ayurveda is made by 2 words - Ayu + Veda. Ayu is Life and Veda of course means Science . So while Modern Medicine mainly revolves around a diseased or abnormal condition, Ayurveda doesn't just give medicines for a diseased condition but in a larger scope of things it teaches how to live life along with adding length and quality to it.

Although Ayurveda is a vast sea of knowledge, here we would have a look at 8 tips from Ayurveda that can be applied in our daily lives to improve our health.

1. Brahma Muhurtam - It is the ideal time to rise every morning.  It lasts between 96 mins to 48 minutes before sunrise . Apart from experiencing the serenity of the morning, getting up early stimulates our bowel movements and gives a kickstart to our day. You can further use this time for various purposes like meditation, day planning, yoga or any other form of exercise.

2. Gandush - Oil Pulling, as it is famously known nowadays, is mentioned in the daily routine of Ayurveda after brushing teeth in the morning. One can use various kinds of oils for this like Sesame oil, Coconut oil , Cow ghee, or even some medicinal decoctions . Take 10-15 ml of oil in your mouth, hold it for 3-4 minutes. Swish and then spit out. Apart from being useful for the teeth ang gums, this practice prevents mouth odor, strengthens jaw and improves clarity of voice.

3. Abhyangam - Abhyangam is oleation or massage with oils. This is another procedure mentioned in the Ayurvedic Dinacharya. Oleation has numerous health benefits including healthy blood circulation, boosting digestion & metabolism,  improving overall strength and anti-ageing.

4. Overhead bath with water- Ayurveda advises to avoid warm water bath over the head. One can use warm water below the shoulder, but not above it. It can effect the health of hair & eyes.

5. Order of food intake based on taste- Ayurveda mentions 6 tastes- Sweet, Sour, Salty, Pungent, Bitter & Astringent. Our meals are complete when it has all the above 6 tastes of food.   Its advisable to follow the particular order mentioned above while having our daily meals. Its the best suited order for healthy digestion and assimilation of food. (These concepts are in general for healthy people. So , those with diabetes or on particular diet plans should follow according to the advice of their expert healthcare professional)

6. Water intake - While there are many theories regarding water intake, Ayurveda keeps it very simple-Drink sips of water while having meals. Avoid large water intake immediately after meals, it is extremely harmful for health. Drinking water 3-4 hours after meal improves health and adds strength. While having indigestion, warm water can act as a medicine.

7. Avoid day time sleep and late nights- Most of us nowadays are up till late night with unending source of entertainment, news, sports, etc. right into our palms. Similarly most of the house wives or senior citizens prefer to take a nap after lunch. However Ayurveda is strictly against these 2 habits as they completely disturb our body systems leading to various health problems including obesity and diabetes.

8. Avoid holding biological urges -  We get various biological urges in our day to day life. There are 13 of them - Defecation, Urine, Flatus, Sneezing, Thirst, Hunger, Sleep, Cough, labored breathing ( exercise induced shortness of breath), Yawning, Tears, Vomit & Semen.

Holding natural urges is detrimental to our health. Many a times, we tend to hold these natural urges ,  for whatever reasons may be. But its always advisable to pass these impulses unless holding is extremely inevitable.

There can be arguments about including some other points too in this list. However, these are the points which I feel are easy and can be applied to everyone in general. If one follows these tips regularly, quality of life would surely improve. 

( The tips mentioned above should not be used as a substitute for Doctor Advice)

Dr. Abhishek C Kanade

(BAMS, YIC, Govt. Certified Corporate Trainer, Expert in Ayurved & Nutraceuticals)