Ask Dr KK: How to get rid of gas in the stomach?

1.       Eat slowly, chewing your food thoroughly

2.        Exercise regularly to help keep food moving.

3.        Deal with your stress

4.        Don't drink through a straw, and sip your beverages rather than gulp them.

5.        Avoid or limit consumption of foods and drinks that cause you discomfort.

6.        Avoid foods that contain sorbitol or other sugar alcohols (found in drinks, candy, gum and breath fresheners)

7.        Drink plenty of fluids to help move food through the colon.

8.        Substitute Rice for grains that produce gas.

9.        If you are lactose-intolerant try avoiding dairy product.

10. Use spices that are known to prevent or relieve gas such as asafetida, ginger, fennel, turmeric, peppermint, coriander, chamomile and sage.

When wealth can become injurious to health

Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha are the four basic purposes of life. It means earning righteously with a desire to fulfill the inner happiness. The word ‘Artha’ relates to righteous earning. Any unrighteous earning can put one into danger.

There are enough references in modern medicine describing “property disputes” as one of the main causes responsible for heart blockages. The other being “marital disharmony”.

Many Vedic texts also give reference to the meaning of ‘Artha’. As per Vedic philosophy desire only begets desire. The desire of accumulating wealth is dangerous and infectious.

As per Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, any wealth acquired more than one needs cannot make one sleep properly.

Vidur in Vidur Niti in a dialogue with King Dhratrashtra described five basic reasons for not getting sleep. Two of them being “if one has stolen somebody’s money” and “if one has lost all his or her wealth”.

Chanakya Niti mentions that any wealth acquired by unfair means will not last for more than eight years.

Adi Shankracharya in his book Bhaj Govindam, Shloka 6 warns the rich community to beware of even their own sons. He mentions, “One should regard wealth always as danger as there is not even an atom of happiness to be really derived from it. To the rich there is a fear even from their own sons. This is an established law everywhere.”

Jesus in Bible also said that the rich lacking contentment can never reach the heaven.

Every wealth one acquired should be treated as a property of the trust of whose one is the trustee and this trust should be only for the welfare of the society, said Dr. Karan Singh in one of his lectures.

Sathya Sai Baba said that wealth is like a shoe. If it is small, it brings difficulty, if it is big, then also it makes one uncomfortable.

In Bhagavad Gītā, Lord Krishna said that those who cook for the sake of  their body alone, eat only sins.

Wealth is the womb of all other types of vises, said Rishi Narad in Shrimad Bhagwad. He said that along with wealth come vises like gambling, drinking and sexual perversions.

Taittiriya Upanishad also said that food will eat up the eater who eats without sharing. The Upanishad talks about importance of sharing the food with others.

Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gītā said that whatever elders do, others follow the same. If one acquired money out of unfair means, it is likely that the next generation will follow the same.

Wealth should be treated as a flow of money in the universe, said Dr. Deepak Chopra. Your purpose should be only to make sure that this flow not gets diverted through your river.

Accumulating money serves no purpose unless one uses it properly for the purpose it was collected. I recall an example of a lady who let her son die for financial constraints. When asked if she had any ancestral belongings, she said she only had some gold lying in his house but that was only to be used for bad time.

Bhagwad Gita and Diet

A famous couplet (doha) from Kabir says "Jaisa Bhojan Kijiye, Vaisa Hi Mana Hoye, Jaisa Paani Pijiye, Taisi Vani Hoye." "You are what your food is" is an old saying. This is based on a teaching from our shastras including yoga sutras of Patanjali, Bhagwad Gita and Upanishads.

Even Chankaya in Chankaya Niti wrote "Deepo Bhakshyta dhavantam kajjalam Cha Prasuata; Yadanam Bhakshyata Nityam Jayata Ta Drishi Praja" This means that the deepak or the lamp eats away darkness and produces kajal; likewise whatever we eat forms the very essence of our being.

To acquire health and happiness, one needs to live a balanced life. This typically was elaborated in different shlokas in the Bhagwad Gita.

Krishna says to Arjuna (6.17) "Yukaharaviharasya Yuktachestasya Karmasu; Yuktasvapnavabodhasya Yoga Bhavati Duhkhaha." The shloka states that "for the one, whose diet and movements are balanced, who does his actions in a proper manner, whose hour of sleeping and waking up are regular, and who follows the path of meditation is the destroyer of pain or unhappiness."

This message is relevant even today and has been validated by modern scientific research and analysis of data. Moderation and variety is the mantra of the present day concept of any balanced diet. One should be moderate in diet, thinking, recreating and actions.

Lord Krishna further said (6.16) that eating too much food or starving, and sleeping too much or remaining awake all the time is not health–friendly. Such people cannot concentrate or do Sadhana.

Every person is distinct as his or her personality depends upon three attributes called Satwa, Rajas and Tamas. The food one eats and one’s personality are related (17.7). People with predominant Satwa eat food that is greasy, nourishing, appealing and succulent (17.8). People with predominant Rajas eat food that is bitter, sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning. Excess amount of these foods makes one miserable and sick (17.9). People with predominant Tamas in the body prefer to eat half–cooked food which is dry, bad–smelling, stale, defiled and impure.

With regards to the way of eating of the food, Krishna said "while eating, one should concentrate on eating as the food is served to one’s consciousness" (9.27). He further said that even eating leaves, fruits, and water alone can suffice us to keep healthy."

In Chapter 8, Krishna says "whatever you think throughout your life will be your thought at the time of death and whatever is the state of mind at the time of death will be the atmosphere you will get in the rebirth."
Lord Krishna also related the state of mind at death with the liberation. He said that during last minutes of life, a person’s mind remains under the influence of his/her dominant attributes. People who die with a dominant satwa guna, their soul takes rebirth in people who are pure in their mind (14.14).

On the contrary, dying people with predominant rajas guna will have their soul take rebirth in families devoted to action, and if a person’s soul departs when the tamas guna is growing, the soul takes rebirth in people who are unintelligent. The state of mind in the last minutes will be governed only one’s life–long habits and not the last minute alterations in life.

Lord Krishna elaborates that there are four types of food, which are consumed by human beings, and they are the foods, which are eaten, sucked, drunk or licked. They all lead to the increase of digestive fire, which is dependent on prana vayu and apana vayu. The functioning of this digestive fire is dependent on one’s consciousness.

Bhagwad Gita and Diet

It’s a famous Kabir saying that “Jaisa anna jal khaiya/ Vaias hai man Huai/ Jaisa Pani Pijiya / vaisi vani huai”.  “You are what your food is” is an old saying. This is based on a teaching from our shastras including yoga sutras of Patanjali, Bhagwad Gita, and Upanishads.

Even Chankaya in chankaya Niti wrote “Deepo Bhakshyta dhavantam kazzalam Cha  Prasuata; Yadanam Bhakshyata nityam jayata ta drishi praza” It means Deepak eats darkness and produces kajal like wise whatever we eat form the very essence of our being.

To acquire health and happiness, one needs to live a balanced life. This typically was elaborated in different shlokas in Bhagwad Gita.

Krishna says to Arjuna (6.17) “Yukaharaviharasya yuktachestasya karmasu; Yuktasvapnavabodhasya yoga bhavati duhkhaha”. The shloka states that “for the one, whose diet and movements are balanced, who does his actions in a proper manner, whose hour of sleeping and waking up are regular, and who follows the path of meditation is the destroyer of pain or unhappiness.”

This message is relevant even today validated by modern scientific research and analysis of data. Moderation and variety is the mantra of the present day concept of any balanced diet. One should be moderate in diet, thinking, recreating and actions.

Lord Krishna further said (6.16) that eating too much food or starving, and sleeping too much or remaining awake all the time is not health friendly. Such people cannot concentrate or do Sadhana.

Every person is distinct as his or her personality depends upon three attributes called Satwa, Rajas and Tamas. The food one eats and one’s personality are related (17.7). People with predominant satwa eat food which is greasy, nourishing, appealing and succulent (17.8). People with predominant rajas eat food which is bitter, sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning. Excess amount of these foods makes one miserable and sick (17.9). People with predominant Tamas in the body prefer to eat half cooked food which is dry, bad-smelling, stale, defiled and impure.

With regards to the way of eating of the food  Krishna said “while eating, one should concentrate on eating as the food is served to one’s consciousness” (9.27). He further said that even eating leaves, fruits, and water alone can suffice us to keep healthy”.

In chapter 8 Krishna says whatever you think throughout your life will be your thought at the time of death and whatever is the state of mind at the time of death will be the atmosphere you will get in the rebirth.

Lord Krishna also related the state of mind at death with the liberation. He said that during last minutes of life, a person’s mind remains under the influence of his/her dominant attributes. People who die with dominant satwa guna, the soul take rebirth in people who are pure in their mind (14.14).

On the contrary, dying people with predominant rajas guna will have their soul take rebirth in families devoted to action, and if a person’s soul departs when the tamas guna is growing the soul takes rebirth in people who are stupid.  Last minutes state of mind will only be governed by his life long habits and nit the last minuets changes in life.

Lord Krishna elaborates that there are four types of food, which are consumed by human beings, and they are the foods, which are either eaten, sucked, drunk or licked. They all lead to the increase of digestive fire, which is dependent on prana vayu and apana vayu. The functioning of this digestive fire is dependent on one's consciousness.