How to Improve Your Soul Profile

How to Improve Your Soul Profile

1.       What is my purpose of life?

2.       What is my contribution going to be for my friends and family?

3.       Three instances in my life when I had my peak experiences.

4.       Names of three people who inspire me the most.

5.       Three qualities which I admire the most in others.

6.       Three of my unique talents.

7.       Three qualities I best express in my relationship.

These twenty one answers will characterize one’s soul profile and can be used as a passport for every action performed in life and to be used as a reference in any difficulty.  The principle is that in everyday life, one should act from the Soul Profile and not from the Ego Profile. While the Soul profile cannot be manipulated, the Ego Profile can be. [Source Deepak Chopra]

Ten ways to ease neck pain

Ten ways to ease neck pain

1. Don’t stay in one position for too long

2. Position your computer monitor at eye level.

3. Use the hands-free function on your phone or wear a headset.

4. Prop your touch-screen tablet on a pillow so that it sits at a 45° angle, instead of lying flat on your lap.

5. Keep your glass prescription up to date otherwise you tend to lean your head back to see better.

6. Don’t use too many pillows as it can stifle your neck’s range of motion.

7. Before you move a big armoire across the room, consider what it might do to your neck and back, and ask for help.

8. Get a good night’s sleep.

9. See your doctors if neck pain is associated with radiating pain, weakness, or numbness of an arm or leg.

10. Also see the doctors if you have fever or weight loss associated with your neck pain, or severe pain. [Source Harvard]

Ask Dr KK: What is the number one cancer in India?

The number one cancer in females is cervix in rural and breast in urban area. In males is  is oral cavity in rural and lung in the urban area.

What are Satvik offerings in Vedic literature?

What are Satvik offerings in Vedic literature?

1.    Food Offerings: Panchashasha (grains of five types – brown rice, mung or whole green gram, til or sesame, mashkalai (white urad dal) or any variety of whole black leguminous seed, jowar or millet)

2.    Panchagobbo (Five items obtained from cow: milk, ghee or clarified butter, curd, cowdung and gomutra), curd, honey, brown sugar, three big noibiddos, one small noibiddo, three bowls of madhupakka (a mixture of honey, curd, ghee and brown sugar for oblation), bhoger drobbadi (items for the feast), aaratir drobbadi mahasnan oil, dantokashtho, sugar cane juice, an earthen bowl of atop (a type of rice), til oil (sesame oil).

3.    Water offerings: Ushnodok (lukewarm water), coconut water, sarbooushodhi, mahaoushodhi, water from oceans, rain water, spring water, water containing lotus pollen.

4.    Three aashonanguriuk (finger ring made of kusha).

5.    Puja Items: Sindur (vermillion), panchabarner guri (powders of five different colours – turmeric, rice, kusum flowers or red abir, rice chaff or coconut fibre burnt for the dark colour, bel patra or powdered wood apple leaves), panchapallab (leaves of five trees – mango, pakur or a species of fig, banyan, betal and Joggodumur or fig), pancharatna (five types of gems – gold, diamond, sapphire, ruby and pearl), panchakoshay (bark of five trees - jaam, shimul, berela, kool, bokul powdered in equal portions and mixed with water), green coconut with stalk, three aashonanguriuk (finger ring made of kusha).

6.    Panchamrit: A mixture of Honey, Milk, Curd, Ghee and Brown Sugar.

Turmeric can prevent heart failure

Turmeric can prevent heart failure

Traditional Indian turmeric prevents heart failure, lowers cholesterol, prevents cancers and gall stones and augments scar formation in a wound.

Studies from the University of Toronto’s Cardiology Division and published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation have shown that Curcumin, an ingredient in the curry spice turmeric, when given orally to a variety of mouse models with enlarged hearts (hypertrophy), could prevent and reverse hypertrophy, prevent heart failure, restore heart function and reduce scar formation.

In the studies, curcumin was given to rats, who then underwent surgery or received drugs designed to put them at risk of heart failure. The rats that received curcumin showed more resistance to heart failure and inflammation than comparison groups of rats that did not get curcumin.

Curcumin treatment also reversed heart enlargement. Curcumin short–circuited the heart enlargement process, though it’s not clear how it did that.

The healing properties of turmeric have been well–known. The herb has been used in traditional Indian medicine to reduce scar formation. For example, when there is a cut or a bruise, the home remedy is to reach for turmeric powder because it can help to heal without leaving a bad scar.

Curcumin has come under the scientific spotlight in recent years, with studies investigating its potential benefits for reducing cholesterol levels, improving cardiovascular health and fighting cancer.

As an herb, turmeric should to be taken 300 mg thrice–daily with meals. It has useful actions like antioxidant, anti–inflammatory, anti rheumatic; lowering cholesterol, anti cancer and prevention of gall stones. It is also found to be useful in situations like dysmenorrhea, dyspepsia, HIV, muscle soreness, peptic ulcer disease, scabies and uveitis.

Curcuminoids, act as free radical scavengers. They also inhibit leukotrienes and synthesis of prostaglandins. The anti–inflammatory activity has been claimed to be comparable to NSAIDs (such as indomethacin).

Curcuminoids lower blood lipid peroxides, decrease total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, and increase HDL cholesterol. Turmeric has also been claimed to inhibit platelet aggregation.

Ask Dr KK:What is the number one cancer in India?

The number one cancer in females is cervix in rural and breast in urban area. In males is  is oral cavity in rural and lung in the urban area.

Healthcare for all not possible with the present budget

In his speech when presenting the budget, the Finance Minister said that health for all and education for all is his priority but the budget allocation is only Rs. 37330 crores, which is an increase of only 7.5% in the last years allocation (planned and non-planned budget together). Medical fraternity expected it to be at least 2-3% of the GDP. Even allocation to AYUSH is only 1069 crores against 1650 crores allocated to six AIIMS-like institutions. If the Government really wanted to do something for promoting healthcare, they could have allocated for six AIIMS-like AYUSH institutions whose purpose should have been prevention so that people do not require allopathic tertiary care.

There are no tax holidays or tax exemptions for doctors living in rural areas in the present budge. Also, there was no relief for making VISA easy for medical tourism.

The Rs. 110 crores allocated for disability is not sufficient. Rs. 6000 crores should have been allocated for providing free generic drugs for people coming to government hospitals. This announcement was lacking in the budget.

Rs. 150 crores have been allocated for the care of the elderly, who constitute 8% of the total population. Elderly people usually do not have insurance as insurance companies do not give them a cover. At least 8% of the total health budget should have been allocated for the elderly.

Allocations to National Health Mission (NHM) (which covers both rural and urban population budget) is only Rs. 21200 crores, which is less than the amount used last year for which rural mission. It aims to provide urban mission money from the money received from the rural mission project. Separate budget should have been allocated for the urban mission.

Rs. 4727 crores allocated for training, education and research is also inadequate as unless you patent your own equipments and drugs, you are going to be dependent on foreign market.

India Medical Association in its recent meeting with Economic Advisor, Ministry of Health, Government of India had offered that every private doctor should be incorporated for providing healthcare facilities across the country, where the Government only had to invest on the human resource.

The government can start MD in Rural Medicine with a curriculum that teaches the art of treating the patients in limited resources. After that people can choose and do their respective post graduation. This way the doctors will not feel that it is a burden on them. There will be additional degree in MD in Rural Medicine Surgery. Such doctors serving in rural areas should be given income tax-free income.