Ayurvedic care for techies

T'PURAM: Long working hours, sleepless nights, junk food and caffein. What comes with huge pay packages for techies in Bangalore is a life of stress, strain and hypertension. Not any more.

The age-old tradition of Ayurveda will now salvage our new age gizmo spotting techies from their health woes with Pankajakasthuri Herbals, one of India’s leading ayurveda pharmaceuticals, entering into the scene with specialised health care services for IT professionals.

Pankajakasthuri managing director Dr J Hareendran Nair told this website's newspaper that the company would soon be entering into an agreement with various IT majors in Bangalore including IBM to start in-house ayurvedic centres in their companies.

‘‘We are entering into a tie up with some IT companies in Bangalore to set up in-house ayurvedic service centres. We are conducting the final round of talks and most probably our centres will start functioning in these companies by the first week of February 2007.’’

Around 10% of the 5 lakh IT professionals in Bangalore are found to have serious health problems including hypertension, back ache, impotency, pressure, obesity, spontalitis and stress. It is this startling increase in lifestyle diseases among IT professionals that prompted Pankajakasthuri to start its ayurvedic centres in IT companies, said Dr Hareendran.

‘‘ The fact that most of these professionals are youngsters below the age of 35 makes it all the more pathetic. The rigorous nature of their job and sort of high tension life they are leading, completely neglecting their health, will lead to complications in future. Ayurveda, as a way of life can improve the way of life of IT professionals in more than one way,’’ he said.

‘‘We are aiming at delivering ayurvedic treatment to the employees of these companies in a palatable form. Our services will include giving employees healthy food and ayurvedic health drinks instead of junk food, coffee and colas.’’ Weekend stress-relief therapies like massaging, meditation and panchakarma besides yoga classes will be the highlight of the programme, he said.