Friday, November 27, 2009



1. Skip the elevator and use the stairs instead. Just start with one flight. Soon, you'll be ready for two.

2. Start parking your car at the far end of the parking lot. The short walk everyday to and from the store or school helps your heart.

3. If you ride a bus or subway, get off a stop before your destination. Walk the rest of the way.

4. If you can, spend a few minutes of your lunch break taking a stroll outside work or school. It will also help boost your energy levels after lunch.

5. Housework that is done vigorously counts as exercise. Vacuming or mopping can be a real workout!

6. If you have a yard, mowing the lawn, pulling weeds, and raking leaves are also chores that count as exercise.

7. If you have a dog, take it for brisk walks twice a day, and benefit your heart and his!

8. If you have a family, schedule an after-dinner walk. It’s great to help digestion and to start clearing the mind to get ready for bed.

9. Include oats into your daily routine. Just a cup of cooked oatmeal will provide wonderful cholesterol-reducing benefits. (Be sure to check out this month’s special feature on oats!)

10. Try to laugh! Laughter helps release pent up stress and has been proven keep your heart healthy and happy.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Inflammation often begins in the mind, for when we create a hard-driving, goal-oriented mental environment and begin to ignore our body’s need for good food, rest, exercise, and a regular yoga practice, we start overworking—and overheating. We know the warning signs but stubbornly ignore them, listening instead to the inner critic that commands us to accomplish more. Brahmi and ashwagandha are herbs that can help. According to ayurveda, they calm the mind without sedating it, leaving it clear, grounded, and inspired. And ashwagandha is a tonic that keeps the body strong and counters overexhaustion. It also treats a variety of ailments that result from depletion: arthritis, nerve pain, and infertility.

Saturday, November 14, 2009


According to nature therapy, diabetes is the result of a problem in the
digestive system. This can be overcome easily, and within a short
duration of time, with regular practice of yoga, change in life style,
daily routine and diet control. Generally, people engaged in sedentary
work suffer from this disease. The insulin produced from the pancreas
reduces both in quality and quantity, resulting in a high sugar level,
and the excess glucose flows out through the urine.

Cure for diabetes:

The patient should be given proper rest and should take a controlled
diet. The following should be kept in mind at the time of treating
diabetes. The patient should be stress free. The digestive system should
function normally and the secondary diseases caused due to diabetes
should also be treated and controlled.

Yogic cure for diabetes:

* Practice of Kunjal Kriya, Naouli, and Shankh Prakshalan is
beneficial in this case. (For detailed instructions of these practices
please see seperate articles on these topics.)

* Uddiyan Bandh cures digestion related problems.
* Practice of Kati Chakrasana, Ardhamatysendrasana, Vajrasana,
Bhujangasana, Paschimottasana, Shalabhasana, Dhanurasana, Mandookasana
and Padahastasana are very beneficial for diabetes.
* Bhastrika Pranayama, Ujjayi Pranayama, Nadi Shodhan Pranayama and
Brahmari Pranayama are very beneficial in the case of diabetes.
* The patient should practice all the steps of Surya Namaskar daily.

Diet control for diabetes:

Proper diet control is necessary depending upon the age, work and
condition of the patient.

A person of normal weight who does not do any physical work should take
2000 calories; person involved in medium physical work should take 2500
calories and in case of excessive physical work the calorie intake
should be 3000 calories.

The diabetics with low weight need more calories compared to other
patients.

Overweight people should eat less than 2000 calories to prevent fat.

The best way to fix the calorie intake is to get the urine tested.
Diabetics can eat curd (yogurt) to maintain their physical strength.

Take one to two ounces of bitter gourd juice in the morning to control
diabetes.

Take fat free milk (250-400 ml) or buttermilk or sprouted moong gram
(dahl).

Take 30 mg fenugreek seeds or 50 gm fresh myrobalan juice.

Eat chapattis made with wheat and gram, 250 gm of green vegetables, 25
to 50 gm of salad, 25 gm of lentil (kidney beans), 150 gm of curd
(yogurt) or diluted curd.

Take 30 gm roasted gram in the evening along with a glassful of
vegetable soup or diluted curd (yogurt).

Avoid curd (yogurt) at night.

Important tips for diabetics:

* Mix soybean, fenugreek and gram flour in wheat flour and eat
chapattis made out of this flour. Mix the flours in the following
proportions: Wheat flour-7.5 kg, Gram flour-1.5 kg, Soybean flour- 0.9
kg, Fenugreek- 0.1 kg
* Avoid all types of sweets and sweet food, clarified butter, refined
flour and food made with it, and processed food. Smoking, gutka, and
alcohol are completely prohibited.
* Bitter gourd, wood apple, black plum, and neem leaves are
beneficial in controlling diabetes.
* Green leafy vegetables, cholai, bathua, coriander, mint leaves,
cabbage, cucumber, gourd, wood apple leaves, coconut, radish, tomato,
lemon, carrot, ginger, onion, butter milk, and soaked almond are also
beneficial.
* Avoid intake of starch and rice. Avoid excessive mental work and
indigestion. Do not sleep during the daytime, drink water in gulps.
* Barley is also beneficial for diabetes patients. Mix barley flour
and gram flour in 5:1 ration and eat regularly for eight to ten days.
The glucose does not pass out through urine.
* Roast barley and make a fine powder, make chapatti and eat it for
relief.
* A diabetes patient should walk and jog regularly to control sugar
level naturally. Brisk walk is beneficial if the person cannot run due
to some reasons.
* Practice Agnisar, Dhouti, Bhastrika Pranayama, Uddiyan Bandh along
with Paschimottasana to strengthen the lungs and other Pranayama for
permanent relief.

Home remedies for diabetes:

Grind six-gram fenugreek seeds coarsely and soak in 250 gm water. Crush
it nicely in the morning, sieve it with a cloth, and drink it. Follow
this remedy for two months regularly in order to overcome diabetes
completely. Those who suffer from excess heat due to fenugreek, and
ulcer patients, should take fenugreek with aniseeds. Mix a spoonful of
aniseed and two spoonfuls fenugreek seeds and soak them in a ceramic
bowl in 200 ml water. Sieve with a cloth in the morning.

Chop four leaves of black plum and grind. Sieve the juice in eight grams
water and drink regularly for ten days. Take it every two months for ten
days. This juice is very beneficial in case of sugar passing out through
urine. Chew four leaves of black plum twice daily in the beginning
stages of diabetes to give relief from the third day itself.

Put 60 gm ripe black plums in 300 gm of hot boiling water. Cover the
vessel with lid. Crush them nicely after 30 minutes and divide into
three portions. Take one portion three times during the day to reduce
sugar level.

Dry the black plum seeds in the shade and prepare a powder. Take three
grams twice daily with fresh water to overcome diabetes. Continue this
medicine for 21 days regularly.

With best wishes,

Swami Brahmavidyananda Saraswati
A Sannyasi from Uttarakhand, India

Thursday, November 12, 2009

9 November 2009,
VARANASI: While the side effects of modern allopathic drugs used for control of diabetes, one of the fastest spreading disease in the country, is
still being questioned, ayurveda experts in the region believe that drug, diet and exercise control could go a long way in controlling the disease, without costing too much on the pocket.
"Most parts of the country are blessed with indigenous herbs and medicinal plants that are known to control diabetes for years," said Prof KN Dwivedi, head, department of dravyaguna, faculty of Ayurveda, BHU.
Ayurveda drugs prepared from these plants are free from side-effects and naturally induce the immune system to fight against diabetes, he added.
Referring to some of the medicinal plants including Vijaysar (Pterocarpus marsupium), Sadabahar (Lochnera rosea), Gudmar (Gymnema silvestre) and herbs like Methi (Trigonella foenumgraecum) that have potential to control diabetes, Prof Dwivedi stressed on the need for taking balanced diet and indulging in exercise to keep diabetes away.
"There is only one formula to keep diabetes under control-eat healthy to feel healthy," he said. It also means taking balanced diet (adequate calories) and avoiding fast foods especially junk food. Also, light exercise (15 minutes each in the morning and evening) can have wonderful effect on the body, he added.
"Recent studies have shown that by controlling obesity, around 60 per cent cases of diabetes can be prevented. Similarly, the integrated approach of controlling diet, lipid profile and exercise can prevent around 80 per cent of diabetes," he said.
Speaking about some of the qualities of medicinal plants that have surfaced during research work in BHU, Prof Dwivedi said that most of these plants are known to increase insulin sensitivity for controlling diabetes.
They contain natural free radical scavengers (anti-oxidants) that promote glucose absorption from gastro-intestinal tract, he added.