Taking a proper bath

Bathing is as essential as eating food, drinking water, sleep, etc. These essentials are supposed to be carried out like religious rituals in a peaceful manner, without any distraction. However, in this age of fast life, they have been to reduced to a mere routine. Most of us eat in a rush, talking or engrossed in phone or TV, while walking, and what not. When eating itself is a rush, you can imagine what has become of bathing... get wet, apply shampoo / soap and wash them off. Some people are a little more elaborate. I think most people are ignorant or simply neglecting these essential 'life' activities. I realized my mistakes quite late in life and trying to improve. Basically, it comes down to realizing the importance of these 'life essentials'. One needs to be focused & patient. Here are a few points to bear in mind.

Bathe first and then eat. Never take bath within 4 hours after eating, of course the time gap depends on the type & quantity of food. Heavier food & heavier meal means a longer gap.

Early morning bath daily is a good habit. Multiple baths is better provided one has time and resources.

During a hot-water bath, wet your feet first and then move upwards gradually. This way blood rushes upwards towards the head, blood supply to the brain is not disrupted.

For a cold-water bath, pour water on top of the head, wetting the entire body in the process. When cold-water is poured on any part of the body, blood rushes towards that part. So when cold water touched the head, blood flows into the head and neck.

It is said that while bathing one must run their hands over the entire body at least three times. That itself is an exercise. Massaging your scalp with fingers and rubbing your skin with a natural scrub or a smooth-surfaced soap-sized pebble is beneficial. Try to be as vigorous as possible but take care not to hurt yourself. Coming to the feet area, use a rougher surface pebble to scrape your toes, soles and sides of the feet. Or one could do the same on a granite block if your bathroom floor has one. Vigorous massage will help dislodge dead skin, and also improve blood circulation. One might even build up an appetite.

Those are some of the points to start with. One could elaborate the bathing process in a sensible manner by understanding bodily requirements. For example; soaking in coconut / castor oil for an hour and then having a hot-water bath. Or applying aloe vera or turmeric-lime juice mix before a bath.

An active bath is like Dhyana (meditation), it's bound to boost your energy and sharpen your mind. So make the best of your bath-time!

Disclaimer: this write-up is based on personal experiences and opinions, this is not to be taken as medical advise.
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How to control acidity

Acidity, also known as acid reflux. causes a lot of discomfort and suffering. I've suffered acidity for a long time. Several of my acquaintances complain, at least one of them had to be admitted to a hospital for treatment. After having suffered for years, I did some experimenting and arrived a possible solution.

What causes acidity?

Food that doesn't get along with our digestive system is the primary cause according to my understanding. There are other reasons for acidity: Eating in a rush, not chewing food sufficiently. Some may not be drinking water sufficiently. From my personal experience, even aerosol sprays can cause acidity. When we inhale deodorant fumes they somehow mess up our tummy. There could be reasons out of our control- food contaminated with toxic chemicals affect our health in more ways than one.

Banana's often caused acidity for me. After pondering over it, I felt bananas ripened using chemicals was the cause. Then I found that green chilly was the major culprit. I abstained from green chilly for months to confirm this. On discovering it, we have replaced green chilly with dry red chilly, sometimes pepper if the recipe allows it. Then coffee is another enemy of mine. Coming to tea, I'm okay with one mug early in the mornings. However, even a small cup of tea during late afternoon kicked up acidity in matter of minutes. So, I have tea in the mornings only. Having sweets for lunch followed by a long nap also caused acidity on waking up. Alcohol and cigarettes are big time culprits. Lack of sleep disturbs our body in more than one ways. There are a myriad of causes, one has to take a wide n deep look what we consume, our lifestyle, and identify the culprits.

How to prevent or control acidity?

Once you know the cause or causes, appropriate action is a must. Even if you suspect something, you have to act. As the saying goes "prevention is better than cure" our first step is to find ways to prevent acidity by either avoiding or abstaining from the culprit. Next is to consume friendly food and adopting healthy habits. Having a fresh fruit like papaya or a cucumber a few minutes before a meal. Chopped radish & radish leaves are helpful. Eat food in small morsels or bites, chew thoroughly before swallowing. Avoid distractions while eating food like mobile phones, TV, talking, etc. Eat food peacefully. Chewing a few grains of Ajwan or Jeera after a meal aides digestion, they work like mouth fresheners as well. Avoid sugary or mint flavored mouth fresheners.

To mitigate discomfort caused by acidity, drink lots of water. Sip hot / warm / room temperature water (whichever is comfortable for you) as much quantity as you can. When you sip water, make sure to hold water in mouth for a few seconds until saliva mixes and then swallow the water. Saliva not only helps digestion but also heals.

Apart from food and lifestyle, the way you lie down on the bed matters. Ideally one must allow at least 60 minutes between the end of a meal to lying down for a nap. Your position too matters- lie down on the left side only. Lying on the back with a full tummy pushes fluids out of the tummy towards the esophagus. One could lie on the back or turn to the right side after 3 to 4 hours.

Before closing this article, I would like to add couple more points. Some people are habituated to lozenges to mask cigarette odor or bad breath. Menthol flavored lozenges can damage mucous lining in our esophagus. Please stop chewing them, instead go for natural ways like chewing a clove or cardamom or simply rinse your mouth with water. If you can get salt-water, it works better than a plain water rinse. The other point is to avoid antacids as much as possible. Drinking water slowly over a prolonged period is a safe alternate to antacids.

Disclaimer: this is a suggestion to prevent or control acidity, this is not a cure. This suggestion is based on personal experience, this is not to be taken as medical advise.
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Dos and Don'ts for Covid prevention

This article is based on personal experience and observations to control the spread of Covid. I hope this information is helpful. Please share your thoughts and help me spread this message.

Your health is in your hands

◉ wear a clean mask properly & maintain distance
◉ avoid touching things unnecessarily
◉ soap-wash hands, arms and face
◉ use sanitizer for quick wash  
◉ gargle with salt-water. even cool water will do
◉ inhale steam. blow steam over hands and arms
◉ practice pranayama and exercise daily
◉ chant Om and meditate
◉ drink hot kashaya / khade daily 
◉ avoid junk food and smoking
◉ spend time caring for plants
◉ stay optimistic and radiate positivity

⊛ be wary of Covid symptoms and remedies
⊛ monitor kids and elderly folks health
⊛ if symptoms are noticed, consult a doctor quickly

Your health is your own responsibility

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ಕೋವಿಡ್ ತಡೆಗಟ್ಟುವಿಕೆ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಮಾಹಿತಿ

ಈ ಲೇಖನವು ಕೋವಿಡ್‌ನ ಹರಡುವಿಕೆಯನ್ನು ನಿಯಂತ್ರಿಸಲು ವೈಯಕ್ತಿಕ ಅನುಭವ ಮತ್ತು ಅವಲೋಕನಗಳನ್ನು ಆಧರಿಸಿದೆ. ಈ ಮಾಹಿತಿಯು ಸಹಾಯಕವಾಗಿದೆಯೆಂದು ನಾನು ಭಾವಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ. ದಯವಿಟ್ಟು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಆಲೋಚನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಹಂಚಿಕೊಳ್ಳಿ ಮತ್ತು ಈ ಸಂದೇಶವನ್ನು ಹರಡಲು ನನಗೆ ಸಹಾಯ ಮಾಡಿ.

ನಿಮ್ಮ ಆರೋಗ್ಯ, ನಿಮ್ಮ ಕೈಯಲ್ಲಿ

◉ ಸ್ವಚ್ಛವಾದ ಮಾಸ್ಕ್ ಧರಿಸಿ ಮತ್ತು ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಅಂತರವನ್ನು ಕಾಪಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳಿ
◉ ಅನಗತ್ಯವಾಗಿ ವಸ್ತುಗಳನ್ನು ಮುಟ್ಟದಿರಿ
◉ ಸಾಬೂನಿಂದ ಕೈಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಮುಖವನ್ನು ತೊಳೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳಿ 
◉ ತ್ವರಿತ ಶುದ್ಧೀಕರಣಕ್ಕೆ ಸ್ಯಾನಿಟೈಸರ್ ಬಳಸಿ
◉ ಉಪ್ಪು ನೀರಿನಿಂದ ಬಾಯಿ ಮುಕ್ಕಳಿಸಿ.  ನೀರು ಬಿಸಿ ಇಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರೂ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತದೆ 
◉ ಬಿಸಿ ಹಬೆಯನ್ನು ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳಿ 
◉ ಪ್ರತಿದಿನ ಪ್ರಾಣಾಯಾಮ ಮತ್ತು ವ್ಯಾಯಾಮ ಮಾಡಿ
◉ ಓಂ ಪಠಿಸಿ ಮತ್ತು ಧ್ಯಾನ ಮಾಡಿ
◉ ಪ್ರತಿದಿನ ಬಿಸಿ ಕಶಾಯ / ಖಾಡೆ ಸೇವಿಸಿ
◉ ಆದಷ್ಟು ಹೊರಗಿನ ತಿನಿಸುಗಳಿಂದ ಮತ್ತು ಧೂಮಪಾನದಿಂದ ದೂರವಿರಿ
◉ ದಿನವೂ ಸಸ್ಯಗಳ ಕಾಳಜಿ ಮಾಡುವುದರಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಸಮಯ ಕಳೆಯಿರಿ
◉ ಆಶಾವಾದಿಯಾಗಿರಿ ಮತ್ತು ಸಕಾರಾತ್ಮಕತೆಯನ್ನು ಬೆಳೆಸಿರಿ

⊛ ಕೋವಿಡ್ ರೋಗದ ಲಕ್ಷಣಗಳ ಮತ್ತು ಅದರಿಂದ ಗುಣವಾಗುವ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿದುಕೊಳ್ಳಿ
⊛ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಮತ್ತು ವೃದ್ಧರ ಆರೋಗ್ಯವನ್ನು ಆಗಾಗ್ಗೆ ಗಮನಿಸುತ್ತಿರಿ 
⊛ ರೋಗಲಕ್ಷಣಗಳು ಕಂಡುಬಂದರೆ, ಬೇಗ ವೈದ್ಯರನ್ನು ಸಂಪರ್ಕಿಸಿ.

ನಿಮ್ಮ ಆರೋಗ್ಯ, ನಿಮ್ಮ ಕೈಯಲ್ಲಿ, ನಿಮ್ಮ ಜವಾಬ್ದಾರಿ

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how to prevent sore-throat

Throat itch is usually the first sign of sore-throat aka throat-infection. If no care is taken the itch can become severe and transform to burning sensation. Severe sore-throat can be painful and leads to cold, cough and fever. As the saying goes- prevention is better than cure -its easier to tackle a problem in its initial stages. Chewing granular-salt helps relieve the itch but its not advisable since the salt eventually is swallowed. The better way is to gargle with salt-water and spit it out. Gargling with warm salt-water is something doctors advise patients to reduce inflammation. Couple of gargles at a time relieves the itch significantly. After gargling, you must a layer of salt in your mouth and throat. Salt is a natural disinfectant. So don't eat or drink for some time and let salt do its work.

I've suffered this malady countless times which eventually led me to devise a way to control the problem. I started gargling three times everyday- morning, evening and night before going to the bed. However, the itch used to start when I was outside, especially while commuting. This is something which wasn't addressed until Corona virus pandemic started. The very thought of catching cold and undergoing Covid-19 tests was scary. I was super careful during the lockdown March and May.

In the first week of May we travelled from Bangalore to Dharwad. For the journey I carried some table salt and a spare water bottle. During the journey, I experienced mild itch which could be due to weather condition or psychological. I must've gargled a dozen times in the 9-hour journey. Ever since that day, its a habit to carry salt-water in a 500ml bottle wherever I go. Find a spot to spit and gargle soon after visiting any public place. A gargle after a meal or even a cup of tea or coffee removed any sugary and oily particles, the two main proponents of throat itch. Those who are using public transport often, do carry a pack of salt and a small bottle.

One may ask how much salt for a given quantity of water? Its simple, the salt water should be salty enough to leave the taste for few minutes i.e. it should almost reach saturation.

Salt has corrosive effect on metals. So its good to exercise care. Ensure the bottle cap doesn't leak. As a extra measure, keep the bottle in a plastic bag. 

Disclaimer: this is a suggestion to prevent throat itch, this not a cure. This suggestion is based on personal experience, this is not be taken as medical advise.

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Monkey Brand tooth powder

As I kid, during summer vacations at my grandparents place, days began with Monkey Brand. I used to enjoy the taste of the black powder. The freshness was lingering. As we grew up and holidays at grandparents stopped, I lost touch with the Monkey.

  Many years later, I suddenly remembered it and bought a couple of boxes. I'm glad Monkey Brand has survived the years of hi-tech toothpastes. I do not remember seeing any marketing activities for this simple down to Earth brand.

  In case you want to contact the manufacturer, here's the email id: sales@nogi.in May Monkey Brand Live Long!!

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Basic facts about Swine Flu

Hope this video helps create awareness about the panic causing disease.

  

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Overcoming bowel problems

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Neem tree gum

All parts of Neem tree have medicinal values.




* hot water bath with Neem leaves is a cure for few skin diseases
* tender stems are chewed for dental health
* Neem fruits are also beneficial for health