US research suggests “yoga might improve mood”

Research suggests that yoga might improve mood and sense of well-being, according to United States National Institutes of Health (NIH).As per an NIH backgrounder, research also suggests that yoga might counteract stress; reduce heart rate and blood pressure; increase lung capacity; improve muscle relaxation and body composition; help with conditions such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia; improve overall physical fitness, strength, and flexibility; positively affect levels of certain brain or blood chemicals. There is growing evidence to suggest that yoga works to enhance stress-coping mechanisms and mind-body awareness.Studies supported by NIH have been investigating yoga’s effects on blood pressure, chronic low-back pain, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression, diabetes risk, HIV, immune function, inflammatory arthritis and knee osteoarthritis, insomnia, multiple sclerosis, smoking cessation. According to NIH website, currently 43 studies on yoga are open under its Clinical Trials program, which include effects of laugh-yoga, yoga-based cancer rehabilitation program, etc. “Yoga in its full form combines physical postures, breathing exercises, meditation, and a distinct philosophy”, NIH backgrounder points out.Lauding NIH efforts in this direction, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, urged NIH to provide more funding and support for yoga research, as although introduced and nourished by Hinduism, yoga was a world heritage to be utilized and benefitted by all.Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, has also asked Government of India to launch a mega project to research, preserve, and promote yoga and open a world-class institute to support the yoga research and studies around the globe. Rajan Zed further said that yoga, referred as “a living fossil” whose traces went back to around 2,000 BCE to Indus Valley civilization, was a mental and physical discipline handed down from one guru to next, for everybody to share and benefit from. According to Patanjali who codified it inYoga Sutra, yoga was a methodical effort to attain perfection, through the control of the different elements of human nature, physical and psychical.Swami Vivekananda reportedly brought yoga to USA in 1893. According to an estimate, about 16 million Americans now do yoga. National Institutes of Health, the largest source of funding for medical research in the world, is medical research agency of United States Department of Health and Human Services and traces its roots to 1887. Headquartered in Bethesda (Maryland), it invests over $31 billion annually in medical research, making important medical discoveries that improve health and save lives. “Thanks in large part to NIH-funded medical research, Americans today are living longer and healthier. Life expectancy in the United States has jumped from 47 years in 1900 to 77 years today”, it claims.  More than 130 Nobel Prize winners have received support from NIH, whose tagline is "Turning Discovery Into Health", while Director is Francis S. Collins.

Bikram yoga doesn't really help

Experts have said that Bikram yoga, which is believed to help weight loss, doesn't really work. 
Star athletes, actors and everyday New Yorkers have tested the mettle of Bikram Yoga, which makes one sweat but tremendously improves mental and physical strength as well. 
Many Madonna, Jennifer Aniston and now Lady Gaga, who practice the hot yoga, do it because they believe they are burning up to a thousand calories an hour. 
However, fitness expert Marcia Heaner believes this is highly unlikely. 
"The more dehydrated you are, the higher your heart rate goes. When you sit in a sauna your heart rate rises high, too, but it's not because you're burning more fat or calories. It's because your heart is working extra hard trying to cool you off," the New York Daily News quoted her as telling MSNBC. 
"In fact, for some people, exercising in this type of environment isn't safe. And it certainly isn't a great way to lose weight," Heaner added. 
Tamara Kuittinen of Lenox Hill Hospital believes that it provides intense workout but one has to be very careful. 
"The room is very warm and you're hot because you're exercising, so there is more fluid loss. You are getting an intense workout but you really need to be careful," she said. 
True exercise bulimics have an eating disorder and use exercise to the extreme to purge themselves of calories, Kuittinen explains. 
"But Bikram yoga is a healthy form of exercise. Still, remember that even a healthy form of exercise can be corrupted and used in an unhealthy way," Kuittinen concluded
Source:TOI
 

The California College of Ayurveda Relocates in Northern California

The California College of Ayurveda has moved into its new home at 700 Zion Street in Nevada City, CA just in time for the beginning of the 2010 full-time Level I Ayurvedic studies program.

The new location includes a complete community healthcare clinic that provides a full range of preventative and disease management services. The education center offers classes in natural approaches to weight loss, breathing easily, healthy relationships, alleviating anxiety and depression, meditation, yoga and much more.
Ayurveda, which literally means "The Science of Life," is the healing science from India. It has been practiced for over 5,000 years by millions of individuals to assist the body in journeying back to optimal health. More and more people are discovering that these ancient principles are easily applicable to modern life and that they have the power to create health and contentment. Health comes when an individual lives in harmony with their true nature as spirit. Ayurveda allows people to get a glimpse of their individual true nature and to find the best ways to live a life of balance. It provides holistic understanding and healing to people on all levels: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Ayurveda uses a multitude of healing modalities including herbs, diet, colors, aromas, sound, lifestyle recommendations, pancha karma, meditation, and yoga.The California College of Ayurveda was founded in 1995 by Dr. Marc Halpern and is widely regarded as the finest institution for the study of Ayurvedic medicine in the United States. In the new location, students nationwide will have a unique opportunity to receive herbal training in an organic herbal teaching and demonstration garden. CCA offers a comprehensive curriculum, with three levels of programs leading to certification as a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist (C.A.S.). Ayurveda school offers a variety of shorter length workshops and seminars, and trains students to become the healers of the future, Ayurvedic practitioners dedicated to understanding the whole person - physically, emotionally, spiritually.
Enrollment for 2011 is now open for the full-time classes in South and North California .


 

Health Ministry considering proposal for ‘prescription audits’ in public hospitals

The Health Ministry is considering a proposal to put in place some mechanism
 to carry out ‘prescription audits’ in the hospitals of the country, with a view to
 checking the practice ofexcess prescriptions especially the 
unnecessary drugs to the patients and also to reign in on the alleged  unethical
 practices by the healthcare personnel.Though the proposal has been mooted in 
the wake of recent controversy surrounding around the
 Superbug called New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1 (NDM1)
 with the aim of regulating the antibiotics, the suggestion now under 
`active consideration’ of the ministry is to cover the entire gamut of prescription drugs.
 Thus, it is viewed that, rational use of drugs can be ensured in a better way, sources said.
The proposal, if gets through, is to launch the practice of ‘prescription audit’ in 
the government hospitals to begin with and to extend it later to cover the private 
hospitals. The details of project will be finalised through consultations also with
 the stakeholders, it is learnt. The drug inspectors will be allowed to keep a tab 
on the commonly prescribed drugs under the proposed mechanism.
The idea has been firmly supported by the experts, in a recent meeting with the 
health ministry officials, and there was also suggestion that it could help promote
 the generic and unbranded drugs by regularly holding the audits. Besides, it is
 also claimed that the audit can check the unethical practices of health personnel 
who allegedly collude with the pharma firms to prescribe and `move’ costly drugs,
 even if not necessary for the patients.
Experts have also suggested creation of ‘drug control committee’ mandatorily 
in all hospitals in the line of ‘infection control committee’ to identify and clear
 the prescription of high-end medicines as patients in the country are vulnerable
 victims in the absence of any ‘right to patients’ information’ rules as in the case of 
developed countries.Sources said the country did not have sufficient data on the
nature of prescribingof drugs and survey should be held to ascertain the extent, 
nature, trends and other details of prescription practices. 

In UK, 50 Year Old People Feel as Young as 40

Nearly 40 per cent of today's over-50s feel young at heart and what is best, they feel at least a decade younger than their actual age.
And they are enjoying a better lifestyle too, giving themselves more time to do the things they like such as hobbies or seeing friends, reports the Daily Mail.In the study of more than 10,000 people, a staggering 12 per cent of the over-50s claimed to be so full of life they feel more than 20 years younger than their true age. Following in the footsteps of vibrant celebrities such as Felicity Kendal, Sharon Stone and Helen Mirren, women feel most youthful. 

Revitalised by new hobbies and healthier lifestyles, 22 per cent of today's women who have passed their half century say they feel ten to 15 years younger. A mere seven per cent say they feel older than they actually are. 
In comparison, men, perhaps slower to embrace lifestyle changes and maybe still plagued by the traditional 'midlife crisis', don't feel quite as young as their wives. 
But the lives of celebrities such as Gary Lineker, who turns 50 this month, 70-year-old Cliff Richard and 64-year-old Sylvester Stallone all belie their years. 
Of men over 50, 17 per cent say they feel ten to 15 years younger, the same amount feel their actual age and a significant three in ten feel between five and ten years younger. Only one in ten confess to feeling older.
Source-ANI
 

 

Reaction of Plants and Animals Under Stress Similar to Behaviour of Stock market

Stock markets response to stress is similar to the manner of reaction of plants and the human body, a new study has revealed.
An extensive analysis of biological and financial data has suggested that systems under stress exhibit similar symptoms, whether they are polluted forests, cancer patients or the FTSE 100.

The new findings have suggested that there is an uncanny parallel between the way that humans, animals and plants adapt to harsh living conditions and the behaviour under stress of stock market prices and the banking sector.
Warning signs may be detected-even before obvious symptoms occur-by charting the interdependence and volatility of key factors, the report claimed.
The team has named this 'order in chaos' theory the 'Anna Karenina Principle', after Leo Tolstoy's turbulent novel which opens with the words: "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
Alexander Gorban, of the University of Leicester and the lead author of the study, explained that people, plants or stock markets function in a similar way until things go wrong at which point they start to react in different ways.
Studying how systems facing stress react in terms of becoming more interdependent and volatile reveals patterns that help to predict when a crisis may occur and the likelihood of death or recovery, he said. A key finding is that as the crisis approaches, systems become more dependent on each other but at the same time more likely to react differently.

Source:MEDINDIA
 

 

 

Ayurveda's founder remembered in Nepal

The birth anniversary of Lord Dhanwantari, the promoter of Ayurveda, is celebrated on Thursday as Dhanatrayodashi, marking his incarnation. 
The Dhanwantari Jayanti, the birth anniversary of the founder of Ayurveda, world´s most ancient therapy, is being celebrated in Nepal since the establishment of Ayurved Campus, Naradevi, Kathmandu, in 1974 BS.
The day is celebrated as national good health day since 1999 under the initiative of the Nepal Ayurved Doctors´ Association.
Persons working in the field of Ayurved therapy worship the deity of Dhanwantari at Naradevi Campus, Singha Durbar Baidyakhana and the Dhanwantari Hospital at Samakhusi and commemorate him.

Dhanvantari Day Special

Dhanvantari Day special:According to  Veda and Upanishada,The knowlege of Ancient system of Medicine Ayurveda was self creation of Lord Brahma,The creator of universe Brahma gave this knowledge to Daksha Prajapati,who just shared this knowledge to Twin Physicians (Ashwini Kumar),who again shared this knowledge to Indra.Bhardwaj brings this knowledge to Earth.According to Charaka samhita ,the knowledge of Ayurveda is eternal and is revealed in each of the cycles of creation of the Universe.Lord Vishnu himself incarnate as Lord Dhanvantari and reestablish the tradition of Ayurveda in the world to help not only to humanity suffering from ailments but for all the living beings.
नमामि धन्वतरिमादि देवं सुरासुरैर्वन्दितपाद पद्‍मं।
लोके जरारुग्भयमृत्युनाशंदातारमीशं विविधौषधीनां

GOOD WISHES FOR DHANAVANTARI JAYANTI

AYUSH DARPAN'S TEAM WISHES YOU A PROGRESSIVE,PROSPEROUS,HEALTHY AND WEALTHY DHANTERAS.

May Lord Dhanvantari Fulfills your all Dreams True.

जय आयुर्वेद ,जय भगवान् धन्वन्तरी 


नमामि धन्वतरिमादि देवं सुरासुरैर्वन्दितपाद पद्‍मं।
लोके जरारुग्भयमृत्युनाशंदातारमीशं विविधौषधीनां

Ayurveda Treatment For Obama’s Wife

For the first time in his career, the US president Barack Obama is visiting India for a three day tour. This is going to be the longest ever that a US President has stayed in a foreign country so far. While arrangements are on for his visit, the focus is more on his wife Michelle Obama.  
 It is heard that special arrangements are being made in Delhi for her and the highlight is that, she would be introduced to the most sought after ‘Kayakalpa’ ayurvedic massage. Some of the most potent herbs with high medicinal values are being brought for the first lady’s massage and the best experts in India would be attending to her.
 Sources say that even Mrs Obama is looking forward to getting this massage done and feel rejuvenated. Some of the massage experts in Ayurveda say that after completing the session, the first lady who is 46 year old will begin to look 10 years younger and more energetic than before. Let us hope the wife of the most powerful man in the planet remembers India for a long time and for a good reason.

4th World Ayurveda Congress & Arogya Expo to be held in Bangalore from Dec 9 to 13

The fourth World Ayurveda Congress & Arogya Expo, 2010  will be held in the Palace grounds, Bangalore between December 9 and 13 this year. It is being organized by department of Ayush, ministry of health & family welfare, government of India and Vijnana Bharati, government of Karnataka is the co-organizer of this five-day event. The focal theme for this fourth edition of World Ayurveda Congress is – 'Ayurveda for all' and will bring together stakeholders in the Ayurveda sector from India and abroad. Organisers said that the fourth World Ayurveda Congress & Arogya Expo, 2010 is special because it is the largest so far in comparison to World Ayurveda Congress previously held – Kochi 2002, Pune 2006 and Jaipur 2008. We expect over 4000 delegates with over 300 international delegates from 34 countries representing the Ayurveda fraternity globally. Students,  ayurvedic practitioners, traditional healers, academics, research scientists, policy makers, industry, cultivators and collectors of medicinal plants, agricultural and forestry experts, buyers from overseas, regulators from  developed nations and over 500,000 members of society  in and around Bangalore interested in Ayurveda – a Way of Life, would converge over a period of five days in Bangalore. The response to the scientific sessions has seen over 1250 scientific papers of international caliber being considered  for presentation in over 60 multi track scientific sessions. Pre Congress workshops on Scientific Writing, Panchakarma, Kshar karma, Afforestation of Medicinal Plants,  Mental Health and all matters Ayurveda therein,  would be the dialogue. For the Ayurvedic industry we have a intensive training  session on Good Manufacturing Practices as demanded by US FDA, a Buyer Seller Meeting organized by Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council (Pharmexcil) and a conclave of the Centre for Research in Indian Systems of Medicine (CRISM) a joint research platform between Central Council for Research  in Ayurveda & Siddha and National Centre of Natural Products Research, University of Mississippi, USA, organisers said.

How Safe are 'Healthful' Plant-based Antioxidants?

Scientists feel the need for more research regarding the safety of supposedly healthful plant-based antioxidants.Kuan-Chou Chen, Robert Peng, and colleagues note that vegetables, fruits, and other plant-based foods are rich in antioxidants that appear to fight cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and other disorders. Among those antioxidants is quercetin, especially abundant in onions and black tea, and ferulic acid, found in corn, tomatoes, and rice bran. Both also are ingredients in certain herbal remedies and dietary supplements. But questions remain about the safety and effectiveness of some antioxidants, with research suggesting that quercetin could contribute to the development of cancer, the scientists note. 

They found that diabetic laboratory rats fed either quercetin or ferulic acid developed more advanced forms of kidney cancer, and concluded the two antioxidants appear to aggravate or possibly cause kidney cancer. "Some researchers believe that quercetin should not be used by healthy people for prevention until it can be shown that quercetin does not itself cause cancer," the report states. "In this study we report that quercetin aggravated, at least, if not directly caused, kidney cancer in rats," it adds, suggesting that health agencies like the U. S. Food and Drug Administration should reevaluate the safety of plant-based antioxidants.
Source-Eurekalert

 

Log into yoga, upgrade efficiency

Yoga could well replace Six Sigma and become the new mantra for corporate managers. Not only will asanas help improve their performance but also raise their satisfaction levels a few notches.
These are the major findings of a first-of-its-kind study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Management- Bangalore (IIM-B) who found that yoga enhances employees' Emotional Intelligence (EI) and significantly improves managerial performance in organisations.
Using data collected from 60 managers, the study shows that employees who maintain a strong spiritual factor are more tolerant to failure and less susceptible to stress. "A systematic adoption of the yoga way of life can result in better EI among managers, thus paving the way for better performance as managers," say Hasmukh Adhia, H R Nagendra and B Mahadevan. The paper 'Impact of Adoption of Yoga Way of Life on Emotional Intelligence of Managers' was published in the latest issue of IIM-B Management Review.
The researchers divided employees of a business enterprise into two teams — yoga group and control group. While the yoga group was given 30 hours of yoga practice and 25 hours of lectures on philosophy of yoga over six weeks, the control group was given training in normal physical workout for an equal number of hours and lectures on success factors in life based on modern thought.
The results show yoga helps managers perform better professionally and personally. Exposure to yoga can help managers become "more self-aware and self-regulated individuals, with a proper perspective of life and various relationships," states the paper.

Source:TNN

 

Babies' Physiologic Development Depends on Breast Milk

Developing babies with changing physiologic requirements need the adjustment that takes place in the levels of nitrite and nitrate in breast milk in the early days after birth.
The University of Texas Health Science Centre has shown the essential nature of nitrite in breast milk.

"While the nitrite and nitrate composition of breast milk has been reported, this is the first study to demonstrate the changing levels of nitrite and nitrate early on," said Nathan Bryan, the study's senior author.
The scientists measured nitrite and nitrate levels in breast milk during the first three days of birth (colostrum), days three to seven (transition milk) and eight or more days (mature milk).
Seventy-nine patient samples were analysed.
Bryan said colostrum has significantly higher concentrations of nitrite and significantly lower concentrations of nitrate than both transition and mature milk, which he believes may be nature's way of providing nitric oxide to the newborns whose gastrointestinal tract is not yet colonized by bacteria that convert nitrate to nitrite.
To corroborate their findings, researchers analysed milk samples taken from two women on 14 consecutive days and the scientists observed the same change in the nitrite and nitrate levels.
The investigators also measured the level of dietary nitrite and nitrate in alternative sources of newborn nutrition: formula, cow milk and soy milk.
Noting that breast milk is considered more beneficial to newborns than these others sources of nutrition, the study revealed that colostrum contains the highest amount of nitrite of any of the milk products tested.
The study was published in Breastfeeding Medicine, the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine.
Source-ANI