Ayurveda Approach to Indigestion and Concept of Agni

The word “Indigestion” is commonly used to describe the discomfort in one’s belly mostly caused after food consumption. Fullness, bloating, nausea, heart burn are other symptoms of Indigestion.

Before discussing Indigestion , understanding the process of digestion is very essential. The Ayurveda approach of explaining digestion is very simple and effective. The food we eat is digested by Agni or body fire which is present in our body. It is very much similar to the way we cook the food. The Agni or body fire helps to digest the food which is consumed, much like the fire of a stove cooks the food kept on it. The Agni is mainly situated in Jatara or in upper part of digestive system and is called as Jataragni. The Agni is further categorized as Bhootagni (which digests the 5 pancha mahabhoota factors present in food), Dhatwagni (The agni present in tissues which help them to absorb required nutrients), Malagni ( the agni which helps in formation of body wastes like stools, sweat and urine) . The Jataragni controls bhootagni, dhatwagni and malagni. Through this it is evident that ayurveda approach of digestion explains cellular metabolism too.

The factors which help agni to digest the food completely. : Thridoshas -Vata , Pitta and Kapha help agni to digest the food.

If the process of digestion is compared to that of cooking rice, the stomach,like the vessel., receives food. Vata provides the necessary conditions like the air blower, Pitta acts like the stove, providing optimum working conditions while Kapha provides the moisture needed much like the water in the vessel. When all these factors are normal and well balanced, an optimum condition is created to digest the food completely.

When food is completely digested by all the agnis, the body tissues will be well nourished and one is blessed with attractive complexion, glow, longevity, strength, good health, growth, enthusiasm, vitality and overall healthy development of body and mind.

The indigestion occurs when agni is imbalanced by the factors (tridoshas) which help agni to digest food. The variations of agni due to tridoshas are of 4 types.

Samagni (balanced agni) :The agni which is well balanced due to balanced tridoshas indicate the condition called Samagni . Samagni digests the food completely and nourishes the body tissues very well.

Vishamaagni (varying agni):- When vata is predominant this condition surfaces. The regular food gets digested normally on some occasions and poorly on others. Vata increasing foods and lifestyles lead to this condition. This variation of agni causes constipation, flatulence, pain in abdomen and other vata predominant diseases. The indigestion caused by this type of agni is called Vistabdhajeerna

Teekshnagni (increased agni) : This variation of agni occurs due to predominance of pitta. Pitta increasing foods and lifestyle cause this variation. This variation of agni causes increased hunger, thirst, acidity, heart burn and loose motions. The indigestion thus caused is called as Vidagdajeerna.

Mandagni (decreased agni): As increased moistness reduces the intensity of fire, the increased kapha reduces the intensity of agni. Kapha increasing foods and lifestyle cause this variation. Feeling Heaviness of body, swelling of eyelids (lower), belching which emit the smell of food consumed and water brash are few symptoms which of indigestion caused by mandagni. The indigestion caused by mandagni is called as amajeerna.

The decreased agni improperly digests the food and this indigested food is sticky in nature and improperly nourishes tissues, causing weakness of body. This sticky improperly digested food is called ama. Ama due to its sticky nature blocks the channels of body, vitiate doshas , contaminates tissues, imbalance body functions and cause diseases.

Causes of imbalance of agni which lead to indigestion

1.Spicy foods, chilly, oily foods, medicines, milk and milk products, tobacco and alcohol.

2.Irregular food habits and sleeping patterns.

3.Medications like pain killers, antibiotics, oral contraceptives and steroids.

4.Intestinal parasites.

5.Diseases of pancreas, liver, gall bladder, intestinal infections etc.

6.During pregnancy, premenstrual period, menopausal period in women.

7.Emotional upset like anxiety, stress, examination, family tensions, etc.

Home Remedies for Indigestion

1.Fasting completely for one day helps to normalize imbalanced agni and digest ama.

2.Consuming liquid foods, boiled vegetables or fruit juices for 2- 3 days also improves agni and relieves indigestion.

3.Avoid the factors (mentioned above) which cause indigestion.

4.Mix a ½ tea spoon of lemon juice, ½ tea spoon ginger juice and little salt in a cup of water and consume thrice daily.

5.Drinking ½ glass of warm water once in 2 hours increases agni and digests ama.

6.Cook ½ cup of rice with 4 cups of water with crushed ginger (1”) and salt. Powder long pepper (2 or 3)and fry it in a spoon of cow’s ghee and add it to gruel. Consume this when it hot. This is very light to digest and relieves colic pain.

7.Abdominal Massage also helps to relieve indigestion. It loosens the tight muscles and increases the blood supply to digestive system. American Journal of aphysical medicine and rehabilitation mentions that “Abdominal massage has positive effects on some clinical aspects of neurogenic bowel dysfunction in patients with spinal cord injury. “

Consuming well balanced food balances doshas and agni and hence keeps the body healthy and free from diseases.

Treating Depression With Reiki

Discover-Reiki 7 Part Reiki Master Course

Part 1 – Treating Depression With Reiki

Reiki Masters believe that thought is energy vibrating at a very high frequency while the human body is energy vibrating at a lower frequency. Vibrations produce actions and actions produce reactions at grosser and grosser levels of frequency in a ripple effect!

While positive thoughts are universally acknowledged to manifest as health, negative thoughts are held to produce disease or lack of ease. Mental disease is manifested as depression, depressive psychosis, mania or even schizophrenia.

Treating depression with Reiki is fast becoming a sought-after alternative to modern drugs. Reiki deals with depression as negative energy. Negative energy manifests at the aura level as imbalance in the Chakras or energy centres and is visible to the Reiki practitioner as grey or black spots in the aura. Imbalance of the energy centres causes reactions at a physical level, for the energy centre governs the health or disease of the organs and endocrine glands located within its purview.

The Chakra System and Depression

The Chakras that are usually blocked in a person who is depressed are the lower–the root chakra, the naval chakra, and to some extent the solar plexus chakra, which is part of the middle group.

The Root Chakra anchors the person to the earth. It represents the physical will and is associated with the spinal column, bones, teeth, nails, anus, rectum, colon, prostrate gland, blood and the building of cells. The Suprarenal glands, which produce adrenalin and influence body temperature, are governed by condition of the root chakra. The person whose root chakra is out of balance cannot accept life or enjoy physical existence. The creative energy of such a person is low and self-expression is not considered necessary. The person will have a tendency to overindulge in sensual pleasures such as overeating, alcohol, sex etc. He or she becomes selfish, self-centred. Physically the person becomes overweight and suffers from constipation. When challenged the person becomes irritable, aggressive, upset, violent and displays a complete lack of trust. If the Chakra is completely blocked the person will lack physical and emotional stamina and will be filled with feelings of uncertainty.

The Naval Chakra is the creative and reproductive centre of the being. It is associated with the pelvic girdle, kidneys, bladder and all liquids such as blood, lymph, gastric juices and the regulation of the female menstrual cycle. The glands associated with this chakra are the Prostrate, gonads, ovaries and testicles. If this energy centre is active and free of blocks the person exhibits freedom in self-expression and life appears interesting. Interpersonal relationships are regarded as beautiful. A disharmonious chakra induces the person turn off sensual messages and display low self-esteem, emotional paralysis and sexual coldness. Life does not seem worth living and suicidal tendencies manifest themselves.

The Solar Plexus Chakra is the power centre of the being. A harmonious Chakra gives the person a feeling that he has the power of shaping things. It is associated with the lower back, abdomen, digestive system, stomach, liver, spleen, gallbladder and the automatic nervous system. The organ that is governed by this Chakra is the Pancreas. The body absorbs solar energy through this chakra. This nurtures the ethereal body and energizes and maintains the physical body. Emotional energy is also governed by this Chakra. Personality traits and social identities are determined by it. Since it is located between the lower and higher chakras it has the additional function of purifies the basic instincts and directing the creative energy to higher values of life. It is also connected to the astral body and helps us integrate our feelings, wishes and experiences harmoniously. A block solar plexus chakra deprives the individual of the zest for life. The person feels gloomy, unbalanced and moody. Negative vibrations impact the individual through this chakra. The person is restless and attempts to manipulate everything in accordance with his or her own wishes. There is a persistent feeling of inadequacy, which drives them to ceaseless activity. The person gets easily threatened and tends to feel dejected and discouraged. The person insists that obstacles are preventing them from realizing the true goals of life.

It is clear that the symptoms of a person in the grip of acute depression are as much physical as emotional and psychological. A block will exist in the root chakra, the naval chakra and the Solar plexus Chakra. The creative energies of the person will be at an all time low and the person will avoid situations where he or she has give expression to his or her feelings. He is self indulgent, selfish, self-centred and suffers from a large number of ailments related to the stomach and has a tendency to put on weight. He or she will lack physical stamina and will be moody, irritable, aggressive and defensive. He will have no interest in life and will refuse to socialize. In extreme cases he will attempt suicide.

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Case Study of Treating Depression with Reiki:

Ms.L, an obese woman (she weighed 180 Kgs), had not stepped out of her front door for the last ten years. She was convinced that she could not walk without support and that she would fall down if she tried. She spent entire days in the house, refusing to talk with visitors. She had a compulsive need to eat and would cook and consume huge quantities of Chicken, eggs and meats at odd times of the day. She had tried anti depressant drugs and other methods of treatment that included Homeopathy, acupressure, acupuncture and anything that was recommended to her by her sister and brother in law. She was convinced that she was born unlucky and she would never be normal again. She would begin a treatment with lukewarm enthusiasm, but would soon slip into lethargy and refuse to go on with the treatment. When Ms.L was referred for Reiki, she had convinced herself that she had not long to live and had told her sister not to be surprised if she found her dead one-day. Her sister– alarmed–rushed to the Reiki clinic for help.

Day 1: Since the patient would not come to the clinic, I decided to visit her home. It was clear from Ms.L’s posture that she was in the grip of acute depression. She was seated on a sofa with her feet up on a footstool. Her body limp, her head bowed and her shoulders drooping. Her arms lay lifelessly at her sides. She seemed lost to the world and did not even look up when we entered the room. She merely lifted her eyes to look at us without enthusiasm when she was talked to. An aura scan revealed that her root chakra and the naval chakra were completely blocked and her solar plexus chakra was partially blocked.

With a lot of persuasion from her sister and myself, she got up and went to lie down on her bed. I noted that she used the walker even though she was perfectly able to walk without it. She seemed to cling to it as a means of support. I kept up a general chatter as I started the treatment. She continued looking at the ceiling blankly. After some time, she started to pay a little more attention. Her muscles would twitch and she lifted her head to see what we are doing. She called her sister near and asked her whether we were using some chemicals as she was feeling some heat where my hand rested. When she was assured that no chemicals were being used, she subsided once more into indifference. Slowly and visibly she began to relax. She soon fell into a deep sleep and began to snore. As the round of treatment was over, we let her sleep.

Day 2: Ms.L was waiting for me. She looked relaxed and calm. On enquiry, she replied, “I slept deeply and dreamlessly for the first time. I feel well”. She then went willingly and lay down on her bed. After chatting with her for some time on a variety of topics (she did not reply), I started the treatment. While doing Reiki, I continued to chat and Ms.L replied in monosyllables to the questions being addressed to her. At the end of the hour she remarked, “That felt nice”.

Day 3: Mrs. L was ready for me. She was lying down and eager to start the treatment. She began to talk about the weather all the time keeping an eye on me. When I agreed that it was hot, she began telling me how the heat was affecting her and how she could not eat as much as she used to. I made sympathetic noises to encourage her. She seemed to feel reassured and gradually opened up–almost as if she were talking to herself and occasionally asking me a question. Then, her tone changed and she became more emotional and personal. She poured out her feelings. She insisted that she was very depressed because God had taken away her husband and her children had all flown away to distant lands and nobody cared for her. She said she had hated God from the day he had taken her husband and she had not gone to church or prayed for a long time. Since she had been very religious, she felt guilty that she had forsaken God but, she hated him and she did not want to pray to him. She then began weeping and ranting at God and exclaiming that she should not be doing it! This emotional outburst lasted for almost an hour, during which I continued the treatment, unfazed. Finally, exhausted by emotions and relaxed by the Reiki, Ms.L fell asleep.

Day 4: Ms.L was waiting for me–a little shamefaced and diffident. She greeted her with a defiant “I was carried away a little yesterday. I am sorry”. I assured her that it was ok and that she must not hold back her emotions and that I do not mind her talking to me about anything. She then, asked me a little suspiciously ‘Do you think your treatment is making me unbalanced?”. Well that was a tricky question at this stage and I was not very sure whether I should admit to the fact or assure her that it was not so. I intuitively felt that it would be better to explain to Ms.L and so I told her that Reiki dives deep into the psyche and stirs up emotional blocks for release. I explained that what she was experiencing was the release of emotional blocks and it was nothing to be alarmed about. It would help her come out of her lethargy and feel more enthusiastic about life. She was silent for some time and then said that she was glad that I had been honest with her. She only requested that whatever she said to me should be kept confidential. I agreed and she said she was looking forward to the treatment. As we went through the various hand positions, she started asking me about Reiki and what it was all about. I explained to her about energy centres and how imbalances in energy caused illness. She expressed eagerness to learn it herself. I told that it could be easily arranged. She then began to talk to me about her husband and the wonderful man that he had been and how cancer had eaten into his insides unsuspected. She described the shock they had experienced when the disease was diagnosed at a terminal stage. She described the trauma of waiting for death to part them. She re-lived the pain she had felt when he went to the hospital for the last time and she could not be with him during his last minutes, as she was laid up in bed at home with a fracture. She felt she had let him down and was guilty of continuing to live when he had died such an agonizing death. She then sobbed quietly till she fell asleep exhausted by her emotions.

Day 5: Ms.L was looking very anxious when I entered her room. She immediately piped up “Do you think God is cruel?” I cautiously replied “No”. She then asked, “Do you think I should begin to pray to him? Do you think he will hear my prayers now? I have abused him so much!” I was impressed. I said, “Yes, you should. God is very forgiving and he is always happy to welcome his children, however abusive they have been!” She was content with my reply and got ready for the treatment. While I worked the hand positions she continued telling me how much she loved God and how she had missed her conversations with him. She then told me she is convinced that her husband was waiting for her in heaven and she would join him when God felt that it was time. Meanwhile she had a lot to do. She had written to her son and asked him to come back home to keep her company and was in hourly expectation of hearing from him. She then began thanking me for the wonderful treatment that I was giving her and she was convinced that God had sent me to her when she was most depressed.

Days 6-21: Followed with the patient very enthusiastic and cooperative. She gradually left off her walker and her posture improved and she stuck to mealtimes with determination. She even consented to step out of her house and take short walks in the corridor with her sister. A month later she completed a course in Reiki and even visited a textile showroom to select some dress material for her. She invited me over for a party she held to celebrate her Son’s return home. (The boy had left his job to take up one closer home to be with his mother). She was bubbling with energy and extremely enthusiastic about life. A quick scan of her chakras revealed that the energy levels were normal and the grey spots in her aura at the root and naval chakra had disappeared. The Solar plexus Chakra was also open.

Combining Reiki With Other Therapies.

Many Reiki practitioners combine crystal therapy with Reiki to stimulate the chakras. Limonite, Lapis Lazuli, Pietersite, and Turquoise are used to stimulate the sacral Chakra Wardite, Mesolite, Jasper, and Jet, help the base chakra open up. The Solar Plexus Chakra is stimulated by chrysanthemum stone, gypsum, jasper, obsidian and rutilated quartz.. Wadeite is used to stimulate all the chakras. I personally, combine Reiki treatment with Bach Flower treatment and crystal therapy as I find that it accelerates the healing and gives the patient a psychological satisfaction.

As is evident from the above case study, that Reiki brings about immediate and dramatic improvement in condition of persons suffering from depression. It is also evident from countless testimonials that persons who have come out of their depression by using Reiki have not had a recurrence of the same. Many hospitals round the world are recommending Reiki as a parallel system of treatment. Treating depression with Reiki is becoming a recognized practice within hospitals and more so with local doctors. The efficacy and impact of Reiki is best understood when it is personally experienced.

Warmest regards,

Peter Tremayne

Nuvaring Warnings Nuvaring Side Effects And Nuvaring Stroke

If you have high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, or migraines before using Nuvaring birth control, you should inform your healthcare provider. It is very important to understand that Nuvaring warnings include the information that the use of Nuvaring could increase the risk of side effects like benign liver tumors, could affect your cholesterol, could cause high blood sugar, and may change your menstrual bleeding patterns. Nuvaring and the other third-generation contraceptives contain estrogen and progestin and are a combination of hormones. Use of contraceptives like Nuvaring has been associated with increased risks of serious side effects including venous and arterial thrombotic and thromboembolic cases such as myocardial infarction or heart attacks, thromboembolism, and stroke, also referred to as Nuvaring stroke, as it occurs due to the use of Nuvaring.

The other increased risks are tumors, diseases of the gallbladder, and hypertension. The risk of dying due to these side effects significantly increases if there are other factors present such as some inherited thrombophilias, hyperlipidemias, hypertension, high cholesterol and obesity, and diabetes. You should not take these Nuvaring warnings about the side effects and the information available on Nuvaring stroke lightly, and should consult your healthcare provider if you intend to use Nuvaring. Before using Nuvaring you should inform your healthcare provider if you have a previous blood clot or blood clotting problem or disorder, any chest pain, have suffered a heart attack or stroke, have very high blood pressure or hypertension, diabetes, or migraines, cancer or benign tumors, etc. In fact any previous medical problem could increase the risks manifold.

The Nuvaring warnings also say that you should also inform your healthcare provider about your smoking habits, whether you are pregnant or intend to become pregnant, prescription and non-prescription medicines that you are taking, including any hormones. The fact is that you have to be very careful if you intend to use Nuvaring and do not want to suffer any of the side effects and dangers like Nuvaring blood clots, pulmonary embolism or Nuvaring PE, and ischemic stroke or Nuvaring stroke. These warnings, side effects, and precautions apply not only to Nuvaring, but also to all third-generation contraceptives that use a combination of hormones.

If you are already using Nuvaring and were not aware of these Nuvaring warnings and the risks of suffering a Nuvaring stroke and other Nuvaring related side effects, you should immediately consult your health service provider. If you have been suffering from pain in the lower legs or any other symptoms and side effects and ailments while using Nuvaring, you should immediately consult a doctor, and in fact a lawyer too.

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