04/05/2020
Subject: Good News: Ayurveda against covid
(Source: private MMY.org)
This is a very encouraging and interesting story from a Purusha in India about COVID19 and Ayurveda and how Kerala has done a remarkable job of containing this virus. We are so fortunate to have this knowledge. I think most of us are already doing many of these things just by virtue of us having a healthy diet and following a good Ayurvedic and spiritual routine. Here is his story:
"The remarkable Kerala story re Cov19...This is a tourism mecca: people come year-round from all over the world to visit the thousands of Ayurvedic healing centers. The state has an ancient history of healing, prevention-based treatments and herbal medicines, and there are more than 20,000 practicing Ayurvedic doctors. Kerala tradition says that even Mother Earth Herself is blessed with the gift of healing.And Cov19 has demonstrated the magnificence of that healing grace.
Kerala, with a population of 36 million, was the first Indian state to have Corona cases, with many Indian students returning from Wuhan in China where the virus began. In the last two months 418 people (most of the cases were brought in by foreign tourists) have been infected by the virus, but remarkably, it has not spread...Kerala's 70% recovery rate is the highest in India and the highest outside of China in the world.
Only two people from Kerala have died from the virus...and as of yesterday there isn't a single Cov-19 case left in the hospitals in our area!So what happened in Kerala? The state government quickly adopted a protocol which included a lockdown, everyone wearing masks, two week quarantine for all tourists coming from outside of India, and most importantly, a vigorous immune protection program organized by the Ayurveda Association (Dr Mooss is the local president), which distributed prevention-based knowledge and herbal formulas for strengthening the immune system to hundreds of thousands of people.
Those Ayurvedic herbal medicines included special formulas for older people, for those in the police and health care professions dealing directly with those infected, those who were quarantined, and other unique groups that needed attention.To put Kerala's two deaths and 418 victims in perspective, Kerala's population is nearly twice that of New York State (and it is substantially smaller in area than NY)...while Kerala and New York share the reality of some areas of extreme population density, and huge numbers of foreigners coming and going.
The Kerala and Indian central government response has been rapid, intelligent and effective. But why such an astronomical disparity between the Cov19 impact in America and a large state such as Kerala -- and much of the rest of the world?Dr Mooss and other doctors who have worked extensively with Westerners cite many reasons why American and European cases are so high (India is far from free of Cov-19 -- Mumbai and Delhi are not out of the woods yet by any means!)Poor diet, frenetic lifestyle, massive over-prescription of drugs, much larger intake of alcohol and non-prescribed drugs, high consumption of meat, and GMO foods are a few of the differences noted by Dr Mooss.
All of these lead to inflammation in the body, which is found to be the basis of many of these modern diseases. Surveys show that older Americans have anywhere from 5 to 8 prescriptions per person, and there is zero research, understanding or acknowledgment of the problems that emerge from interactions between multiple drugs.Compared to other countries, Americans consume enormous quantities of genetically modified foods (in India no GMO foods have ever been approved by the government -- Monsanto is not considered better than Mother Nature at deciding what we should eat). Besides the ever-growing American consumption of GMO foods -- pesticides and chemical-based Ag have continued to sky-rocket over the years.
Round Up Ready, Monsanto's core product sold with GMO seeds has been declared carcinogenic in Europe and elsewhere and is now being banned in many parts of the world. In the US? It is used everywhere in agriculture -- and also on suburban lawns -- and both political parties not only have supported its continued use, but have blocked attempts to label foods that have GMO's. Monsanto has long been a massive contributor to both political parties, and a key player in DC politics.
That continues today. Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of State, was the long-time 'Monsanto Guy' in the Senate...he even sponsored the bill to block GMO labeling of foods.As the Jyotishis had projected, 2020 would produce extraordinary change. They had said that capitalism will never be the same again, there will be many dramatic disclosures, governments will fall, and the balance of power in the world will be shifting in many ways. And in early September a hugely important time of progress...more intelligent and life-supporting changes will begin. Whew!Here are a few of the suggestions from Dr Mooss and other physicians: Lifestyle, Rest, Food, Drink, Herbal Medicines.
_____________________
Lifestyle: There is a growing recognition of the influence of our feelings and our attitude on our immune function. Think positive. Be as happy as you can be in whatever you do. Research shows that people who practice Transcendental Meditation have 73% less lung/throat/nose diseases and allergies (if Pfizer produced a drug that could reduce these by 20%, every doctor would be prescribing it!). This is a published long-term study with 2,000 people and a control group, done with a major health insurance company. A follow-up study which included Maharishi Ayurveda formulas and programs showed an 89% reduction.
Any virus or sickness is harder to catch if you have a strong immune system, and if you are doing what you know to keep in balance, in a state of self care, your chances of contracting are reduced. Dr Mooss and the Kerala board of Ayurvedic Physicans feel this virus is to a large extent a lifestyle disease. That means a healthy lifestyle is the goal for prevention.Rest: Very important not to get overly tired. Hmmm...Let's consider this for a moment.
The body heals itself during rest, and rest strengthens the immune system. Best to be in bed by10 and up by 6 or so. As we may know, toxins are removed during the nightly Pitta cycle from 10:00 PM to 2:00 AM, so plan to be sleeping soundly and blissfully then. If this is not a part of our lifestyle, it is ideal to add it. You deserve to sleep soundly. So be kind to yourself and research the new-found dangers of sleep deprivation. No screens, or even books in the bedroom is best.
Orientation: When sleeping avoid northern and western direction. Head should be towards the east or south. Important activities like cooking, work or study to be facing east or north. Orientation and exposure towards the rising sun is most beneficial, always meditate facing east
The bedroom should be a place for deep rest...keep the screens out, and make sure cell phones are off. Screens of all kinds excite the brain, whether it is phone or computer, so it's good to have some down time, have pleasant chat or a short fresh air walk before retiring. Food: Extremely important! Eat meals when hungry...avoid eating between meals and ideally one will have at least 12 hours between evening meal and breakfast...so that digestion can be complete. Over-eating and undigested food in the system cause inflammation, create imbalances and weaken the immune system. Do not take cold drinks with meals...makes it very difficult to digest food.Better to avoid junk food, or any chemical contaminated food.
A Vegetarian diet or a vegan diet are good, but for everyone a diet of varied fruits and vegetables strengthens the the gut biome. The Indian or Mediterranean diets are good. Choose as many vegetables as possible and vary them during the week as much as you can. Along with the usual proteins Ayurveda recommends, ¾ of your plate should be greens and assorted veggies. Better to include some form of probiotic drink. The more varied the ingredients and spices, the more diverse the intestinal bacteria will be.
Exercise: A walk or fast walk for 20 min or more daily, or at least 3x a week. Can walk fast, or even sprint in intervals. Regular Yoga practice daily is highly recommended. Herbal Medicines: 1) Maharishi Amrit Kalash strengthens the immune system.
2) Drink herbal tea / decoction (Kadha) made from Tulsi (Basil), Dalchini
(Cinnamon), Kalimirch (Black pepper), Shunthi (Dry Ginger) and
Munakka (Raisin) - once or twice a day. Add jaggery (natural sugar) and /
or fresh lemon juice to your taste, if needed.
3) Golden Milk- Half tea spoon Haldi (turmeric) powder in 150 ml hot milk -
once or twice a day. General Measures:
A) Drink warm water throughout the day.
B) Daily practice of Yoga Asana, Pranayama and Meditation for at least 30
minutes as advised by Ministry of AYUSH (
)
C) Spices like Haldi (Turmeric), Jeera (Cumin), Dhaniya (Coriander) are recommended in cooking.Simple Ayurvedic Procedure:Nasal application - Apply a drop of sesame oil / or Ghee (Maharishi Ayurveda has an ideal oil for this) in both the
nostrils (PratimarshNasya) Then gently pinching and releasing the nostrils allows the liquid to lubicate the passages. Application in the morning and evening is suggested.
With Best Wishes
