New study suggests yoga as potential therapy for mental disorders

According to researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), yoga may be superior to other forms of exercise, with regard to its positive effect on mood and anxiety.
The findings are the first to indicate a link between yoga postures with increased Brain Gamma-Amniobutyric (GABA) levels and decreased anxiety.
The researchers compared the GABA levels of yoga disciples, with those of other participants who adopted walking as the only means of exercise. They followed the two randomized groups of healthy individuals over a 12-week period. While one of the groups practiced yoga thrice a week for an hour, the remaining subjects walked for the same duration of time.
The brains of the participants’ were scanned using a magnetic resonance spectroscopic (MRS) imaging, before and after the study. At the end of 12 weeks, the researchers found that those who practiced yoga reported considerable decline in anxiety and greater improvements in mood than those who only walked.
The positive changes in these reports are associated with rising GABA levels, said Lead Author Chris Streeter, MD, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at BUSM. Low GABA levels are associated with depression and other widespread anxiety disorders.
Streeter said that the positive aspect of yoga found in this research, indicates that practice of yoga can be considered as a potential therapy for certain mental disorders.
The study report appeared in the online journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine.

Ayurvedic treatment for baldness

Is that a broad forehead or a receding hairline?’ Is that a now familiar line to you? Worried about impending baldness? According to Ayurveda avoiding the causative factors is treatment. Below are some of the factors leading to baldness. Baldness is caused due to:

• Exposure to fumes

• Exposure to sun and dew

• Sleeping too much or too less

• Mental stress

• Crying or preventing tears

• Drinking lot of water or alcohol

• Talking too much.

• Very spicy, salty food also may cause baldness, along with graying of hair

• It may be a hereditary problem too 

It follows that baldness can be prevented by:

• Not exposing oneself to extremes of climate.

• Sleeping during the day should be avoided unless one is working through the night.

• Mental stress should be controlled preferably through yoga.

• One should also control his / her emotions.

• Alcohol and tobacco should be avoided.

• Food should not be very spicy, salty or heavy.

• Dinner should be taken before 8 pm so that by the time he / she goes to sleep, there is a feeling of lightness in the body. Proper hair-care should be taken:

• Hair should never be washed with hot water, but always with water at room temperature.

• Simple coconut oil should be used for the scalp. It should not be applied very vigorously. 

Pinda Thailam – cooling massage oil

Pinda Thailam (also known as Pinda oil) is a cooling massage oil, and mostly used by Pitta individuals, who particularly suffer from skin problems like rashes and eruptions.

It is prepared from the Indian plants Manjishta and Shariba, and is highly therapeutic, as it contains pitta reducing herbs. While Manjistha is known to possess anti-rheumatic properties, Shariba is a perfect body relaxant.

Manjistha renders the red colour to the oil. Pinda Thailam is particularly useful for rheumatoid arthritis, as it helps deal with bone degeneration and associated pain. When used during pitta-vitiated conditions, including skin problems, it helps prevent excessive skin exfoliation, heals foot blisters and burning sensation, thereby protecting against skin lesions. When massaged, the oil enters into the body through the pores, softening the skin and lubricating the joints.

Pinda Thailam can also be used as general massage oil. This oil also constitutes 18percent water content, so that the skin can breathe even when the oil is allowed to remain in the body for some time. Apart from rheumatic treatments, Pinda Thailam is also used for autoimmune diseases, gout, inflammation, problems due to excess heat and pitta doshas.

For optimum benefit, gently warm the oil before application.

The major ingredients of this oil are Rubia cordifolia, sesame oil, bee wax, Hemidesmus indicus, and Rhododendron lepidotum.

Home Remedies for Dark circles under the eyes

Dark circles under the eyes are one of the common problems faced by people of all age groups, particularly women and teens. It is a bothersome indication of several factors like having worked too hard, deprived of sleep, tiredness, smoking, long-term computer use, or other health issues. For majority of us, dark circles may be only a temporary issue, if we find out the root cause and get it treated.

But, beware of cosmetic fillers and surgical procedures, as although they produce instant results, it should be carried out with extreme caution, and these surgical procedures are often irreversible. It is better to try home remedies before taking up such drastic measures. Also, a visit to a dermatologist or skin expert may help in finding the root cause of discoloration under the eyes.

Here are few remedies for under-eye dark circles that could be safely tried at home.

Causes

As for digging into the causes of this problem, it is often due to reasons such as consistent lack of sleep, smoking, allergies, nasal congestion, aging skin, bad lifestyle habits including excessive use of cigarettes and alcohol and high levels of caffeine, heredity, stress and pollution.

Home remedies

Apart from taking care of any of the said underlying causes for dark circles, following these natural home remedies will definitely help in removing dark circles to a large extent.

Cucumber: “The Cucumber Therapy” has been used since ages to restore the youthful look around the eyes. Although this may not seem to be a permanent solution to the problem of dark circles, it does help in the overall health and appearance of the skin. With the presence of vitamin A, Calcium, and Magnesium, cucumber re-vitalizes the skin. Just apply a slice of cucumber over closed eye, and rest for 10-15 minutes every day.

Tea bags: Placing cool tea bags on the eyes once or twice a day for 15 minutes, is also an effective solution, as the tannin present in tea bags can help reduce discoloration and swelling.

Tomato-lime juice: Take a teaspoon of tomato juice, and add half a teaspoon of lime juice, a pinch of turmeric powder and gramflour. Make a paste and apply on the affected areas and leave it for 10 minutes, before washing off.

Almond oil: Massaging the area under the eyes with almond oil prior to bed time is a very good remedy. Almond oil, being a natural moisturizer, helps in soothing and moisturizing the skin, with the presence of vitamin E, known to reduce appearance of dark rings and fine lines.

Another way is to mix 2 teaspoons of sweet almond oil to two teaspoons of all-natural honey and massage the under-eye area gently, or just dab using ring finger. Rinse it off in the morning.

Make an almond oil paste, by combining sweet almond oil and all-natural milk powder in equal proportion. Mix well to form a paste, and apply it under the eye. Wait for 10 minutes and wash off. Ensure that it doesn’t come into contact with eyes.

Adding grated potatoe to almond paste also helps in reducing puffiness, apart from reducing dark circles.

Neti pot: A Neti pot helps relieve congestion in the nose and sinuses, and flushes out pollutants, as sinus too can result in itchy eyes causing under-eye dark circles.

Sugarcane-turmeric paste: Make a paste of 1-2 tablespoons of sugarcane juice with 2-3 spoons of turmeric powder, and set it aside for 5 minutes. Apply in the under-eye area and wash off with clean water after 10 to 15 minutes.

Coconut oil: Rub coconut oil on the fine lines every night. The massaging will help improve fine lines in the area and will relax the skin under the eyes.

Castor oil/egg white: Applying castor oil or egg white under the eye, keeps the skin around the eyes soft, nourishes it and reduces wrinkles around the eyes.

Olive Oil: A gentle massage with olive oil can help in tackling dark circles caused due to tiredness.

Cold compress/ice bags: Using ice bags under the eyes for ten minutes every day can help banish dark circles caused due to strain and fatigue.

Cold Milk: Dipping cotton in cold milk and applying on closed eyes helps remove dark circles to a certain extent.

Mint juice: Applying mint juice under the eye is another option.

Yoga: Regular yoga practice helps in keeping fine lines at bay, and is one of the best and natural under-eye treatments, it is said.

Aloe-Vera: Apply aloe-vera gel under the eye after cleansing face. Being a rich source of active ingredients such as vitamin A, C and E, it is a good product to banish under-eye dark circles and wrinkles.

Other Tips

Other simple tips or preventive measures that could be followed are:

    * Tapping the area around the eye gently few times a day to increase healthy circulation
    * Drinking cranberry juice daily as it helps reduce under-eye discoloration.
    * Following a healthy diet and exercise regimen.
    * Using butcher’s broom, a herb that facilitate healthy circulation
    * Try to get 8 to 10 hours of sleep daily.
    * Eating plenty of vegetables and fruits and drinking enough water to avoid dehydration, and leading a stress-free life, are few more aspects to be taken into consideration.

PS: When massaging the under-eye area, take care to gently massage the area using your ring finger or little finger, and not to rub or massage vigorously, as this could result in more wrinkles and fine line under the eye.

Herbal tips for hair care

Exposure to excess cosmetics or chemicals, hormonal imbalances, poor diet, stress, anxiety and illness are few common reasons for hair loss.

    * Massage scalp with warm almond oil or coconut oil regularly for ten minutes.
      Neem leaves can be boiled in water, and the strained solution can be used to rinse hair.
    * A high-protein diet with green leafy vegetables, fruits, salads, sprouts, soya beans, whole grains, nuts, yeast etc are recommended.
    * hair treatmentCleansing hair should be done with herbal shampoo or natural shampoo preferably.
    * For washing hair use Shikakai or amla.
    * Massaging the scalp regularly with luke warm oil promotes hair growth
    * An Ayurvedic preparation made of Amla, Corals, Bhringraj and sesame seeds helps in preventing pre-mature greying, apart from increasing hair growth.
    * Drinking a mixture of spinach juice and lettuce helps in hair growth.
    * Application of coconut oil with lime juice helps in hair growth.
    * Washing hair with a paste of fenugreek and Urad dhal thrice a week is considered beneficial.
    * Saw Palmetto oil is a good treatment for individuals with benign prostate hyperplasia.
    * Three drops each of Rosemary, Thyme, Lavender and Cedarwood essential oils can be mixed with 1/8th cup each of Jojoba oil and Grapeseed oil. Mix the ingredients together and message into the scalp gently. This has been effective in promoting hair growth.
    * Ayurvedic herbs Amla and Ashwagandha are also effective in promoting hair growth.

Treatment of Thyroid disease

Thyroid gland is situated in the neck and produces a hormone called thyroxine, which helps in regulating body metabolism. While deficiency of thyroxine hormone causes Myxoedema in adults and cretinism in children, excess of thyroxine levels could lead to exophthalmic goitre, Grave’s disease or Thyrotoxicosis.

thyroidgland Hyperthyroidism or thyrotoxicosis is a condition which is more common in women of age group 30 to 50 years. Such individuals show symptoms of irritation, over-anxiety, rapid heart rate, deep shallow respiration, diarrhea, heat intolerance, flushing, menstrual disturbance, fatigue and bulging of eyes. Though all of the said [tag]thyroid symptoms[/tag] may not be present a few of such symptoms could be due to hyperthyroidism.

Hypothyroidism is a condition caused due to inactivity of thyroxine. This condition can be caused due to deficiency of iodine or thyroid failure or pituitary dysfunction. Symptoms include fatigue, loss of vitality and overall hormonal imbalance. When hypothyroidism is left untreated for a long time it could result in myxodema which is distinguished by swollen skin and tissues.

According to Ayurveda, taking adequate quantities of milk can help in preventing goitre. Also rice, barley, Bengal gram, moong dal and cucumber are recommended for patients suffering from goitre. They should of course avoid heavy and sour foods. Herbs that are found useful in treatment of thyroid disorders include Kanchanara, Jatamansi, Shilajita, Brahmi guggulu, gokshura, and punarnava.

As a home remedy, a fine paste of vegetable jalakumbhi can be applied over the affected area and the juice of jalakumbi can be given a few times in a day. This has a high content of iodine, the deficiency of which causes goitre.

Coconut oil which contains medium chain fatty acids which help in improving body metabolism,   is good for those suffering from thyroid disorders. The medicines used in Ayurveda for treating thyroid disorders include Kanchanar Guggulu, Ashwagandharishta, Amritadhaya taila and Mahayogaraj guggulu.

Apart from all this, yogic asanas like Sarvangasana, Halasana, Suryanamaskara, Suptavajrasana are found helpful, though Pranayama is the most effective for curing thyroid problems.

Asthma treatment in Ayurveda

Asthma remedies in ayurvedaDue to today’s modern urbanized lifestyles, excessive pollution and rapid industrialization the number of patients suffering from [tag]Asthma[/tag] is fast increasing. Reports suggest that at least 15% of Indian population and 10% of U.S. population suffer from Bronchial Asthma every year. These days more and more of such patients are turning towards [tag]Ayurveda remedies[/tag], due to the holistic approach followed by [tag]Ayurveda[/tag] wherein apart from treating the disease without any side effects, measures are taken to find the root cause of the disease and prevent it.

Asthma is referred to as “Swas Roga” in Ayurveda. From an Ayurvedic perspective, the kapha dosha combines with ‘pranavayu’ leading to obstruction in the respiratory passage (called ‘pranavaha srotasa’ in Ayurveda) causing a condition called as ‘Swas Roga’ or “Asthma”.

There are various non-allergic and allergic factors that cause Asthma like diet, excessive exposure to smoke and dust, working in excessive cold or hot temperatures, over-exercising, emotional tensions, other disorders in lungs or throat or hereditary factors.

A few Ayurvedic remedies and home preventive tips are mentioned here:

   1. A few common medicines as suggested in Ayurveda are [tag]Sitopaladi choorna[/tag], Vasavleha, Swaskuthar ras etc. During Asthma attacks, “[tag]Rasayana Chikitsa[/tag]” is given to the patient. It is also advised that Asthmatic patients can go in for a [tag]Panchakarma[/tag], especially vaman chikitsa before the onset of monsoon.
   2. Honey is one of the most effective remedies used for [tag]treatment of Asthma[/tag]. During bouts of Astma, just holding a jug of honey beneath the nose and inhaling the air in contact with honey helps in easier breathing and provides temporary relief from Asthma. When consumed internally with equal parts of dates, black resins and pippali, it acts as a good lung tonic by thinning out the accumulated mucus and eliminating it from the respiratory system.
   3. When five grams of Indian gooseberry or Amla is mixed with one table spoon of honey and consumed, it acts as an expectorant, and is an effective medicine for Asthma.
   4. During Asthmatic attacks, [tag]massaging[/tag] mustard oil with camphor over the chest will loosen the mucus and help easy breathing. Simultaneously, inhaling steam with a few caraway seeds added to boiling water will help in dilation of bronchial passage.