#drtirthamendake

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DROWSY or DRUNK DRIVING – not a risk worth taking Car crashes are among the leading causes of death in most countries. However, more accidents are caused by sleep deprived drivers than the drunk ones. Neither is excusable. Drunk drivers are mostly drowsy because they are usually driving after a long night of drinking/partying. We have all been behind the wheels, at least once trying hard to keep our eyes open, or slapping our face to stay alert, or asking our friends to talk to us while we drive because we are drowsy. We become cognitively impaired when drowsy. Most crash accidents happen when during a momentary lapse in concentration or microsleep, behind the wheels at high speed. Microsleep grabs the driver unawares and momentarily ceases decisive motor controls of the body, necessary for driving. This lapse of 2 or 3 seconds may become fatal. Next time when you sit behind those wheels, remember, you owe it to your family and to those who are driving alongside you to have sufficient sleep before driving.

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Rest your Gut with Khichari

Khichari is a simple porridge made up of dal, rice, and warming spices, served with a dollop of ghee, which makes a complete protein meal. The combination of dal and rice cooked together makes it easy to digest, thereby increasing the bioavailability of their combined proteins. It is primarily a resting food and helps rest your gut during digestive disorders, while recovering from viral fever or other health problems, or as an evening meal after a heavy celebratory lunch.

Since Khichari offers a complete protein based diet which is easy on your gut compared to other proteins, it is used in Ayurveda Cleanse like Panchakarma.

You can rest your gut with a khichari diet in evening after a heavy holiday lunch.

[drtirthamendake]

This Holiday Season Indulge Consciously

Holidays are a wonderful time to bond with family and friends. The beginning of winter and festivities together whip up a charming atmosphere. It is easy to indulge in excess and turn a blind eye to our health routine. There is no reason to have fun, albeit with consideration for our bodies. After all we do want to start 2022 on an energetic note. Moderation and conscious indulgence is the key to have fun through the festivals and not regret the consequences.

· Identify your hunger – Eat only when hungry, stop just before you are full

· Stay hydrated to avoid the winter dryness, drink ample water.

· Limit your sweet bites to two pieces a day. You can substitute sweets with fresh fruits in moderation.

· Fortify your liver – Alcohol is the staple with festivities. Let’s stick to two drinks a day. Consume liver supporting foods and herbs like blueberries, cranberries, grapefruit, garlic, onions, brussels sprouts, mustard greens, cabbage, kale, broccoli, dandelion root, artichoke leaf, nuts, fatty fish, milk thistle, beetroot, carrots.

· Go gluten free –Most Christmas foods like cakes, breads etc contain high gluten content, which we can do without.

· Exercise everyday – make sure you walk at least 15 minutes after every meal, and exercise every day to maintain a healthy blood flow.

· Alternate between heavy and light meals. Do not follow a heavy festival lunch with a heavy dinner. Eat a light dinner

· Keep a 12 hour gap between the last meal of the day and the first meal of the next day

[drtirthamendake]

YIN-YANG the Complementing Opposites

The Yin–Yang was used by the Chinese ancients to explain the basic dualism of Qi. Yin and Yang are two opposing aspects of Qi that are also complementary by nature.

If Yin is form, Yang is function.

If yin is matter, Yang is energetic vibration.

Yin and Yang create each other, control each other, and transform into each other.

Yang refers to the characteristics of the heaven, ascending, the sun, warmth, brightness, daytime, clearness, motion, fire, aggression, male, generation, etc.

Yin refers to the characteristics of the earth, the moon, cold, heavy, descending, darkness, night time, murkiness, quiescence, water, female, death, etc..

Together they form the wholeness of Qi, the life force. When the life-force energy is balanced between Yin and Yang, it flows smoothly promoting physical and emotional health.

Disharmony between Yin and Yang inside our body causes the life force to deplete and damages our health.

The Yin-Yang theory Image credit – The Essentials of Chinese Medicine Volume 1, Published by Springer and Edited by Zhanwen Liu

[drtirthamendake]

Let’s kick’em plastics off of our kitchen

The light weight, unbreakable, multicolored plastic kitchenware has now infiltrated every part of our life, water bottles, refrigerator boxes, microwave bowls, dinnerware, mixers, blender, food processors, the list is endless. Our food kneads, warms, mixes, stirs, and sometimes even cooks in the chemicals of plastic.

The price we pay for the plastic convenience! The harmful chemicals used in plastic run into our food exposing us to many health risks. These chemicals are more pronounced when we use plastic for warm foods.

Bisphenol-A commonly known as BPA is added to plastic to make it clear and hard, It tends to leak into the food stored in plastic, more so, when the food is microwaved in the plastic. The microplastics that mix with our food thus, are known to cause many adverse health conditions like

· Metabolic disorders

· Fertility Challenges

· Structural damage to brain

· Different kinds of cancer

· Hyperactivity

· Altered immune function

· Early puberty and menopause

· Alterations in sexual behavior among others.

Health is a function of Conscious Choice. Choose healthy materials. Stay Healthy.

[drtirthamendake]

Sustainable Health is Conscious Health

We ride through life powered by the following five horses,

· Structure (related to our physical structure)

· Functions (related to the functions of our body)

· Emotions

· Nutrition

· Environment

Our health depends on the synch these five aspects maintain between themselves and with our whole being. If any of these five aspects is misaligned with our whole being, we experience discomfort or disease in our body.

Is it possible to sustain lifelong health?

Yes, of course, it is possible to sustain your health by LIVING CONSCIOUSLY.

Watch this space to understand the alchemy of sustainable health so you can create it for yourself, every day.

[drtirthamendake]

What are the sources of Qi in my body?

There are three sources of QI in our body.

Primordial or Prenatal Qi - this innate Qi is inherited at conception and defines our inborn constitution. It is stored in the kidneys. Congenital conditions are a result of primordial Qi disorders. Primordial Qi is replenished with acquired Qi.

Air Qi – the first source of acquired Qi comes from the essence of inhaled air. It is obtained from clean air and with proper abdominal breathing and aerobic exercise. Air Qi is extracted by lungs

Grain Qi - The second source of acquired Qi comes from the essence of digested food. Known as grain qi, it is extracted by our spleen from high quality fresh foods.

The Grain and Air Qi form the Acquired Qi. Together the acquired and primordial Qi make the normal QI in the body.

Good quality, locally sourced, organically grown food and fresh air are the keys to replenish Qi and sustain health.

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Benefits of eating Warm Meals

· Since heat increases blood flow, warm food eases the flow of blood to the gut which increases oxygen supply to support digestion.

· Aids Digestion – Digestion is a chemical process where the gastric juices break down the food we eat. This process is supported better by warm temperatures than cold. It is advisable to serve food between 40 to 80 degrees Centigrade, depending on the type of food.

· Enhanced nutrients absorption – Warm food enhances the absorptive power of the stomach.

· Better Taste - Taste buds called as TRPM5 are known to be more responsive to food at warm temperatures, hence it tastes better.

· Preserves body energy – It takes less time and energy for the body to digest warm food. In case of cold food, the food must be first brought to body temperature before beginning the process of digestion. This depletes our overall energy.

· Decontamination - Most bacteria and microorganisms cannot survive high temperatures. Heating the food helps decontaminate it.

· Supports weight loss – Efficient digestion of warm food aids in maintaining a healthy weight. Poor digestion is one of the triggers for obesity.

· Helps maintain healthy digestion – Warm food fuel the digestive fire, and maintain a better digesting capacity cumulatively.

· The general feeling after eating warm food is that of lightness as it works in favour of the constitution.