In life, one always has choices. Consider your health and well-being today by making decisions that will impact on your longevity and satisfaction.
One of the easiest and most natural approaches is Ayurveda or Ayurvedic medicine. One of the oldest medical systems in the world, this natural health approach originated in India more than 3,000 years ago.
Highly regarded in India and by health practitioners worldwide, Ayurveda is a set of healthcare systems whose concepts are about disease prevention and cure by promoting the use of herbal compounds, special diets and massage techniques.
Interconnectedness
The term Ayurveda is composed of two Sanskrit words—Ayur (life) and Veda (knowledge/science).
Several Ayurvedic practices were handed down orally and predate written records.
Three ancient books written more than 2,000 years ago are known as the great trilogy—Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita and Astanga Hridayam.
The key concepts revolve around a solidly founded philosophy:
Interconnectedness: Every human being has a connection with nature and with all people.
Dosha/Life force: Similar to the Greek belief that every person has a specific force within
(Reference: https://www.chopra.com)
Vata dosha: Woven from the elements of space and air, which regulate movement and change in our minds and bodies
Pitta dosha: Composed of fire and water, which governs digestion and metabolism
Kapha dosha: Made from earth and water, which maintain and protect the integrity and structure of our mind and body
Prakriti/Bodily constitution: The biological state of an individual
By knowing the status of a patient based on these concepts, an Ayurvedic physician prescribes individualized treatments using a compound of herbs, a specialized diet or vegan meals and lifestyle changes.
Ayurvedic medicine research continues to this day. While clinical trials have been small, researches have had positive results for schizophrenia, depression, cancer, strokes, rheumatic arthritis and pain management.
Among the stars in the herbal constellation of Ayurveda are:
Frankincense (Boswellia serrata, Boswellia carteril)—A 2011 preliminary clinical trial found encouraging results from osteoarthritis patients who received a compound from Boswellia serrata gum resin which acted as a potent anti-inflammatory agent.
Yellow ginger/Turmeric—This powerful anti-inflammatory herb specifically addresses respiratory problems, high cholesterol, body pain and cancer, among others. Its ability to boost the immune system is remarkable.
Priest and Ayurvedic healer
Fr. Jacob Gnalian was born in Kerala, India. Kerala is known as the Cradle of Ayurveda.
He studied Ayurveda and yoga together with his studies of philosophy and theology in the seminary.
After his ordination as a priest, he started pastoral work in parishes and practiced Ayurveda particularly among poor communities in the parishes in Kerala.
Heading the Sandhi Ayurveda Clinic and Research Center in Mandaluyong City (tel. nos. 7172824 and 5315789) is Father Jacob of the Missionaries of the East. It is his life’s mission to heal the sick.
True to his priestly and Ayurvedic calling, he tends to those who visit his clinic to seek relief from their aches and pains.
He listens to patients who are in a state of distress. He tries to establish a fatherly connection with these patients to tune into their inner pain and maladies.
While visiting his clinic, I met a 75-year-old Carmelite nun, Sister Sara (not her real name) who walked down the stairs smiling and unassisted.
Three weeks before, she was brought to the center in an ambulance stretcher.
Suffering from a spine problem, her two-week hospital stay did not improve her excruciatingly painful condition which doctors said required surgery.
Afraid that she would never walk again, the nun requested that all natural remedies be exhausted before resorting to surgical intervention.
Her treatment: Panchakarma, an herbal-medicated massage done for 90 minutes daily for two weeks.
After the first session, her pain was drastically reduced and she was able to stand up and walk.
The amazing combination of 100 herbs that cured her included turmeric or yellow ginger, native white ginger and black pepper.
Another patient, Gigi, a 45-year-old accountant and mother of three, came to the clinic with Stage 2 breast cancer.
She had just finished her chemotherapy and wanted to recover from the ill effects of her treatment including nausea, weakness, knee pain/arthritis, hair loss and poor appetite.
The Panchakarma treatment, together with a 100-percent vegetarian diet, was recommended. Within two weeks, she recovered her energy and zest for life.
(Contact Fr. Jacob Gnalian at https://www.ayurvedamanila.com, tel. 0910-6871406.)
Sinus flush: In a cup of warm water mix 1/8 tsp of clean rock salt.
With the largest syringe (minus the needle) you can find in the drugstore, suck in the solution and empty it, one syringeful at a time, into one nostril.
Allow the solution to flow out the other nostril. Then follow with the other nostril. This ought to clear and cleanse your sinuses almost instantly.
Today’s affirmation: “I declare myself completely healed!”
Love and light!
E-mail the author at coryquirino1@yahoo.com.