Pancreatitis

 At times, acute pancreatitis happens due to problems in other organs, for example, gallbladder stones. As per a study conducted by Pace Hospital, around 40% of patients suffering from acute pancreatitis had gallbladder stones. So the first step is to investigate if a person suffers from gallbladder stones or not. If a person suffers from gallbladder stones, then that person must detoxify their liver.

The gallbladder is a muscular sac attached to the liver. It stores bile. On any holiday, Epsom salt and lemon water are to be consumed in the morning, and nothing else must be consumed except water. Later, after 3 hours, Epsom salt with olive oil must be consumed, and again, after 3 hours, Epsom salt with olive oil must be consumed. Relaxation must be done on a bed, ensuring the right body side faces the bed so that the gallbladder gets stimulated, or some pressure must be applied to the gallbladder to stimulate it. This will help excrete any waste that has accumulated in the gallbladder.

Other causes of acute pancreatitis include the use of alcohol, cigarettes; constipation, diabetes, heredity, hormonal changes, obesity, etc.

If a person suffers from acute pancreatitis and consumes cigarettes, alcohol, or is overweight, they must stop consuming alcohol, cigarettes, reduce weight, and include lots of fibrous foods to prevent constipation.

If acute pancreatitis is due to heredity, hormonal issues, or stress, then pranayam and yog will help. Pranayam reduces stress, strengthens the lungs, purifies the blood, and enhances the flow of energy. The best yog asanas for pancreatitis are Kandharasana, Naukasana, Padangusthasana, Pawanmuktasana, Uttanpadasana.

If a person suffers from pancreatitis and the cause is diabetes, then diabetes must be controlled.

In simple terms, pancreatitis means inflammation in the pancreas. Inflammation generally happens due to excess heat in the body, or in terms of Ayurved, due to excess Pitta in the body. In Sanskrit, the pancreas is termed "Agnashya". Agnashya is a combination of 2 words: "Agni" means fire and "Ashay" means storehouse. Thus, the pancreas is a storehouse of fire as it is connected to metabolism. If Pitta increases in the body, then it causes pancreatitis. So the most essential thing is to prevent acidity. The best medicines that prevent Pitta from rising in the body are Avipattikar Churna, Kamdudha and Punarnava Mandur. All these 3 items are to be consumed 1 hour after dinner.

All foods that increase Pitta must be avoided, especially non-vegetarian foods, alcohol, coffee, tea, etc.

All foods that reduce Pitta in the body must be consumed in high quantity. For example, aloe-vera and wheatgrass juice mixed together and consumed early in the morning effectively reduce Pitta.

Diet must consist of lots of salads & cooling foods like carrot, celery, coriander, cucumber, melon, mint, onion, parsley, watermelon, zucchini, etc.

Wheat and brown rice must be avoided. Jowar (Sorghum), finger millet, Foxtail millet, pearl millet, and white rice must be consumed.

Amongst daals, except for moong dal, all other daals must be avoided.

Fruits and foods in their true form are best. Industrially produced, packed, and fried foods must be avoided.

Instead of normal water, coriander and fennel must be soaked in water at night, and in the morning it must be boiled and then cooled, and this water must be consumed. This will reduce pitta and enhance digestion, and reduce the chances of pancreatitis.

Thyroid problems and its cure

The thyroid gland regulates metabolism and growth, and due to improper metabolism, a person can suffer due to problems like blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, etc. Thus, the proper functioning of the thyroid gland is essential.

Thyroid problems start when the thyroid gland cannot produce enough T3, which causes hypothyroidism or overproduces T3, which causes hyperthyroidism.

 

Symptoms: - Bulging eyes, depression, fatigue, hair fall, infertility, irritability, menstrual disorders, mood swings, sudden decrease in weight, a sudden increase in weight, suicidal thoughts, vitamin D deficiency, etc.

 

Causes: - Consuming unhealthy foods, sedentary life, stress, heavy metal poisoning due to consuming sweets that have aluminium coating on them and also due to air and water pollution.

 

Thyroid problems are more common amongst women than men. Majority of these women are unaware of it & those that even suffer the above-mentioned symptoms are unable to cure it due to financial reasons or due to lack of clinics in villages.

 

Cure:- As the thyroid gland is controlled by the pituitary gland, which is located at the base of the brain, the functioning of the pituitary gland has to be improved. The best way to enhance the functioning of the pituitary gland is by performing pranayama and sungazing. Dietary supplements like almonds, walnuts, and pistachios, soaked overnight and consumed daily in the morning, help to regulate the proper functioning of the pituitary gland. Putting almond oil or Jyotishmati oil before sleeping at night also helps. Tratak kriya also helps in the functioning of the pituitary gland. Foods that detoxify the body like garlic, onions, papayas, and pineapples also help in the functioning of the pituitary gland.

 

Awareness about heavy metal poisoning in India is rare. Unfortunately, doctors don’t want to discuss this as they don’t want to demean and disparage the Government responsible for pollution-related problems. Majority of Indians are fond of sweets and most of the sweets in India contain aluminum foil. Clean water is not used to produce sweets. This affects the functioning of the pituitary gland and thyroid gland. Those that consume fish are unaware of the fact that fish live in polluted lakes and rivers. Most of the rivers in India contain industrial waste such as mercury. Majority of Indians who consume fish also ingest mercury and other heavy metals. This impacts the body glands negatively. Thus, for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland, one must start with detoxification of the body. Regarding detoxification, one must detoxify the body as per his/her body type. For Kapha body types, they must prefer to detoxify their body’s upper and lower parts, so they have to perform vomit and also use enemas. Those that have vata body may not need to vomit and only rely on enemas. After detoxification, one must consume coriander water instead of normal water. Coriander water can be prepared by soaking coriander seeds overnight, boiling the water in the morning, letting it cool, and consuming this water for at least 3 months. Lemon juice can be put in this water to enhance its taste and benefits. Coriander is excellent for the detoxification of heavy metals from the body. Also, if coriander is put in most of the foods, then it helps. Also, one must increase consumption of salads, and in salads they must have cilantro, cumin, dill, and parsley.

 

Foods for thyroid: - Fennel saag sabzi and cumin rice. Lentils, cottage cheese, butter, ghee, bananas, carrots, are good for overall hormonal functioning. Cruciferous vegetables like Arugula, Bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, collard greens, daikon, kale, kohlrabi, watercress etc. help to detoxify the body. Coconut chutney and avial are also good for thyroid problems. Chia seeds soaked overnight and consumed in the morning also helps.

 

One must also avoid all industrially processed foods, packed foods, and fried and baked foods. Packed foods are mostly unhealthy as they are loaded with preservatives and industrialised salt and sugar. Excess pitta in the body also aggravates thyroid problems. Those suffering due to pitta problems may consume aloe vera frequently and coriander, cumin, and fennel soaked in water at night and then boil the water in the morning, letting it cool, and then consuming it. Those that have a pitta body composition must avoid foods that increase body heat, like spices.

 

Anyone suffering due to thyroid problems must perform bhamri pranayama, ujjayai pranayama, Jalandhar bandh & Roar like a lion, daily in the morning after cleaning their bowels & sit in vajrasan after meals.

 

Those suffering from hyperthyroidism must avoid iodised salt & industrialised salt & have rock salt or saindha salt instead.

 

People suffering from thyroid problems must avoid soy products, refrigerated products, and water stored in plastic bottles. Instead, water stored in earthen pots must be consumed and, preferably, foods must also be prepared in earthen pots instead of aluminium vessels. Tea and coffee must also be avoided as ssthey interfere with the functioning of the pituitary gland.

Maha Shivratri’s real significance

In India, spirituality has mostly been presented to have some miraculous powers or magic. This was done in ancient times to bring more people towards spirituality so that more people could be united through a common belief system. There is nothing wrong with this logic and it indeed did well for society as more people came together and, due to that, society’s bond got stronger.

The wise people knew that group spirituality is helpful as it helps to have some kind of group therapy to attain peace and bond with one another, whereas others got too carried away with a belief that spirituality holds some magical powers or is a panacea for all problems. Due to illogical logic about spirituality and the way it is presented as easy and enjoyable, to bring many people together, many Indians did not follow true spirituality as practised by Lord Shankarjee and thus could not defend themselves against Western nations. Thus, India remained under Moghul rule for around 750 years and under British rule for around 250 years. No nation has suffered slavery for roughly 1,000 years except India. 

Majority of Indians still hold a belief that spirituality has magical powers and that Indians are superior to others, but the fact is that majority of Indians have to struggle for basic amenities. For example, majority of Indians live in villages, and they have to travel miles to fetch water. India’s new capital, Delhi, old capital, Kolkata, and financial capital, Mumbai, happen to remain the most polluted cities. India ranks 2nd in Aids, 1st in blood pressure-related problems, 1st in cholesterol and cancer-related diseases, and 1st in diabetes-related disorders. Doctor-patient ratio and police population ratio in India remain worst in the world. The problem is that we get so mesmerised by past stories that it does not allow us to comprehend current facts and figures.

So, you see, it's high time we all realise that the so-called spirituality that is mostly preached in India was never & will never be a panacea and if we do not practise true spirituality as followed by Lord Shankarjee, we will continue to top the world with respect to most of the problems.

Maha Shivratri happened to be a night to understand true spirituality and revise it yearly on this very night so that we follow the path of Lord Shankarjee daily and acquire his qualities to have happiness and harmony in life.

So now I will shine light on Maha Shivaratri for those that are celebrating this for the first time. It is celebrated every year either on a day that falls at the end of February, or during the early March days or during the Hindu month of Phalgun. It is believed that Goddess Parvati, wife of Lord Shankarjee, prayed, meditated & fasted on Maha Shivratri for the well-being of Lord Shankarjee & hoped to ward off any evils that he may experience. Though both men and women celebrate Maha Shivaratri, it is especially an auspicious day for women. Married women pray for the well-being of their husbands and sons, while unmarried women pray for a husband like Lord Shankarjee, who is considered to be the ideal husband.

On Maha Shivaratri, devotees awake at sunrise, bathe in the holy river (like the Ganges River) and wear new clothes. On the day of the festival, people will fast and spend the day focused on Lord Shankarjee, meditating and chanting "Om Namaha Shivaya." Thus, offering their obeisance to Lord Shankarjee, the mind is held in such single-pointed concentration throughout the day. Then they flock to the temples, carrying holy water to bathe in and worship the Shivalingam. This bathing of the Shivalingam symbolises the cleansing of one's soul. Next, the Shivalingam is decorated with flowers and garlands. It is customary to spend the entire night awake practising the same tapa that Lord Shankarjee practises.

Maha Shivaratri is a ritual that goes through four stages: preparation, purification, comprehension, and celebration. Most of us go through the first and last stages, but do not go through the 2nd and 3rd stages, which are essential and which I will share. After the 2nd and 3rd stages, Lord Shankarjee is said to manifest as the inner light of purified consciousness, and then celebration gets performed as the 4th stage. This climax at night represents our overcoming of dark ignorance and reaching the state of purified spiritual knowledge. In this way, we overcome the influence of the mind and senses, as demonstrated by staying awake all night, and enter a state of steady awareness where spiritual awakening occurs. If one can follow this process, then he or she can experience the real meaning of Maha Shivaratri.

As we all know what the 1st stage that’s preparation is about, I will not talk much about it. In short, it starts with emptying your bowels, cleaning your body & mouth then wearing comfortable clothes etc.

The 2nd stage, that is, purification, is about purifying mind and body, which can be done by practising what Lord Shankarjee did. Lord Shankarjee is famous for Tapa and sitting on ashes. It resembles burning our impurities. Many say that tapa helps to burn our desires, but that is not the case. It is about burning our impurities at physical and mental levels. When we fast and perform tapa, our body's digestive organs are least stressed. When we eat, body uses energy to metabolise food, but when we fast, body does not have to metabolise food, thus uses energy to repair and also eat up fat. Many suggest that one must give stress to body before the night of Maha Shivratri to appease Lord Shankarjee. However, it is not right. In fact, we can aid the body with freshly prepared juice of citrus fruits like lime or orange, or have coconut water or watermelon juice, or coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and fennel seeds boiled in water, as it helps to reduce acidity and bloating. Even green tea also helps. Purification is not an easy process. It requires mind and body to be in sync, which can occur when we are relaxed. Those who do not feel the need for such drinks can avoid them. Some have milk or milk products as they think that because milk is offered to Lord Shankarjee it can be consumed, but preferably milk and milk products must be avoided as these are whole foods and make a person feel sleepy. When it comes to performing tapa, it is done to get rid of body’s impurities. It is essential as impurities are obstacles in the path of attaining equanimity. Tapa helps to rewire our brains to their natural state. This is essential because when we grow, we instil many dogmas, fears, or arrogance. We forget how to control our anger. Some wish evil on others and could commit crime. Some get greedy and could engage in unethical acts, and some become hedonistic, thus act immorally. These imbalances affect our minds, and Lord Shankarjee has taught us Tapa to free our minds from these mental prisons as they bring imbalances into our lives. Due to imbalances, there is lack of harmony in our lives, and because of lack of harmony, we cannot live happily or give happiness to others.

Tapa or by practising Patanjali Yog Sutras which was also taught by Lord Shankarjee helps us to balance our mind & sync properly with our body. This helps us to attain energy from nature as body’s 70% energy requirements depend on Air, Water & Sunlight. Attaining proper energy from nature with tapa helps to have harmony & happiness. A happy mind can adapt & adjust well despite difficult surroundings & also with people of different types something Lord Shankarjee inspires us as he lives in a difficult place with different types of people.

The 3rd stage is about comprehension, Tapa helps us to have more comprehension of our mind and we recognise our actions. It helps us to have the ability to think about common grounds to enrich our relationships with ourselves and also with others. This helps to prevent conflicts and frustration, as these are barriers in the path of equanimity and progress. We also develop a fair relationship with nature, making us feel more concerned about taking its care and utilising resources responsibly so that other species can also live in harmony.

Eventually, in the 4th step, we celebrate attaining wisdom and peace, and not for being able to keep fast throughout the day.