HEART HEALTH

As per Ayurveda, heart problems are essentially vata disorders and it treats the cause, not the symptom. Diet is extremely important in ayurveda along with panchakarma and marma.

A Sanskrit proverb says,“As the food, so the mind; as the mind, so the man.” Food can be broadly divided into three categories: sattvic, rajasic and tamasic.Sattvic food includes milk and milk products (for heart patients buttermilk and skimmed milk only is advised); fruits and dry fruits; seasonal vegetables; cereals like wheat, unpolished rice, millet, jawar, bajra and corn; pulses like moong dal; sprouted cereals and pulses; spices like turmeric powder, jeera, dhania, etc; sweet tasting food like honey, jaggery, misry, and oil like filtered oil, groundnut oil and til oil. When one eats sattvic food, which is natural, and therefore easily digestible, one automatically feels contented, light, energetic, alert and joyous. Rajasic food includes nonvegetarian food; soya beans and chick peas; pulses like urad dal, chana dal and toovar dal, hot spices, onions, and garlic, excess salt. This type of food is difficult to digest. Though this food may generate energy, it leaves one in a disturbed state of mind - making them aggressive, agitated, and irritated. Tamasic food includes stale food which has been kept for more than 24 hours; processed food items; tea, coffee, cocoa, liquor, drugs, etc; fine flour (maida), polished rice, white bread, etc. Tamasic food is extremely difficult to digest, and gives no energy. After consuming, it makes a person feel dull, inert, lazy. If we can make at least 80 per cent of our daily diet sattvic, most heart ailments can be reduced as stress would be taken care of, cholesterol levels would fall, and heart patients would enjoy a joyous state of mind, enabling quick recovery.

Panchakarma is needed to flush out toxins accumulated in the body. The heart dhara treatment improves blood circulation, removes blocks, and strengthens cardiac muscles. A warm liquid containing crushed Ayurvedic herbs, water, and oil is poured into a dough (made of urad dal flour and water) and placed on the heart area for about 20-30 minutes.

Marma chikitsa is a therapy wherein the doctor uses his fingers to stimulate various vital energy points in the body for free flow of energy which helps to remove heart blocks.