Welcome to Arya Vaidya Sala Kottakkal

Estd.1902

HEALTH TIPS

Healthy individual should get up from sleep before sunrise to maintain his health. The teeth and gums should be cleaned daily in morning and also after food, without hurting the gums. People suffering from indigestion, vomiting, dyspnoea, cough, fever, facial paralysis, thirst, ulceration of the mouth, disease of the heart, eyes, head and ears, should not make use of tooth brush. Abhyanga (oil massage and bath) should be resorted to daily. It mitigates Vata, strengthens the body, improves sleep, promotes growth and reduces the ill-effects of aging. Lightness of the body, ability to do hard work, keen appetite, depletion of excess fat, and firm and distinct physique can be achived from Vyayamam (regular physical exercise). Individuals who are physically strong and who are accustomed to fatty food should exercise to half of their strength in cold season and in spring, while in other seasons should do it mildly. Excess of exercise may cause thirst, emaciation, severe dyspnoea, cough, vomiting, haematemesis, exhaustion, tiredness, bleeding and fever. Those who indulge daily in heavy physical exercise, keeping awake at nights, walking long distance, excess sexual intercourse, too much of laughing, speaking and other similar strenuous activities would perishl, just as a lion, after vanquishing an elephant. Massaging the body with soft, fragrant powder mitigates kapha, liquifies the fat, provides stability (compactness, strength) to the body parts and promotes health of skin. Bath improves appetite, sexual vigor, span of life, valour (enthusiasm) and strength. It removes dirt, rellieves itching, exhaustion, sweat, stupor, thirst, and burning sensation. Pouring warm water over the body bestows strength, but the same over the head, causes loss of strength of the hairs and eyes. Bath is contra indicated for those suffering from facial paralysis, disease of the eyes, mouth and ears, diarrhoea, flatulence, sinusitis, indigestion and who have just taken food. One should take food only when the previous meal gets fully digested and hunger is felt. Natural urges should not be initiated prematurely by force. No one should get otherwise engaged when the urges are patent. Happiness is based on dharma (righteousness, right moral conduct). Hence all individuals should adopt righteousness in all their deeds. Friends should be served with affection and good deeds (beneficial acts) whereas other (foes, wicked people) should be kept at a distance. Those who have no means of livelihood, who are suffering from disease and who are afflicted with grief should be helped to the utmost extent. Even the insects and ants should be treated with compassion and kindness. God, cow, brahmana, elders, scholars ,the physician, the king and guests should be treated with reverence. mendicants should not be dissappointed, abused or objected. One should be very helpful even to his adversaries, though they are not helpful. One should learn to maintain a balanced state of mind in prosperity as well as in calamity. One should not enjoy comforts and happiness all by oneself without sharing. The sense organs should neither be over-strained nor should be fondled without using them. One should not get engaged himself in concerns which are devoid of the 3 pursuits (dharma, artha, kama) One should trim his hair, nails and mustaches in time (not allow them grow long), keep feet and orifices of excretion (ear, nose, eyes, urethra and anus) always clean. Take bath daily, use scents and wear good dress which is not superfluous but is pleasant to look at. One should not sneeze, laugh or yawn without covering mouth. One should not make detestable movements of body parts. One should not sit on ones own heal for a long time. One should stop the activities of the body, of speech and of the mind before getting exhausted. One should not keep his knees in raised position for long period (keeping erect the legs folded at the knees while sleeping etc.). One should not reside on trees, junction where three roads meet, place where people assemble for recreation, vicinity of any holy tree, and a temple. One should not reside in a place of slaughter, a forest, haunted house and burial ground. One should not gaze at the sun for a long time. One should not carry heavy weight on head. One should not look continuously at objects which are minute, shining, dirty and unpleasant. One should not engage in selling/ brewing/ distributing / drinking alcohol. Exposure to direct breeze, sunlight, dust, and snow (dew) should be avoided. One should not sneeze, cough, sleep, dine or copulate in an anomalous posture. Avoid eating, copulation, sleeping, studying and recaptulation in two sandhyas (the time of sunrise, and sunset ) One should avoid exposure to the fumes of funerals. Compassion towards all living beings, altruism, control over activities , speech and thoughts, are evident qualities of good cultured individual. He, who has a regular practice of evaluating how his days are passing (and adopting the right path ) will never become a victim of sorrow. The digestive activity becomes powerful in hemantha (winter). It tends to devour the tissues? Hence in this season, food of more sweet, sour and salt tastes should be used. Digestive activity will be diminished in Vasantha ritu (spring), hence many diseases may arise in this season. Foods that are heavy to digest and those which are fatty, sour and sweet should be avoided during Vasantha ritu (spring). Use of excess salt, pungent and sour, physical exercises and exposure to sunlight should be avoided during greeshma ritu (summer). Foods which are sweet, easy to digest, cold and liquid are to be taken during summer. When hungry, one should take foods which are bitter/ sweet /astringent in taste and are easy to digest during sarat ritu (autumn). The habit of using all the six tastes every day is ideal for maintenance of health. Urges of flatus, urine, sneeze, thirst, hunger, sleep, cough, breathing on exertions, yawn, vomiting and of semen should not be suppressed (by force as a habit). Suppression of the urge of flatus, may give rise to abdominal feeling of mass, exhaustion (even without exertion), obstruction to the elimination of flatus, urine and feces, dimness of vision, dullness in digestion and diseases of heart. Suppression of the urge of feces may give rise to pain in the calves, running nose, head ache, belching, cutting pain in rectum,oppression in region of the heart,vomitting of feces and all those diseases caused by suppression of flatus. Suppression of the urge of urine causes pain all over the body, formation of urinary stones, severe pain in the urinary bladder, penis and groin along with all those diseases caused by suppression of flatus and feces. Headache, debility of the sense organs, stiffness of the neck and facial paralysis arise from the suppression of sneezing. Cutting pain in the body, loss of taste, debility, emaciation, pain in the abdomen and giddiness result from suppression of hunger. Suppression of cough cause its increase, difficulty in breathing, loss of taste, heart disease, emaciation and hiccup. Many diseases arise from premature initiation (by force) and suppression (control by force) of the urges of the body. All possible efforts should be made to clear out the malas (waste products) from tissues. Too much of their accumulation may lead) to many diseases that are difficult to be treated. Even healthy persons should drinks less quantity of water in all seasons except in autumn and summer. Persons who drink water at the end of a meal become stout. Persons who drink water at the commencement of the meal become emaciated. Cold water relieves alcoholic intoxication, exhaustion, fainting. Vomiting, debility (fatigue, giddiness, thirst, burning sensation, aggravation of pitta, rakta and poison. Hot water stimulates hunger, help digestion, good for throat, easily digestible, cleans the urinary bladder, relives hiccups, flatulence, aggravation of amla and kapha. Hot water is recommended for those suffering from fever, cough, ama, running nose, dyspnoea and pain in the flanks. Water which has been kept over night causes aggravation of all the 3 doshas. Coconut water is unctuous sweet, aphrodisiac, coolant, easily digestible, relieves thirst, in crease hunger and cleanses the urinary bladder. Generally milk is sweet in taste, unctuous, invigourating, increases the dhatus (tissues of the body) mitigates vata and pitta, is aphrodisiac, increases kapha, not easily digestible and is coolant. Cow?s milk is sustainer of life, is rejuvenator, good for those emaciated after injury (especially to the chest), increases intelligence, physical strength and also breast milk, helps easy movement of bowels and cures exhaustion, dizziness, toxicity, dyspnoea, cough, severe thirst and hunger, long standing fever, dysurea and bleeding diseases. Buffalo?s milk reduces digestion and improves sleep. Goat?s milk is easily digestible. it cures consumption, fever, dyspnoea, bleeding diseases and diorrhoea. Milk of camel is non unctuous, hot in potency, salty, stimulates digestion and is easily digestible. It is good for mitigatingvatha and kapha, distention of the abdomen and for reducing piles. Milk drawn from the udder (nipple) direct into the mouth is warm and fresh and is similar to nectar. Dadhi (curd) is sour, is constipating, hard to digest, hot in potency mitigates vata, increases fat, semen, strength, kapha, pitta, rakta, agni (digestive activity), produces edema, improve tastes or appetite. Curd is useful in loss of taste, intermittent fever, associated with cold (rigors) chronic rhinits, dysurea. Devoid of its fat, it is ideal in diseases of duodenum. Curd should not be taken at nights, not made hot, not in spring, summer and autumn,not without soup of green gram, without Honey, without ghee, without sugar candy and without gooseberry. It should not be taken daily also. If taken otherwise it may cause fever, bleeding diseases, visarpa, skin diseases, pandu (anemia) Buttermilk is easily digestible, astringent and sour in taste, kindles hunger, mitigates kapha and vata and cures oedema, ascitis, haemorrhoids, duodenal diseases, dysurea, loss of taste (appetite) enlargement of spleen, abdominal distention, complications arising from excess consumption of ghee (during oleation therapy)and anemia. Ghee is ideal for improving intelligence, memory, ingenuity, keenness of digestion, semen, eye sight and softness of the body.Ghee is good for those suffering from emaciation as a result of injury to chest, disorders of vata and pitta origin, poison, insanity and consumption. Purana ghita (ghee old by more than 10 years), cures intoxication, epilepsy, fainting, diseases of the head, ear, eye and vagina, cleanses and heals wounds. Juice of sugar cane is laxative, hard to digest, unctuous, strengthening the body, causing increase of kapha and urine, is aphrodisiac, and cures bleeding diseases. Pure honey breaks up hard masses, relieves thirst, poison, hiccup, bleeding diseases, diabetes, skin diseases, worms, vomiting, dysponea, cough, diarrhea, cleanses unites and heals wounds, aggravates vatha, is non-unctuous and slightly astringent and sweet in taste. Honey should not be used hot, in hot season, or along with hot food items. Oil of sesamum possess the properties like penetrating deep into the tissues and spreading throughout the body fast. It is bad to the eyes and also causes diseases of skin if taken in. Soup of green gram is good for health, for those who have undergone purificatory therapies and for those suffering from ulcers. Flesh of buffalo is heavy to digest, produces sleep and improves strength. Flesh of animals which have been just killed, which are free from contamination and of adult animals only are good to be used as food. Meat of animals, which are emaciated, which are very fatty, and of those animals which are dead due to diseases, water (drowning) or poison should not be used. Among the quadrupeds, the flesh of females is easily digestible. Among the birds the flesh of males is easily digestible. Garlic is highly penetrating (deep into the tissues) hot in potency, pungent in taste and also at the end of digestion, makes the bowels to move, good for the heart, aphrodisiac, unctuous, improve taste and digestion, helps gives strength, cures leucoderma and skin disease. Grapes is the best among fruits. Grapes is sweet in taste , aphrodisiac, good for eyes, and helps bowel and bladder evacuation. Dried ginger increases hunger, is aphrodisiac, good for the heart, releives constipation, bestows taste, easily digestible, sweet at the end for digestion, unctuous, hot in potency and mitigates kapha and vata. Any food item/combination that causes aggravation of the doshas but does not expell them out of the body is called Virudha (incompetable). Foods though incompatible, don?t cause disease in those who are regular on exercise, who have strong digestive power, who are healthy enough and who are strong. The unhealthy habits (foods, drinks, activities) which have became accustomed (by long use) should be discontinued gradually on a tapering manner. Similarly healthy habits (foods etc.) should be practised gradually with intervals of one, two or three days. Food, sleep and non-celibacy if properly practised, support the body just like the house (supported) by the pillars. Happiness and misery, nourishment (good physique) and emaciation, strength and debility, sexual powers and impotence, knowledge and ignorance life and its loss (death) all are hinge upon sleep. Sleep if practised at improper timings , in excess or not sufficient ,affects health. Practice of keeping awake at nights causes emaciation. sleep during day time is nourishing and taking a nap sitting comfortably during day is neither nourishing nor emaciating.. Sleeping during daytime is beneficial during summer, since in that season, vata goes an increase. The daytime sleep in seasons other than summer, causes aggravation of kapha and pitta, it is good for those who are exhausted by copious speaking, riding, walking, sexual intercourse, carrying heavy load,and physical activities. Those who are obese, are kapha predominant,and those who take fatty food items daily should not sleep during day, those suffering from diseases of poison and of the throat should not sleep night also. Improper/insufficient sleeping causes delusion, fever, lassitude, nasal catarrah, head ache, dropsy, oppression in the chest and weakness of digestive function. Loss of sleep leads to pain in the body parts, heaviness of the head, too much of yawning, exhaustion, (even without strain), giddiness, indigestion, stupor and other diseases of vata origin. If an individual has to keep awake at night, he should sleep for half the period next morning, without taking any food. Improper sex may cause giddiness, exhaustion, weakness of the thighs, loss of strength, depletion of tissues, loss of acuity of senses and premature death. Good memory, Intelligence, long life, health, nourishment, acuity of sense organs, reputation, strength and slow aging result from disciplined (controlled) sex. One should always consume proper quantity of food. Proper quantity of food is the activator of digestive functions. Consumption of insufficient quantity of food does not help strength, growth or vigour. It may also cause all diseases of vata origin. Excess quantity of food causes swift increase of all the doshas. Consumption of suitable and unsuitable foods together is to be avoided by all means. Consumption of food even again before the previous meal is properly digested is Adhyasana ? to be avoided by all means. Consuming food in improper timings is Vishamanasa ? to be avoided by all means. Food should be consumed at the proper timings. Food should be one which is self accustomed to, clean, suited to health, unctuous, hot and easily digestible. Food should be taken with due attention, should contain all the 6 tastes with slight predominance of sweet. Food should neither be taken very quick nor very slow. Food should be taken after taking bath, after having good hunger, sitting in solitude, after washing the feet, hands and face. Food should be taken after carefully considering one?s own constitution, likes and dislikes. Food should be taken in the company of the liked persons and should be served by those who are clean and credible. Food which is contaminated with grass, hairs etc., warmed afresh, which consists undesirable grains, which is very hot and very salty are should be discarded. Two parts of the stomach (half of it capacity) should be filled with solid foods, one part by liquids and the remaining one part should be kept vacant for accommodating air . Cold water is ideal after meals containing / prepared from yava (barley) and wheat, so also after consuming yogurt or curd, urine, poison and honey. Warm water is ideal after food, which are starchy, whey, buttermilk and fermented gruel. An ideal anupana (after drink) is that which has properties opposite to those of the food but not incompatible with them. Anupana (after drink) invigorates, gives contentment, helps proper movement of food inside, stability of the body parts, disintegration of hard masses of food, their proper liquefaction (moistening) and digestion. Anupana (after drink) is not good in diseases of the organs above shoulders, dyspnoea, cough, injury to chest, rhinitis, for those engaged in singing and speaking out and also when voice is highly hoarse. Every one (both healthy and sick) should avoid speaking (oration) walking long distance and sleeping immediately after consuming food or drink. exposure to sun or fire, travel in vehicles, swimming, and riding on animals should be avoided soon after consuming food. Madhura (sweet), being accustomed to since birth, produces greater strength in the dhatus (tissues) is very valuable for children, the aged, the wounded, the emaciated. Sweet is good for improving complexion, hairs, sense organs, and ojas. Sweet helps stoutness of the body, good for throat, increases breast milk. Excess use of sweet produces diseases arising form fat and kapha like obesity, dyspepsia, unconsciousness, diabetes, enlargement of glands of the neck etc. Amla (sour) stimulates the agni (digestive activity), is unctuous, good for the heart, digestive, appetiser, hot in potency, coolant on external applications,and relieves burning sensation. Excess of amla (sour) causes flabbiness of the body, loss of strength, blindness, giddiness, itching (irritation), pallor, swellings, thirst and fever. Lavana (salt) removes the rigidity, clears the obstructions (of the channels and pores) increases digestive activity, lubrications causes sweating, penetrates in to the tissues,and improves taste. Excess use of salt causes baldness, graying of hair, wrinkles of skin, thirst, skin diseases, effort of poison and decimate strength of the body. Pungent cures disease of the throat, allergic rashes, skin diseases and swelling. Pungent increases hunger, is digestive, improves taste. Over-use of pungent causes thirst, depletion of semen and strength, fainting, contractures, tunes and pain in the waist, back etc. Excess use of bitter taste causes depletion of dhatus (tissues) and diseases of vata origin. Excess use of astringent causes indigestion, flatulence, chest pain, thirst, emaciation, loss of virility, obstruction of bodily channels and constipation. Emaciation is prefferred than corpulence (obesity). There is few treatments for the obese. The pregnant woman should avoid excess of, excretion, carrying heavy loads, heavy clothings, sleeping or keeping awake at improper timings, sitting on hard seats and on heals, grief, anger, fear, emotions, suppression of urges and controlling the desires, fasting, and walking long distance. Only the one which can bring about a relief, is considered as a medicine. One who can extend relief to his patients of their ailments only is known as a good physician. One should eat in proper quantity. The quantity of food to be taken, again, depends upon the power of digestion. The amount of food that gets digested as well as metabolized in proper time, without disturbing the equilibrium of dhathus and doshas of the body is to be regarded as the proper quantity. The physique of the individual who practices oil massage regularly, won?t get much injured, even if subjected to injuries or strenuous work. His physique will be smooth, stuny, and charming. His aging process also will get delayed to a possible extent. Wearing clean apparel adds to the bodily charm, reputation, longevity and prevents inauspiciousness. It beings about pleasure, grace, competence to participate in conferences and good look. Use of scents and garlands produces good smell in the body, enhances longevity and charm, it gives corpulence and strength to the body, it is pleasing to the mind and it prevents inauspiciousness. A wise person should be vigilant about his duties towards his own body, like an officer in charge of a city and a charioteer towards the city and the chariot respectively. One should adopt only such of the means of livelyhood as it does not clash with virtuous path. One should follow the path of peace to be engaged himself in, for the ultimate success and happiness. Perspiration, enhanced respiration, and lightness of the body are indicative of the exercise being performed well. Those who have attained maturity by virtue of wisdom, age, conduct, patience, memory and meditation, who maintain the company of matured people, who are devoid of all anxieties, who are well behaved and who advocate good conduct are to be followed. One desirous of well being in whole life, should try his level best to follow the principles of health related to diet, conduct and action.

More than a century of healthcare tradition ...

Arya Vaidya Sala Kottakkal (AVS) is a century old Charitable Institution engaged in the practice and propagation of Ayurveda, the ancient health care system of India. AVS offers classical Ayurvedic medicines and authentic Ayurvedic treatments and therapies to patients from all over India and abroad.

AVS was established at Kottakkal in Kerala State of India in 1902 by the visionary physician and philanthropist, the late Vaidyaratnam P.S.Varier. Started essentially as a village clinic, it has now grown into a multi-unit, multi-disciplinary and multi-crore organisation. It has operations in different areas of Ayurvedic practice.

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Arya Vaidya Sala Kottakkal (AVS) is a 116 years old Charitable Institution engaged in the practice and...

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Many special treatments prescribed in the ancient medical classics for some of the most distressing diseases are currently practised only in Kerala.

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Arya Vaidya Sala Kottakkal (AVS) is a century old Charitable Institution engaged in the practice and propagation of Ayurveda...

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