Health & You

The quality of your health directly impacts the quality of your life. And now more than ever it is easy to be healthy. There are gyms and spas round every corner. Every hospital will provide nutrition guidance and help you plan a lifestyle that is tailored to keep you healthy

Health is big business, worth billions and billions of rupees. From pharmaceutical companies to the thriving alternative remedy providers such as acupuncture and ayurveda, from the licensed medical practitioners such as doctors and nurses to the more peripheral and loosely structured health care providers, health represents a large chunk of any functional economy and health is always one of the prime indicators for development studies. Health is also fast becoming a viable source of income for the national economy with the rise of health tourism.

Countries like India are ideally poised to benefit greatly from health related developments. As of now our billion plus population has inadequate access to health care, which means that there is a vast scope for the development of a health infrastructure: from hospitals to medical services, from doctors and nurses to more easily affordable medication, India has ample room and scope to improve and grow, which is good news not just for the economy but for the people. Added to which is the incentive of medical tourism, which is poised to be a major economic boost. As healthcare becomes increasingly expensive in first world countries many people are looking to travel to countries like India which can provide world class health care at a fraction of the cost.

But health, at the end of the day is not a commodity that can be purchased. Health is a state of being, and a fragile state of being at that. Unfortunately, we tend to take health for granted until we are jolted out of our complacency by a rude event such as an illness. To be healthy today is admittedly not an easy goal. The long evolutionary process of which we are the end result geared the human body towards a life which the vast majority of us no longer live. Industrialization and development have led to a life style that is at complete variance with our evolutionary processes. We lead, for the large part, sedentary lives that entail little or no physical exertion. The food we eat is no longer a means of sustenance. It is by and large a form of indulgence and sensory gratification. Added to all of these changes is the spectre of new and mutating forms of viruses and diseases such as the latest one, the Swine Flu, which is currently poised on the verge of becoming a level six pandemic, according to the World Health Organisation.

Health is a gift that needs to be nurtured and taken care of. Fortunately, it is entirely within our power to do so. The basic unit of health is our body and unless we abuse it to an intolerable level, it only requires basic maintenance. If you are merely unfit and as yet disease free then all you have to do is take care of your body. Exercise, in whatever form appeals to you, and a balanced diet will help you maintain healthy status without undue stress. The upside to maintaining physical health is the fact that you tend to function better in mental and emotional terms when you are physically we l l . Even if you have discovered the value of health the hard way, by falling ill or suffering from a lifestyle disease such as diabetes, health is a still an achievable goal for you. Managing a disease is possible with the right combination of exercise, diet and medical care. "With mean age increasing in our country, more and more people present with geriatric problems like arthritis, cardiac ailments, hypertension, senile eye problems and cancer. There is a lot of focus on improving the Quality of life of these Geriatric patients and now technology has made it possible to undergo safe surgery like Joint Replacement", says Dr. Dinesh Batra, CEO, Primus Super Specialty Hospital The bottom line is a simple one; the quality of your health directly impacts the quality of your life. And now more than ever it is easy to be healthy. There are gyms and spas round every corner. Every hospital will provide nutrition guidance and help you plan a lifestyle that is tailored to keep you healthy. So don't wait, be healthy.

Test your health

To know the current state of your health count your breaths per minute. If they are around 8-10 then there is nothing to worry; 12-15 start yoga; over 15 then immediate corrective measures are required. Yoga and Sanatan Kriya prescribe techniques to regulate your breath flow so that you feel charged up and radiate health. Let's take up a technique of this kriya as prescribed by Yogi Ashwini to regulate and synchronize the breath with the body's biorhythms. Bhramari Pranayama: Use your thumbs to shut your ears and put your fingers at the back of your head; then shut yours eyes and make a humming sound like that of a male bee. Hold for as long as you can. Repeat this five times daily. Enjoy health and vigour.