Awareness class taken at Amrutha vidyalaya Thalassery on Health & Hygiene

1. HEALTH AND HYGIENE
Dr. Remya Krishnan MD PhD ( Ay)
Associate Professor &Head of Department,
Dept.of Clinical Pharmacology in Ayurveda
Govt. Ayurveda Medical college ,Mahe

2. What is health?
Health is the cumulative effect of :
 Normal structures in the body
 Normal functioning of all structures in the body
 Normal anabolism , metabolism and catabolism in the
body.
 Normal excretory processes, both internal as well as
external.
 Clear state of self (Atma), mind (Manas) and all motor
and sense organs ( Indriyas).
 “ Sukha samjnakam arogyam” -HEALTH IS HAPPINESS

3. Evidence based parameters of health in
Ayurveda
• We need not become a doctor to self estimate our health.
 Appearance of normal voice and complexion
 No sufferings of any kind in body and mind.
 Optimum nourishment of the body (Normal BMI )
 Increase in physical strength and immune response.
 Good appetite at meal time
 Desire to take the food at times of appetite .
 Proper digestion of food
 Good sleep at appropriate time with absence of undesirable dreams .
 Fresh and enthusiastic feeling on waking up.
 Proper elimination of urine stool, normal and undisturbed menstrual cycles in
ladies.
 Unimpairment of mind, intellect and senses with association of all health
parameters above

4. Now you know
• The cause and circumstances for health and
disease are unique.
• Now you know that health is not the absence
of disease .
• Health is but the presence of all specific
criteria of health .
• Abnormality in any or all these parameters
clearly indicate ill health .

5. Factors which affect health
• The nature of air you breathe .
• The nature of environment you live in.
• The nature of food you eat .
• The nature of physical activity you are engaged in.
• The nature of diet, regimen and treatment that you
adopt when you are sick .
• The nature of your genetic predisposition .
• The nature of your mother’s health in pregnancy, diet
and medicaments by your mother during her
pregnancy.

6. Prajnaaparadha – cause of ill health
• Prajnaaparadha is the state of absence of
knowledge to distinguish what is favourable
and what is unfavourable in accordance to the
status of your body and mind.
Dhee bhramsha –Impaired Dhee (intellect ) .
Dhrithi bhramsha – Impaired Dhrithi (self
control) .
Smruthi bhramsha – Impaired smrithi
(memory of experiences )

7. Dhee bhramsha – Impaired intellect
• The reason is absence of accurate knowledge
on how to recognise what is favourable and
what is unfavourable and why it is so.
Example , we think that filtered water is safe to drink because
we are deprived of the real knowledge that unboiled water is
heavy to digest , slows down the metabolism and drainage in
course of time, induces blockage in circulatory channels and
hence not safe for regular drinking.

8. Another example for Dhee bhramsha
• Our intellect gets altered ( Dhee bhramsha) many times by
wrong information .
Example, we think that lemons and oranges are good in cold
as they contain Vitamin C . But the truth is that all sour things
infact aggravate the mucous and circumstances for thriving of
microbes in the body and also inflammation .
• If you drink lemon/orange juice in cold , cold will aggravate
within minutes .Your nose & throat will be full of mucous, your
cold will shoot up !

9. Dhrithi bhramsha
• Dhrithi bhramsha is poor mental control
despite of proper awareness .
Example ,When your doctor tells you to avoid chocolates / milk
/ cool drinks for a specific period by reasoning , you neglect
his advice.
Taking bath when you have sinusitis by neglecting medical
advice

10. Smruthi bhramsha
• Smruthi bhramsha is inability to recall the
experiences .
Example, a person once if once had an
aggravation of Asthma by eating pickles
forgetting the same and eating again .
A person getting sudden acute sprain applies pain
balm by forgetting the fact that pain balm
augmented pain last time when he did that .

11. Ways to health
• True knowledge of causes and circumstances
of health and ill health .
• Practice of self control at times of health and
ill health .
• Memorising the impact of diet and regimen
practiced at times of your ill health.

12. Food
• How much food we need ?
It is completely dependent on your power of
appetite and digestion. Eating not in
accordance to appetite makes you unhealthy .
• When should we eat ?
We must eat only when we get appetite .
Appetite comes after the digestion of previous
meal you have taken .

13. • How will I recognise appetite?
Obviously you will start feeling to eat . Apart from
that you will feel light and energetic . Your
belching will be devoid of any smell of
previously consumed food. It is important to
recognise appetite before eating
• How much should I eat ?
You must leave some space in stomach to allow
proper digestion and also for water. This will
ensure the proper digestion and normal
peristaltic movements .Do not eat full stomach .

14. Do you know?
• Are there any side effects for over nutrition?
Most of the diseases in Kerala today prevailing among
children and youngsters like infections, inflammatory
disorders , allergies, poor concentration, memory loss,
recurrent infections of all kinds , stunted growth despite of
dumping of nutrients, Diabetes, dyslipidemia, heart attack
etc are chiefly owing to over nutrition or incorrect nutrition
at times of health as well as disease .

15. What food should I take ?
• We have to include all the six tastes in our food – sweet,
sour, pungent, salty, bitter and astringent .
• The cereals are sweet in taste ,ghee ( the best sweet fat for
you) less sour buttermilk , optimum salt , moderate spices ,
bitter vegetables like bitter gourd, snake gourd, turmeric etc
and astringent beans, lentils, peas, lettuce, and other green
leafy vegetable.

16. Scientific evidence in Ayurveda
• Balanced diet is the diet is that which incorporates
optimised use of all the six tastes in the diet at health
in the form of cereals , pulses , healthy fats , vegetables
and fruits which are compatible to the status of your
body at the time of food intake and power of digestion.
• Continuous excess use of any taste will provoke
unhealthy circumstances in the body which could
trigger an infection, allergies, inflammatory diseases ,
hair fall , Diabetes, cancer, skin ailments , obesity ,
Asthma , poor memory ,bleeding disorders etc etc .
• Vegetarian predominant diet is most compatible to our
gut and body .

17. Scientific evidence in AyurvedaTaste ( excess use ) Bad effects
Sweet foods ( rice , chappathies,
sweets, chocolates, biscuits ,milk and milk
products etc)
Thyroid anomalies, obesity, poor
appetite,obstruction in blood vessels Memory
loss, Cancer, worm infestation , Ascites, etc
Sour foods ( curd, pickles, sauces, sour
fruits, tamarind , Malabar tamarind , small
bananas , citrus fruits etc)
Fragility of body tissues, Anaemia, visual
impairment , trigger of respiratory and skin
allergies , bleeding disorders, edema, vertigo etc
.
Salty foods ( pappads, namkeen, pickles,
dried fish ,curd chillies etc)
Baldness, premature greying of hair, excess thirst,
increased body heat , inflammatory disorders ,
bleeding disorders, impaired circulation , loss of
immune strength etc.
Pungent foods ( chillies, pickles, spicy
chutneys, garlic,turmeric , fish , chicken etc )
Giddiness, circulatory defects , weakness,
impaired fertility , loss of body fat , degenerative
process triggered.
Bitter foods ( Bitter gourd, turmeric,
unsweetened cocoa, coffee, citrus peel )
Weakness, loss of strenth, impaired circulation,
atherogenesis, dehydration
Astringent foods ( green leafy vegetables,
green bananas , apples , lentils , peas )
Impaired feritility, emaciation of body,
obstruction of bowel and bladder reflexes,
sudden onset of paralysis

18. IMPORTANT CAUSES OF ALL DISEASES
Excess nutrition
1. Eating before the previous meal gets fully
digested .
2. Eating excess quantity of food more than
required by your body.
Incorrect nutrition
1. Nutrition not suited to the status of the body .
2. Nutrition not suited to the status of the disease

19. INCORRECT NUTRITION
( scientific evidence in Ayurveda)
• Unsuited diet for daily use- Paneer, pork meat, beef, fish ,
curd, black gram .
Regular intake of these foods would eventually accelerate
undesirable reactions in body tissues and result in abnormal
immune response , recurrent infections, Allergies,
autoimmune diseases, cancers , hypertension , cardiovascular
diseases , blood borne diseases , bleeding diseases etc.
• Use of unsuitable diet which triggers the cause of a disease
– The use of even one tsp of milk /oil during infections would
aggravate the same within minutes as milk/oil is a good
culture medium for microbes to grow and multiply

20. Infections
• Infections are the result of declined immune
response to fight the microbes .
• The real culprit are not the microbes , but the
adverse circumstances within your body
which favour the growth and virulence of
microbes .
• The nature of food and water we consume at
the time of infections crucially determine the
period of recovery from all infections.

21. If you stay on these foods in infections, you
recover amazingly fast !

22. Microbes survive and multiply in your
blood when you are on these foods !
Fermented foods
Fruits
Milk and milk products
Fish , eggs and meat
Unboiled water
Tender coconut, juices
Fried foods

26. Advantages of Evidence Based Ayurveda (EBA) in
infections
• If you follow the guidelines of Evidence
Based Ayurveda , recovery period is not more
than three days for any acute infection.
• You will feel active and acquire all other
parameters of health during the period of
recovery .
• Your immune strength will enhance which
protects you from any kind of infection in
near future.

27. Recovery= Health

28. Allergies
• Allergies are not because of declined immune
strength but because of altered immune
response .
• Altered immune response is because of
undesirable antagonism developing in body
tissues which develop by the practice of
unfavourable diet, regimen and treatment at
times of any illness .
• They create latent toxicity in the tissues and
provoke Hypersensitivity ( Allergic) reactions .

29. Evidence Based Management of Allergies
• The scientific treatment for Allergies in Ayurveda
is not avoiding dust and smoke but changing the
internal circumstances of the body and
rectifying the altered immune response.
• The results are fast and primarily focussed on
neutralisation of toxins in the circulation in stage
1 and rectification of immune response in stage 2
• Practice of scientific diet and regimen makes the
recovery process fast .

30. Healthy eating
• Healthy diet is the compatible right nutrition for you in
the right amount consumed in accordance to your
body/ disease status
• Eat only when you are hungry .
• Eat light warm vegetarian foods with predominance of
all the six tastes and sweet ( carbohydrates) in
predominance in accordance to your appetite.
• Bakery foods, fish and meat, junks and juices, ice
creams, cold drinks, chocolates etc are to be highly
restricted if you really want a long healthy life

31. • Drink hot medicated (dry ginger + coriander
seeds)frequently in small quantities to improve
digestion, metabolism, circulation and excretion .
• Practice moderate physical exercise in empty
stomach .
• Follow the special nutrition schedule when you
are sick for fast recovery .Follow the advice of
science based practitioner of Ayurveda.

32. Special Nutrition Schedule
PRACTICE THIS WHENEVER YOU ARE SICK BY ANY MEANS FOR
FAST RECOVERY !!
Special Nutrition Schedule (SNS) is the specific diet plan
and regimen in accordance to the scientific guidelines of
Ayurveda to be practiced when you are sick by any means
for fast recovery .
• Hot moderate spicy oil free vegetarian food .
• No milk and milk products, sour foods, fruits , non
vegetarian foods , bakery , sweets and fermented foods .
• No oil bath ( no head bath in respiratory infections ), no
unboiled water or cold water, cool drinks, fruits and fruit
juices, tender coconut, HEALTH DRINKS etc .
• Stick on to cooked cereals, rice, dry chappathies , cooked
vegetables with moderate spices and salt and frequent
intake of hot boiled water ( dry ginger + coriander seeds)

33. First Aid – Trauma
Cuts and scrapes - Minor cuts and scrapes
usually don't require a trip to hospital.
1. Wash the wound thoroughly with clean running water . Dry
the area by sterile cotton.
2. Give one Vilwadi tablet immediately to avoid the wound
getting septic.
3. To stop the bleeding and accelerate the healing process,
apply cotton pad soaked in an Ayurvedic medicine called
Murivenna and dress the area well by bandage clothe .

34. TRAUMA FIRST AID
Wash by clean running water and dry
Dress the wound by Murivenna soaked
sterile cotton pad and leave it for three
hours
DO NOT APPLY ANY OTHER OILS
OTHER THAN MURIVENNA !

35. Avoid ice rubbing !
• Never apply ice packs over the injured area !!
• Ice packs impair the circulation to the injured area and
delays healing.
• Though ice packs immediately numbs the area and relieves
the pain temporarily ,it will induce the chances of nerve
tissue and muscle damage and cooling also increases
muscular spasms , musle inflammation and pain eventually.
The pain becomes intolerable in minutes and for that you
are prescribed pain killers !
• Next time, apply Murivenna bandage immediately after
washing well and drying for fast healing !!!

36. First Aid – Trauma
• The earlier Murivenna is applied, stitching could be avoided
even for jagged wound which exposes fat and muscle.
• Murivenna accelerates the healing of wound and prevents
the chance of infections. Murivenna also prevents the
chances of haematoma formation and other complications .
• Murivenna plastering is employed for fracture management
in Ayurveda .
• Medical monitoring is required for five days in moderate to
severe trauma .
• Special nutrition schedule should be followed ideally for five
days .

37. FIRST AID – Acute Pain
• Acute pain (non traumatic) happens by inflammatory
process in your body .
• Any kind of balm or oil application or cold packs over the
area will immediately trigger the inflammation and
accelerates the pain within minutes.
• Apply dry heat over the area, follow special nutrition
schedule and seek Ayurvedic medical help , you will be
relieved in not more than 24-48 hours

38. Ayurvedic ORT
• Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) checks all possible
complications of diarrhoea and vomiting .
• Ayurvedic ORS is not merely targeted fast preventing
dehydration, but also therapeutically aims at enhancing the
metabolism and effective drainage of microbial /food toxins
and also provides optimum nourishment to body tissues .
• Take five tablespoons full of Malar as well as half tsp of
Jeera in 10 glasses of water , boil well and give only three
tsps in every twenty minutes .
• Ayurvedic ORT treats the disease and stabilises the patient
status very fast under medical monitoring in intended
cases .

40. Finally you must know
• The cause and circumstances of health are different from disease .
• Disturbance in health parameters indicates the chances of any
disease .
• All diseases progress primarily owing to practice of incorrect and
unscientific nutrition and regimen and not by the
deficiency of medicine .
• The best time to improve your health is when you are sick .
• Cure of disease could be only confirmed by the
attainment of features of health in the
body

41. HYGIENE IN AYURVEDA
• Hygiene refers to all conditions and practices
that help to maintain health and prevent the
spread of diseases.
• Hygiene practices refer to the cleaning of
environment which we are a part of as well as
internal and external hygiene measures for our
body and mind .
• There are evidence based guidelines in Ayurveda
for practice of environmental as well as personal
hygiene

42. Air and environment
 It is our duty and responsibility to make our
environment clean.
 Recycle paper, plastic, glass bottles, cardboard, and
aluminum cans. (This conserves energy and reduces
production emissions.)
 Sewage, chemical &organic wastes should not be
released into the water bodies.
 Avoid or minimise the use of ozone depleting
chemicals as they deplete the ozone layer.
 Grow plants and allow them to survive long .
 There are herbs used for medicated fumigation to
disinfect air like Guggulu , Saral, turmeric etc

43. PERSONAL HYGIENE PRACTICES
• Healthy person should get up in Brahma muhurtha (last three
hours of night- 3 am to 6 am )
• Brushing of teeth –Patients suffering from indigestion,
vomiting, dyspnoea, cough , fever , facial paralysis ,
ulcerations of mouth , diseases above neck , must clean by
their fingers and not with tooth brush .
• Medicated gargles are advised in accordance to the situation .
• Oil application – Head, ears and feet – good vision,
nourishment to body , hair , good sleep, long life and healthy
skin

44. PERSONAL HYGIENE
• Contraindication of oil : All infections, inflammations, allergies,
indigestion, sprain .
• Physical exercise – Moderate physical activity for lightness of
body, improving digestion and metabolism, efficiency of functions
of all organs, reduction of excess fat, attainment of stable and
distinct physique .
• Contraindication- Indigestion, infections, degenerative changes ,
exertion above food are contraindicated for exercise.
• Bath- in luke warm water over body ( not head) bestows
strength, mental wellbeing, removes bad dreams at night ,
removes the accumulated dirt and dust, enhances lustre of the
skin, auspicious, alleviates tiredness

45. HYGIENE PRACTICES
• Contraindications : Infections,diarrhoea , inflammation in
any part of the body, indigestion or just above food.
• Persons should take food only after the digestion of previous
food and only those foods that are suitable to his body
status in limited quantity .
• You should neither forcefully initiate urges nor suppress
them . Attending calls of nature on time is extremely
important to maintain your internal biological rhythm .

46. Points to ponder
 Personal hygiene practices are not the same in health
and disease
 When you are sick, hygiene practice guidelines will be
suggested in accordance to your nature of illness and
status of body .
 Practice of scientific nutrition schedule is the best
hygiene practice which gives you thousand times
more protection from all kinds of infections than
antiseptic hand wash.
 Hygiene of interior of the body is the crucial
determinant of period of recovery from infections as
well as extent of protection of family .

47. INTERNAL HYGIENE IS CRUCIAL
Fermented foods
Fruits (in unsuited status)
Milk and milk products
(in unsuited status)
Fish , eggs and meat
Unboiled water
Tender coconut, juices
Fried foods Primary causes
Without internal hygiene measures, no use of
external hygiene measures !

48. MENTAL HYGIENE – Sadvritta
• Happiness should be based on dharma
(righteousness) .
• Friends should be served with affection and help , whereas
wicked persons should be kept at a distance.
• Himsa (Causing injury to others), Steya (stealing ), Anyathaa
kama ( interest in others’ belongings), Paishunya (abusive
language), anritha vachana ( telling lies), sambhinna
aalaapa ( initiating quarrel), vyaapaada ( intention of
causing harm) , abhidya (jealousy ), drigviparyaya ( finding
fault with scholars and Gurus) are the ten sins that should
be avoided

49. MENTAL HYGIENE
• Those who have no means of livelihood , who are suffering
from diseases and who are afflicted with grief are to be
supported by all possible means .
• Even the animals and other fellow creatures should be
treated with passion and kindness.
• God, cow, teachers, scholars , elders , the physician, the king
and the guest should be always honoured with great
respect . Surrendering to them ensure our long healthy and
peaceful life .
• One should maintain a balanced mind in periods of wealth
as well as crisis .

50. HYGIENE
• One should speak appropriate to the occasion and on the target and truth
always.
• One should neither believe everybody nor suspect every one . One must
apply his wisdom to distinguish truth and untruth .
• The sense organs should be neither strained nor fondled too much .
• One should take undiplomatic decisions in life by avoiding over
attatchment to anything .
• One should cut his nails, trim hairs and moustaches on time , keep his
feet and all orifices clean , take bath daily at health and wear hygienic
clothing which is pleasant .
• One should use umbrella in sun and rain , should not sneeze, laugh or
yawn without covering mouth .
• One should not unnecessarly blow his nose , not scratch the ground
without any reason , nor do ugly movements or sit on ones own heels for
too long.

51. HYGIENE
• One should not engage in exertional activities beyond his
strength and threshold .
• Should not gaze at the sun for too long
• One should engage himself in a profession which is righteous
, which bestows peace of mind and that which constantly
encourages him to learn.
• One should not engage in liquor business .
• Compassion for all living beings, practice of self control in
physical and mental activities as well as speech , ability to
find others interests as one’s own are the chief rules of
moral conduct in Ayurveda

52. Internal hygiene is MOST important !!!
When you are sick , follow these
Eat light hot fresh food Dry ginger water No junk Eat more vegetarian food
Do not take bath at fever
and head bath during cold .

54. Points to ponder
• Hygiene- health care practices in Ayurveda are
advocated for long healthy peaceful life and fast
recovery from all physical and mental ailments .
• Constant practice of these guidelines greatly withholds
the instinct for crime in the society .
• Incorporation of health and hygiene guidelines of
Evidence Based Ayurveda in school curriculum
immensely contributes to the physical and mental
health progress and wellbeing of tomorrow’s citizens .

55. THANK YOU !
inTy.IhtaharivharsevI
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data sm: sTypr: 9mavan
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