Ayurveda > Ayurveda Case Notes > Vardhakya Chikitsa
By Dr. Satish Kulkarni
Preventive Measures for Senile Debility
Victor recently celebrated his 85th
birthday. He leads a very active life
and this is the reason why he is not
bed ridden even at this age. The
ayurvedic principle of life is,
"be active and live long and
healthy."
Victor
gets up at 5.00 a.m. sharp and goes
for a walk in a nearby park. A young
boy assists him for this. Earlier, he
used to walk about 3-4 kilometers but
because of his age now he walks as
much as is possible for him. When he
comes back home, he takes breakfast.
He prefers mugdal khichadi or dal
chaval or idli or dosa, etc., which are all ideal
combinations of pulses and rice.
Allopathy too recommends rice for
readily available energy and pulses
for proteins which help in cell
synthesis. Victor’s diet is
designed by Ms. Marie, his wife, who
is an ayurvedic doctor. Marie
says that diet is the most important
factor in our health and that we can
avoid most diseases if we opt for
proper homemade food which contains
all the necessary ingredients. Both
of them are vegetarian and have no
habits like smoking, drinking or
tobacco chewing which are injurious
to health. Along with his diet she
has prescribed an entire ideal daily
routine that Victor follows
methodically.
After
breakfast, Victor has a bath. He
never uses soap; instead, he and
Marie use a combination of chana
dal (split pea) flour,
milk and haldi (turmeric.)
This makes the skin smooth and
lustrous as one can see from Victor
and Marie’s example.
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Marie
believes that nurturing the mind is
equally important because any disease
which affects us, affects our
body-mind apparatus. We cannot
separate our body from our mind. If
we do not take due care of our mind,
half of our health is in danger.
Hence, after breakfast, she
prescribes a session of reading the
newspaper and listening to music.
Reading good articles, listening good
music, watching good cultural
programs and seeking company of good
friends generates good thoughts in
our mind and produces long term good
effects on health.
After
this, they take their lunch at about
11.30 in the morning. A simple
homemade meal of freshly cooked or
fried green leafy vegetables, freshly
prepared bajra roti (a kind of
flattened bread made from millet),
green salad and butter milk makes for
their usual lunch. Marie opines that
one must eat slowly and with full
concentration. She also advises
against heated discussions at the
dining table. She considers eating as
a ritual performance and thus
maintains that it should be conducted
with due honor and respect. A small
prayer before starting lunch is their
custom. It gives them peace of mind,
strength and energy.
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In
the afternoon, Marie cuts seasonal
fruits which both of them eat. Dinner
follows and here ends Victor and
Marie’s day, it’s time for
bed. Both of them take a very short
nap in the afternoon and hence they
go to bed early at 8.00 p.m. But
before going to bed they each have a
cup of warm milk mixed with 1-2
teaspoonfuls of a chewable mixture
prepared out of dry fruits. Marie
advises this for good health and a
long life. Also, one teaspoonful of chyavanprash
[an ayurvedic medicine
prepared out of amalaki
(emblica officinalis)] in the
afternoon is also recommended. This
is the only medication they are on,
as it helps in rejuvenation.
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