Archive for December, 2010

Depression is a major problem faced by people of all ages around the world in this modern society. It is very hard to get away from depression. People face it no matter who you are and what you do. Depression is caused by unhapiness, lonely ness and various other reasons. Depression is a common disorder found in elderly people mainly due to lonelyness. As we are moving forward towards moderanization, we are busy and don’t have much time for our loved and dear ones.

Depression is a day today problem and it is not a disease in my opinion. It is a state of condition that changes with time and location. Eating Mediterranean diet generally makes people less depressed. There are number of studies done on the subject. In my opinion, ingredients used in Mediterranean food are responsible. According to Ayurvedic studies, Allium Sativum (garlic), has intellect promoting properties that may alleviate depression.

In a pilot study, dehydrated powder of Indian garlic was administered to 32 patients with depresion. The garlic powder was given at a dose of 1 gm (equivalent to 5 gm of raw garlic) three times a day for 1 month. Results showed significant relief in seven of eight symptoms tested as shown below. This study was done at Institute of Post Graduate Teaching and Research in Ayurveda at Jamnagar, Gujarat, India.

EFFECT OF ALLIUM SATIVUM LINN. ON DEPRESSION

Mean score a*

Symptom Before After Percent relief

Depressed mood 2.23 0.92 55.19

Guilt 1.38 0.53 61.33

Suicidal tendency 0.53 0.30 43.54

Insomnia 1.23 0.61 50.03

Work and interest 3.00 1.23 51.28

Agitation 1.07 0.30 71.89

Gastrointestinal 1.46 0.07 94.83

Genital symptoms 0.38 0.07 80.97

a* The mean score highlights the grading of symptoms based on mild, moderate, and severity of symptom.

Links are from medical journals and do not represent the suggestions or advise of Indus Organics. Please consult your natural health practitioner for usage. It is not advisable to discontinue your current medication and start natural herbs without consulting your doctor.

Author wish to thank Prof. Hari Sharma, MD, DABP, FCAP, FRCPC, DABHM

The Ohio State University Center for Integrative Medicine; College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. for providing the article THE JOURNAL OF ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE Volume 13, Number 9, 2007, pp. 1011–1019 © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. DOI: 10.1089/acm.2007.7017-A that forms the basis of this blog.

Introduction: This blog series will compile research and articles published in reputed medical journals by experts in medical field. Idea of this series is to educate and introduce people about alternative medicine and how it can supplement the current modern medicine. There are some good things that can be learnt from alterantive medicine due to its long history of usage worldwide. All medical practices such as Nature Cure, Ayurvedic, Homeopathy, Chinese and Modern medicine have limitations. A synergetic and complimentary usage of different practices could provide results that are not achievable with single practice. An integrative approach is needed to combat the illnesses at cost effective manner.

Although remarkable technological advances have taken place in the fields of prevention, control, and cure of disease, the health status of people globally is far from satisfactory. An estimated 17 million people worldwide die of cardiovascular diseases each year.[1] More than 22 million people worldwide had cancer in the year 2000.[2] In that same year, 171 million people globally had diabetes.[3] Western allopathic medicine has not achieved the objective of health for all, even for those who can afford its high costs. In some instances, this system of medicine has even contributed to the ill health of those patients who utilize it, through toxic side-effects and other iatrogenic disorders.[4–7] The forte of allopathic medicine is its ability to deal with acute medical crises such as trauma, myocardial infarction, infections, and so on. However, from the Ayurvedic point of view, its understanding of chronic diseases and their underlying pathology is superficial and incomplete, which renders it unable to effectively treat these disorders.[8,9] Moreover, allopathic medicine has not yet reached the vast majority of people in rural and remote areas, especially in developing countries.

In India, the traditional system of medicine known as Ayurveda is generally the only system of medicine available in villages and remote areas. This comprehensive, natural health care system has been utilized for more than 5000 years for prevention, health promotion, and treatment of disease. [11] After undergoing a period of suppression during colonial rule, Ayurveda has experienced a resurgence in the last several decades and interest in it is now growing worldwide.[12,13] In India, a technological revolution is occurring in which the scientific techniques of modern medicine are being utilized to investigate and validate Ayurveda in a new light. This blending of the old and new is exemplified in what Mashelkar refers to as “a golden triangle between traditional medicine, modern medicine, and modern science.”[14]

Homeopathy was invented in Germany and it is widely used worldwide. It is used in every nook and corner of India by rich and poor. It is affordable and takes care of daily needs as well as some chronic illnesses. However, it is unfortunate that it is not practiced widely in North America.

A new look at the policy level is needed to examine the integrative medicine. Cost of health care is rising worldwide and causing variety of problems ranging from budget deficit to human lives. Modern medicine companies are so powerful due to their financial muscle and current investment that it is not expected that they will do anything in near future.

References :

1. World Health Organization. CVD Prevention and Control: Missed opportunities. Online document at:

www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/prevention_control/en/ Accessed August diseases/prevention_control 28, 2007.

2. Stewart BW, Kleihues P, eds. World Cancer Report. Lyon, France: IARC Press, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2003.

3. World Health Organization. Diabetes Programme. Online document at www.who.int/diabetes/facts/world_figures/en/ Accessed August 28, 2007.

4. Lazarou J, Pomeranz BH, Corey PN. Incidence of adverse drug reactions in hospitalized patients. JAMA 1998;279: 1200–1205.

5. Morrissey J. Patient safety proves elusive. Five years after publication of the IOM’s “To Err is Human,” there’s plenty of activity on patient safety, but progress is another matter. Modern Healthcare 2004;34:6–7, 24–25, 28–32.

6. Starfield B. Is US health really the best in the world? JAMA 2000;284:483–485.

7. Steel K, Gertman PM, Crescenzi C, Anderson J. Iatrogenic illness on a general medical service at a university hospital. N Engl J Med 1981;304:638–642.

8. Chowka P. Major US and UK studies heighten concerns about conventional medical care. Online document at: www.naturalhealthline.com/ Accessed March 17, 2001.

9. Hoffman C, Rice D, Sung H-Y. Persons with chronic conditions: Their prevalence and costs. JAMA 1996;276

10. Bodeker G, Ong C-K, Grundy C, et al., eds. WHO Global Atlas of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Text and Map Volumes. Kobe, Japan: World Health Organization, The WHO Centre for Health Development, 2005.

11. Lavekar GS, Sharma SK. Republic of India. WHO South- East Asia Region: Regional overview and selected country chapters. In: Bodeker G, Ong C-K, Grundy C, et al., eds. WHO Global Atlas of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Text and Map Volumes. Kobe, Japan: World Health Organization, The WHO Centre for Health Development, 2005:89–96.

12. Valiathan MS. Towards Ayurvedic Biology. A Decadal Vision Document. Bangalore, India: Indian Academy of Sciences, 2006.

13. Mishra LC, ed. Scientific Basis for Ayurvedic Therapies. New York: CRC Press, 2004.

14. Mashelkar RA. India’s R&D: Reaching for the top. Science 2005;307:1415–1417.

15. Patwardhan B. Traditional Medicine: Modern Approach for Affordable Global Health. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2005.

Links are from medical journals and do not represent the suggestions or advise of Indus Organics. Please consult your natural health practitioner for usage. It is not advisable to discontinue your current medication and start natural herbs without consulting your doctor.

Author wish to thank Prof. Hari Sharma, MD, DABP, FCAP, FRCPC, DABHM

The Ohio State University Center for Integrative Medicine; College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. for providing the article THE JOURNAL OF ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE Volume 13, Number 9, 2007, pp. 1011–1019 © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. DOI: 10.1089/acm.2007.7017-A that forms the basis of this blog.

Cumin powder and its seeds are very popular in many Asian, Mexican, Middle Eastern and Spanish world. Cumin is used in many culinary preparations. Most of the Indian curries are incomplete unless there is a pinch of cumin. Popular spice blends like Curry powder and Garam Masala uses cumin as one of the main ingredient.These seeds are new in North America. Most of the People don’t know the medicinal value of cumin.

Cumin (Cuminum cyminum Linn.) is antidiabetic; it reduces blood sugar, glycosylated hemoglobin, plasma cholesterol, tissue cholesterol, phospholipids, free fatty acids, and triglycerides. Cumin was more effective in treating diabetes than the drug glibenclamide in an animal model. [1] Cumin is antibacterial, [2] hepatoprotective, [3] and improves irritable bowel syndrome.[4]
Asian spice blends like curry powder, Garam Masala and other similar mixtures were created by ancient Ayurvedic system to meet the needs of taste and health. People don’t realize that making a curry with appropriate mix of spices has long lasting health benefits. It has roots and research of hundred’s of years that uses synergistic effects of individual ingredients.
Ayurveda’s materia medica is extensive, with more than 700 herbs described in detail in the ancient texts [5]. Herbs and herbal mixtures utilized in Ayurveda are prepared by using the various parts of the plant (e.g., the root, leaves, fruits, bark, seeds, etc.). Herbs are sometimes used singly but more often in combination to provide synergistic effects and mitigate toxic side-effects [6]. Ayurveda does not recommend isolating the active ingredient because toxic side effects can occur and the synergistic benefits are lost. [7]. Extensive research has been conducted on Ayurvedic herbs over the past 100 years.

Medical Journal References

1. Dhandapani S, Subramanian VR, Rajagopal S, Namasivayam N. Hypolipidemic effect of on alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Pharmacol Res 2002;46: 251–255.

2. Singh G, Kapoor IPS, Pandey SK, et al. Studies on essential oils: Part 10; Antibacterial activity of volatile oils of some spices. Phytother Res 2002;16:680–682.

3. Sambaiah K, Srinivasan K. Influence of spices and spice principles on hepatic mixed function oxygenase system in rats. Indian J Biochem Biophys 1989;26:254–258.

4. Kumar N, Kumar A. A comparison of different drug schedules under different groups of Siddha 1997;18:79.

5. K Patwardhan B, Vaidya ADB, Chorghade M. Ayurveda and natural products drug discovery. Curr Sci 2004;86:789–799

6. Mishra LC, ed. Scientific Basis for Ayurvedic Therapies. New York: CRC Press, 2004.

7. Sharma HM. Phytochemical synergism: Beyond the active ingredient model. Altern Ther Clin Pract 1997;4:91–96.

Author has provided this material for your information. It is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your primary health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with your health care provider. The mention of any product, service, or therapy is not an endorsement by Author.