Preventing Dementia with Ayurveda and Yoga

Dr. Vinod Verma presented a presentation on the prevention of Dementia with the use of Ayurveda and Yogic techniques. He is the founder and director of New Health Organisation, which focuses on Ayurveda as an alternative cure. Dr. Verma first talked about ‘Major Risk Factor for Dementia’. She gave the following reasons which lead to dementia.

The right posture

•Excessive and negative use of senses: The five senses and the capacity to decide and discriminate should be used appropriately to avoid mental and physical imbalance. Using our senses too much or unnecessarily affects the nerves and exhaust them.

•Incorrect shoulder and neck posture: Incorrect poster with forward bent shoulders and curved cervical vertebrae hinder the blood flow to the brain and cause hindrance in free flow of energy. The brain has high metabolism and high requirements blood and not getting enough bloods affects its performance.

•Incorrect breathing: The pranaor theenergy of the air we breathe provides us all the five elements of the universe. It nourishes the mind. So, when we breathe inadequately, we deprive ourselves of the cosmic energy and become prey to weakness and fatigue.

•Nasal blockades: Constant phlegm in nasal passage and frequent nasal blockade hinders the flow of air in the head region. It affects the nerves and brain over a period of time which leads to sluggishness and dullness.

•Chronic Cold or Sinusitis: The air filled passages of the skull are called sinuses. In healthy condition, they drain out mucous but when they cannot, bacteria and virus also develop there giving rise to pathological conditions.

•General body weakness: Excessive stress turns into exhaustion and in Ayurveda the state is called Dhatukashya, which translates as destruction of body reserves. As modern civilisation is mind oriented people tend to push themselves to the limit which has some serious effects on health.

•High blood pressure or hypertension: The blood supply to the brain is through the blood-brain barriers and not through arteries. If the blood is too dense or doesn’t have an appropriate pressure, the brain is not properly nourished.

•Feeling of helplessness: Helplessness gives rise to mental fatigue and exhaustion and affects the mind adversely. It has unpleasant long term consequences.

Dr. Vinod Verma talking about Dementia

•Shocks and traumas: Certain situations give shocks and traumas. These shocks could lead to delirium which is a precursor to dementia.

•Dwelling in the past or fearing the future: individuals sometime try to cling to their past which seemscomforting to them. Some worry too much about the future. This gives rise to unnecessary tension which again adversely affects the brain.

•Hopping thoughts: Not being able to concentrate on a thought for too long is a sign of worry. Sometimes, the digression is quite out of context. The hopping is very superficial and the people of low attention span face it.

After presenting the main causes that could lead to dementia,Dr. Vinod suggested some remedies and steps of prevention for the same. Following were the remedies:

•Avoid excessive and negative use of senses: Be economical in your use of senses. Avoid loud people and speak softly. Observe some silence from time to time. Listen to soothing music before sleep.

•Right posture: Using right posture while standing or sitting or sleeping. This ensures that the blood supply is not hindered. Always find time to stretch yourself.

•Correct breathing or pranayam: Practicing the yogic technique of pranayam is said to be a cure for various ailments. It helps the brain to get adequate supply of oxygen and to function properly.

•Keep the nasal passage free: use oil to keep your nasal passage free. Take some on the tip of your finger and inhale and then exhale. It ensures a free nasal passage.

•Treat chronic cold and sinusitis: Take herbal decoction. For example: ginger, garlic, basil, brown chickpea etcetera.

•Deal with fatigue immediately: Accept fatigue, eat properly and take the necessary rest. Besides that, take rejuvenating stuff to build up body’s immunity.

•Take lifestyle measure to regulate blood pressure: Exercise regularly to keep a healthy lifestyle. There are homeopathic products available to regulate hypertension.

•Keep cool and avoid stress: Do regular breathing exercise. Send your breath to the naval area. It de-stresses a body.

Dr. Verma said that everything is related to stress

•Deal wisely with shocks and traumas: Do not feel shattered with life events. Try to come to terms with the situation and go ahead in life.

•Learn to live in the present moment: Do not dwell too much into past or future. Past is history you cannot do anything about that and similar is the case with future. You cannot do anything about it. So, try and live in the present.

•Treatment of hopping thoughts: They are results of incoherent thinking. It happens due to excess of rajas (action). Try to meditate once a day to keep your thoughts together.

And with this, she ended the lecture.