In Ayurveda, depression is known as Chittavsada. It is caused by the increase in the tamas and rajas of the mind with a vitiation of the kapha dosha. Sometimes, an imbalanced vata may also be responsible for depression.

Depression needs to be looked after and treated as soon as it is identified. In some people, depression may be very dangerous as they could resort to endangering their own and other people?s lives.

(1) Useful Herbs in the Treatment of Depression

1. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)

Ashwagandha has the requisite properties to remove negative thoughts from the mind. The aphrodisiac properties of ashwagandha also help in improving the mind and removing depression.

2. Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri)

Brahmi is prescribed before a yogic session. The reason is that brahmi helps to relax the mind and bring it to a comfortable state. Brahmi is very popularly available in the form of oils. The oil has a cooling and soothing effect on the mind. Regular use of this oil can prevent the person from feeling depressed.

3. Cardamom (Elattaria cardamomum)

Cardamom has a very pleasing odor which can soothe the nerves. When a person is depressed, a tea made by putting cardamom in it can have almost miraculous effects.

4. Guggulu (Commiphora wightii)

Guggulu has become the focus of attention recently due to the presence of special chemicals in it called as guggulsterones. These chemicals improve the nervous coordination and hence are beneficial in the treatment of depression. Guggulu is more effective in depression caused due to seasonal affective disorder.

5. Jatamansi (Nardostachys jatamansi)

Jatamansi brings a calming effect on the mind. By canalizing the energies of the mind in the right direction, jatamansi can remove the depressive thoughts.

6. Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

Turmeric is effective in treating depression that is caused by the change of seasons, i.e. seasonal affective disorder.

(2) Dietary Treatments for Depression

For people with depression a heavy food is not advised. The person must not eat to the full capacity. Hot, spicy and pungent tastes must be avoided as these will aggravate the senses further. Fluids and fresh vegetables (in salads) must become an important part of every meal. The person can have cool sherbets like rose sherbet in the middle of the day, especially in the afternoons and when the evening is beginning. Tea and coffee may be taken occasionally to stimulate the brain.

Most people with depression lose their appetite and desire to eat. For such people, food must not be forced, or it could lead to vomiting. When such a disinterest in food occurs, fruits can be consumed. A diet rich in fruits is beneficial in the treatment of depression.

(3) Ayurvedic Treatment for Depression

Even in Ayurveda, a psychological counseling between the physician and the patient is undertaken. This helps the physician to understand the root cause of the depression. Then they can take the formulated steps to cure the problem. Such counseling is done to increase the sattva of the mind.

Slowly allowing a stream of water to fall in the center of the forehead enables the mind to remove its negativistic thoughts and focus more on a positive outlook. This therapy is known as shirodhara and it is becoming very popular in the western world also. An alternative therapy is shirobasti. The oil massage therapy called as abhyanga is also very useful.

Ayurverdic professionals also advocate the use of yoga in keep the mind restful. Praanayama and yoga must become an important part of a person?s daily routine. This helps to concentrate the mind on positive thoughts and depression will never occur. Yogic asanas that are beneficial to people with depression are bhujangasana, halasana, paschimottasana, sarvangasana, shalabhasana, shavasana and vakrasana. In addition, pranayamas like bhastrika and kapalbhati are very strongly advised.

(4) Home Medications

1. Get someone do a good head massage with a cooling oil like brahmi oil.

2. Improve the regimen of your day. Begin with yoga in the morning and then listen to good soothing music. For some people, visiting their religious places of worship also helps to come out of depression.

3. Focus your mind in other activities and hobbies in order to keep the thoughts causing depression away.

4. You can try eating an apple with milk and honey. This helps to improve the mood.

5. Simple lemon juice (the extract of one lemon in a glass of water, sweetened with sugar) is also good. It releases stress-removing hormones and brings the mind at ease.

Some people live with excruciating joint pains that don?t go despite treatment. They look upon these pains as a part of growing up. However, with the right kind of medicine these pains can be totally eliminated.

Treatment with Simple Home Remedies

Remedy # 1

Take the juice of a ginger. Crush some vidanga (Embelia ribes, False Black Pepper) to a fine powder with some rock salt. Mix all of these and take them in quantities of three grams each time with honey. Lick on this thrice a day.

Remedy # 2

Massage the paining joints with the oil extracted from the seeds of the Bishop?s weed. Warm the oil a little before massaging. A similar kind of relief is obtained by massaging with the oil of neem (Azadirachta indica, Indian Margosa).

Remedy # 3

In case of joint pains due to cold weather, add a fistful of Bishop?s weed seeds and one teaspoon of salt in two cups of water and boil it. Keep a sieve on this, and then keep a cloth on the sieve. The cloth will get moistened with the warm fumes of the solution. Use this cloth to foment the painful joints. This will remove the pains.

Remedy # 4

Some joint pains are felt more acutely in the knees, fingers and shoulders when lifting some heavy weight. These are very persistent pains in most cases, and they do not dissipate despite treatments. In such pains, tomatoes are the best solutions due to their rich vitamin C content. Eat four to five raw tomatoes in a day, and eat one bowlful of thick tomato soup twice a day ? in the morning and the evening. This provides great relief within a fortnight of continued use.

Remedy # 5

If there are sharp and sudden joint pains in any part of the body, then grind an amalaki (Emblica officinalis, Indian Gooseberry) in water that is a little warm. Then add a slightly crushed piece of cardamom in the water. Drink this concoction once a day. This will retain the zest and vigor of the body and also prevent all the inexplicable pains that arise suddenly in different parts of the body.

Remedy # 6

Take a petal of the yellow oleander flower, known as kaner in Hindi, and grind it to a paste in groundnut oil. Apply this paste regularly on the regions where the joint pains arise. Continuous use will totally eliminate the pains.

Remedy # 7

You can also grind some cloves of garlic and apply the paste on the affected joints. This will remove the pains in a short while. But the problem with this remedy is that the garlic paste needs to be washed off within a few minutes, or it will lead to boils on the skin.

Remedy # 8

Prepare a paste of mustard seeds with a little water. Apply this oily paste onto the affected joints. The pains will be eliminated in a short while.

Remedy # 9

This is a regimen that will take care of joint pains, but it takes some patience. Every morning after waking up, eat castor seeds in the following manner. On the first day of the routine, eat one peeled castor seed, on the second day two and so on keep increasing the number by one till the seventh day. From the eighth day onwards, begin reducing the number of castor seeds by one. Do this till the number comes down to one. The joint pains will vanish by then.

Remedy # 10

Cook some seeds of Bishop?s weed in water. Let the water boil and the fumes come out. Bring your affected joints in contact with the fumes. This will make the joint pains disappear.

Remedy # 11

Put some bitter oil in a pan. Add some seeds of the Bishop?s weed and some cloves of garlic. Use this oil to massage deep into the regions where you get frequent joint pains. This remedy has the potency to remove any kind of joint pains if done diligently.

Remedy # 12

Crush two cloves of garlic and add them to some sesame oil. Warm the oil and massage it deep into the paining joints. You will find immense benefits from this therapy.

Remedy # 13

If the pains are not that severe, then a simple steam fomentation with a cloth will also help. The cloth must be moistened with the vapors and then pressed deep into the affected areas. Fomentation must be done for at least twenty minutes a day, and preferably at dusk.

Remedy # 14

Prepare a brew of ginger juice in castor oil. Take no more than 10 milliliters of castor oil and a teaspoonful of the juice of ginger. Drink this twice a day ? at dawn and at dusk ? on an empty stomach.

Treatment with Special Ayurvedic Methods

Since joint pains are related to the accumulation of ama, the first step in their treatment is to remove all the toxins. This is done by making the patient fast for a day. After this, fomentation is applied on the swollen joints with dry heat. Castor oil is used extensively in Ayurveda to perform massage in case of joint pains. Herbs prescribed in various potencies are galangal, garlic, guggul and punarnava. Dashamoolarishta is the preparation most commonly prescribed, and treatment is generally carried on for three weeks.

As there is no particular reason behind the occurrence of acne other than hormonal imbalance, the remedy of this skin problem involves mainly the natural therapy. As per medication one can take anti- biotic. There are some home remedies present for curing this skin problem. To name a few they are:

? After Cooking oatmeal one needs to apply this cooked oatmeal on face for fifteen minutes.

? To reduce the acne, one needs to take a warm bath with blanch of nettle and rosemary.

? Applying adequate amount of lemon juice and rose water with a cotton ball also helps to reduce acne problem. After applying this mixture it needs to be left for half an hour and then wash off. This remedy needs to be repeated for 15-20 days.

? Snagging the acne with garlic cloves also helps to reduce acne. This remedy needs to apply several times a day.

? Mixture of avocado paste and water is another home remedy for acne problem.

? ‘Bedouin meds’ is also another home remedy that involves few steps to cure the acne problem. These steps are: Having a medium grated radish with each meal. Drinking of 2 cups of rosemary tea. Drinking of 3 glasses of water with squeezed lemon and honey.

? Mixture of 1 tablespoon of dried or fresh yeast and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice also helps to reduce acne problem. The mixture needs to be applied on face and one needs to wait until it gets hard. After that the mask needs to be peeled off with warm water.

? To avoid and restrict the growth of acne on face one needs to clear the skin on a regular basis with a soaked cotton ball in either lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.

? Mixing of 2-3 tea bags to some basil and then after cooked in boiling water for 10-20 minutes. This mixture needs to be applied on the acne with a cotton ball.

? The water which is saturate with lettuce leaves is worthy to apply on the acne.

? Grinded bay leaves along with blanch in water also helps in reducing acne on face.

? Boiled water with added apple cider vinegar also helpful in reducing the acne problem. The vapor of this mixture is needed to be taken.

? One simple remedy to this problem is to avoid touching the affected area.

? Applying of toothpaste just before going to bed also a useful remedy for acne.

? A paste of fresh fenugreek leaves over the face also helps to reduce the problem.

? Paste of neem leaves along with turmeric is an ayurvedic but home remedy for acne on face.

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Most people who consume alcohol have more than they can manage. This is seen in alcohol drinkers who lose control of their senses when they have one drink too many. Such an overstepping of limits is called as alcohol abuse. People who abuse alcohol are having more alcohol than their body allows them, but they have not yet come totally under the control of their alcohol habit. However, if they continue drinking for long, then they will not be able to resist alcohol and will become totally addicted to it. This situation is called as alcoholism.

Constant alcoholism will interfere with the functioning of all the vital organs of the body. The major organs affected are the liver, brain, heart and kidneys.

Liver is perhaps the most seriously affected in the long run. With prolonged alcoholism, the liver may develop cirrhosis, which is scarring of the liver tissue. Once cirrhosis sets in, it is very difficult to return the health back to normal.

In the stomach, alcohol can cause several gastric problems which may interfere with digestion. At the same time, each time a person has alcohol, it numbs his/her nervous system. In due course, the person may lose some or all of the fundamental senses.

(1) Useful Herbs in the Treatment of Alcoholism

1. Aloe vera (Aloe vera)

Aloe vera helps to strengthen the liver which is the first organ to be affected by the habit of alcoholism. Aloe vera can improve the functions and strength of the liver, and can prevent cirrhosis which is developed due to continuous intake of alcohol.

2. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)

Ashwagandha is an herb that is taken to reduce vata vitiations. This is important since vata plays and important role in strengthening the brain and nervous coordination. Use of ashwagandha can make the alcoholic person stronger.

3. Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica)

The gotu kola herb revitalizes the brain. This is essential in people who want to overcome the withdrawal symptoms accompanied with alcohol.

4. Musk (Nardostachys jatamansi)

Known commonly in Ayurveda as Jatamansi, musk is a nervine for the vata vitiation. Its cooling effect helps the body to fight against then effects of alcoholism.

(2) Ayurvedic Treatment for Alcoholism

Ayurvedic treatments for mada work on various levels. There are different kinds of treatments for people with different degrees of alcoholism. Common therapies employed are cold irrigations on the head, providing a cold diet and applying cold mud packs on the body.

However these therapies work only for people who are not habitual alcoholics. These are the people who are beginners to drinking and hence get intoxicated easily. Ayurvedic medicines like Brihat vata chintamani rasa, Vata Vidhwansa rasa, Brahmi ghritam and Sarvatha choorna can be given to the alcoholics.

But if the person is a habitual alcoholic, then severe treatments are necessary. The medication is done based on the doshic constitution of the person.

1. For people with a vata constitution, the prescribed Ayurvedic treatments are Suvarachala choorna, Shuktapana and Amla Snigdhaadi yoga.

2. For people with a pitta constitution, the prescribed Ayurvedic treatments are Vata Srugadi pana and Kshundramalaki hima.

3. For people with a kapha constitution, the prescribed Ayurvedic treatments are to induce vomiting, fasting and to provide digestive medicines.

(3) Home Medications

Fruit juices are very effective in lowering the effects of alcoholism. For removing the effects of a hangover, the juice of a lemon or orange will be very effective. Eating an apple or banana helps to flush out the toxins from the body which collect due to alcoholism.

Both grapes and dates are very beneficial in reducing the urge to consume alcohol. If alcoholics are kept on a diet of only grapes for a couple of weeks, then most likely the temptation to drink will be totally gone.

Introduce many other drinks in the person?s diets so that the craving for the alcoholic drink is reduced.

When the person feels the urge to consume alcohol, having a glass of carrot juice will help to reduce the temptation.

For an alcoholic, avoiding alcohol could be a very difficult task. The withdrawal symptoms of alcoholism may be very severe. So it is not advisable for a hardcore alcohol to stop drinking entirely. Instead, the alcohol should be carefully phased out.

The following steps can be taken to reduce alcohol intake

1. The person must be made to take interest in constructive hobbies and sports.

2. Love and affection from family members and friends could strengthen the resolve of the person to give up alcoholism.

3. Attending meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous will show the alcoholic how people have managed to kick their boozing habits. This will create a very positive outlook in the alcoholic.

4. Instead of alcohol, other drinks with less alcohol in them can be used, such as wine and cocktails. Eventually even these can be stopped.

Warts are skin-coloured, uneven lumps (non-cancerous) on the skin. They mostly appear on the hands and feet. Their look depends on where they erupt on the body and how thick the skin is.

Thus, they are skin infections caused by viruses of the human papillomavirus (HPV) family. The HPV virus causes a hard protein called keratin in the top layer of the skin (the epidermis) to grow too much, producing the rough, hard texture of a wart.

They can affect any area of the body. Warts are usually painless with the exception of the warts on the soles of the feet.

Warts are more common in kids than in adults. They are usually painless and harmless, and often clear up by themselves, although treatment can help to get rid of them more quickly.

Types of warts include:

• common warts – mostly found on fingers, hands, knees, and elbows, where the skin has been broken. These are also called “seed” warts because the blood vessels to the wart produce black dots that look like seeds.

• filiform warts – these have a finger-like shape, are usually flesh-colored, and often grow on or around the mouth, eyes, or nose.

• flat warts – also called juvenile warts. They tend to grow in large numbers – 20 to 30 at a time. Most people who get flat warts have them on their faces, but they can also grow on arms, knees, or hands.

• plantar warts – found on the bottom of the foot (known as verruca). They can be very uncomfortable – like walking on a small stone.

• genital warts – sometimes called venereal warts, are contracted through sexual contact. They’re spread by direct, skin-to-skin contact during vaginal, anal, or oral sex with an infected person.

Warts Symptoms:

Symptoms of common warts include:

1) Small, fleshy bumps

2) Flesh-colored or whitish, pink or tan

3) Rough to touch

Warts may occur singly or in clusters. They often contain one or more tiny black dots, which are sometimes called wart seeds, which are actually small, clotted blood vessels. Young adults and children appear to be affected most often.

Are warts contagious?

Yes. Warts are very contagious. The skin cells in warts release thousands of viruses, so close skin-to-skin contact can pass on the infection. It is also possible to get warts from using towels or other objects that were used by an infected person.

The time from the first contact with an infected person to the time the warts have grown large enough to be seen is often several months. The risk of catching hand, foot, or flat warts from another person is however small.

People with a weak immune system are more likely to get infected.

Often warts disappear on their own, although it may take many months, or even years, for the warts to go away. However, some warts won’t go away on their own.

How to get rid of Warts

Warts need to be treated, as they can turn out to be inconvenient. They can bleed and cause pain, and can be awkward, if they grow on your face. Treatment decreases the chance that they will be spread to other areas of your body or to other people.

Warts are treated depending on the age of the patient and the type of wart.

Do not try any home remedies or over-the-counter drugs to remove warts on the genital area. One shouldn’t treat warts on the face without taking advice from the doctor first.

Common warts in young children can be treated at home by applying salicylic acid gel or solution. Treatment should be stopped at least temporarily if the wart becomes sore.

For adults, cryotherapy (freezing) is preferred. Repeat treatments at intervals of one to three weeks are necessary.

Electrosurgery (burning) is another good alternative treatment.

Laser treatment is a recent technique used for stubborn warts that have not responded to other therapies.

In case of foot warts, the dermatologist may recommend a change in footwear to reduce pressure on the wart and ways to keep the foot dry since moisture tends to allow warts to spread.

If once treated, do warts recur?

Most of the time, treatment of warts on the skin is successful and the warts are permanently gone. The body’s immune system usually gets rid of any tiny bits of wart that may have remained after a wart has been treated.

Genital warts are more dangerous as they are likely to come back. This is so, as there’s no cure for the virus that causes them and because warts are more difficult to control in a moist environment.

Preventive steps to avoid getting warts or get rid of warts

To reduce the risk of getting a wart -

• Avoid touching other people’s warts.

• Do not scratch a wart as this may spread the infection to other parts of the body.

• Avoid sharing towels or other personal items with an infected person.

• Do not share shoes or socks with someone who has a foot wart.

• If you have a wart on your hand, you should wear gloves if you are using common equipment.

• To avoid genital warts, practice safe sex. Always use condoms. You can also avoid genital warts by having a monogamous sexual relationship with a partner known to be disease-free.

Home Remedies for Warts:

1) Grind some coriander to make a poultice of it. Apply this on the area of the moles. This will help in to get rid of warts.

2) One more very simple way to remove the moles is to apply the juice of onion onto the moles on a very regular basis.

3) Grind some cumin seeds and make a poultice of them. Apply this poultice on the mole, and tie it in place with the help of a cloth. This is very good for the moles that are bleeding. Doing this will definitely stop the blood oozing from the wound. In addition, the burning sensation of the mole, if any, will stop and even the most obstinate of moles can be removes by cumin seeds on regular application for a few weeks. This is very useful Home Remedy for Warts.

4) Apply the milky juice obtained from the trunk of the banyan tree. This is a very good remedy for the treatment of warts. You can get special benefits if you use the milky sap from the fresh green leaves of the tree.

5) Apply the juice of a fresh pineapple onto the warts. The warts will disappear within a few days of continuous application. You can apply the juice in the night and leave it on the skin while you sleep. Wash it off in the morning. You can alter the method by tying a pineapple slice on the skin instead of the pineapple juice. This is another effective Home Remedies for Warts.

6) Take a pinch of baking soda and moisten it with a couple of drops of castor oil. Dab this paste onto the mole. Leave it on overnight. Do this continuously for a few days. You will find that the moles have been removed over time. This is useful to get rid of warts.

7) Take a single clove of garlic. Cut it into two halves. Then place the garlic slice on the mole, such that the cut portion is in contact with the mole. Leave it overnight, tied with a cloth bandage. The sulfur-rich juices of the garlic will work on the mole. Within two or three days the mole will be gone. If you can place the garlic piece on the mole for a whole 24 hours, then the treatment will be much faster. This is very useful to get rid of warts.

Roast some peel of the pomegranate fruit. Mix an equal amount by weight of limejuice in it. Make a paste of the mixture. You can apply this paste on your skin problems such as warts, moles, blackheads, pimples, etc. You will definitely find good benefits. This is another good Home Remedy for Warts.

9) Take a fresh grapefruit and squeeze it to get its juice. Apply this juice to the moles repeatedly several times a day. This will ensure the removal of your moles within a month. This is also useful to get rid of warts.

Warts can easily be avoided – you have to be alert and responsible to prevent its spread.

Do not despair if your doctors tells you that you have contracted bronchitis. The following ten steps will tell you how to successfully treat bronchitis:

1. Get away from irritants, pollutants, and toxins that are causing havoc to your lungs. Quit smoking for good and avoid being a passive smoker too. In case you live in a polluted area, either move to a cleaner place or keep within the confines of your home. Protect yourself form hazardous substances and other irritants by wearing a face mask.

2. Keep a humidifier or a vaporizer inside your house to increase the humidity of your immediate environment. This will help you breathe more easily.

3. Keep a hot water bottle or a hot, moist cloth against your chest or back. This serves to reduce inflammation and is highly effective if done at bed time.

4. If you are planning a visit to cooler areas, remember to cover your nose and mouth with a warm handkerchief. This precaution has to be taken because cold conditions aggravate bronchitis.

5. Do not take cough suppresants. Coughing is the body’s way of throwing out unwanted secretions. You may, however, take a suppressant at night, to facilitate a good night’s sleep.

6. Take your medicines as prescribed by your doctor. If your condition is due to bacterial infection, you will have to take antibiotics. Do not miss any dose. Complete the entire course of medication even if you feel that you are getting better.

7. Use aerosols and inhalers as prescribed by your doctor. Don’t increase the dose because it might cause harmful side effects.

8. You may have to take dietary supplements such as colloidal silver, zinc, vitamins C and A, coenzyme Q10, goldenseal, and echinacea. However, before taking anything, consult your doctor.

9. Plan a nutritious, well-balanced diet. Drink plenty of liquids such as soups, herbal tea, fruit juices, and water.

10. Do not take foods that might encourage mucus production. A list of such foods includes dairy products, white flour, processed foods, sugar, and foods that cause allergy.

In addition to the above ten steps, people suffering from bronchitis usually use the following methods to treat bronchitis:

1. Eat cucumber mixed with vinegar. It effectively cleans out the excess mucus. In addition, it also helps kill the bacteria that are infecting the lungs.

2. Take a charcoal slush comprising a mixture of 4-6 teaspoons of charcoal powder mixed with water. It does not taste foul and you can easily drink it. Take a dose of this slush every 4-6 hours when you are awake. The charcoal absorbs bacteria and other harmful germs and will be harmlessly eliminated by the body in the bathroom.

3. Frankincense, oregano, and thyme oils help relieve breathlessness. Take two drops of frankincense oil mixed with Ciaga’s organic juice thrice a day for three days. At the end of the third day, take oregano and thyme oils in a similar manner. You can even use pleurisy root as an alternative.

4. Boil water in a vessel full of aromatic herbs. Wrap your head with a towl. Cover the vessel with part of the towel and breathe in the aromatic fumes. Do this many times a day at intervals. This practise will help liquify the phlegm.

5. Pound the patient’s back gently while he or she is lying on his or her belly with the body’s upper portion in a hanging position. This breaks down or dislocates the phlegm. This procedure is neither comfortable nor safe. However, if done correctly, it is an excellent way of getting rid of the mucus that block the air passages.

Consult a doctor if the symptoms last more than a week. If the mucus turns yellow, green, or rust-colored, it is a sign of danger and requires the attention of a physician. Before making any changes to your diet or taking any nutritional supplements, consult your doctor or health care provider. The information provided in the article is to be used along with the usual medication because it, in no way, serves as an efficient substitute for a doctor’s treatment or advise.