Yoga To Cope With Depression

Ayurveda Street

आयुर्वेद और योग का केंद्र बनने की राह पर गोरखपुर

गोरखपुर (उत्तरप्रदेश) आयुर्वेद और योग का केंद्र बनने की राह पर चल पड़ा है। एक तरफ गोरखपुर में राज्य के पहले आयुष विश्वविद्यालय (महायोगी गुरु गोरक्षनाथ) का निर्माण कार्य चल रहा है तो दूसरी तरफ गुरु गोरखनाथ विश्वविद्यालय इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ मेडिकल साइंस में आयुर्वेद और योग समेत इलाज के परंपरागत विधा से संबंधित कोर्स शुरू किये जा रहे हैं। आयुर्वेद और योग को लेकर की जा रही इस पहल से न केवल पूर्वांचल बल्कि उत्तरी बिहार और नेपाल की तराई के करोड़ों लोगों को इसका लाभ मिलेगा।  गोरखपुर में आयुर्वेद एवं योग की संपन्न परंपरा रही है। यहाँ पहले से ही गोरखपुर में प्राकृतिक तरीके से इलाज के लिए एक केंद्र (आरोग्य मंदिर) है। इस सपंन्न परंपरा की वजह से गोरखपुर में आयुर्वेद एवं योग की संभावना बढ़ जाती है। इसी वजह से गोरखपुर में प्रदेश का पहला आयुष विश्वविद्यालय बन रहा है। इसका शिलान्यास 28 अगस्त 2021 को राष्ट्रपति राम नाथ कोविंद ने किया था। उम्मीद है कि यह 2024 तक बनकर तैयार हो जाएगा। बजट में भी इसके लिए 113.52 करोड़ रुपये का प्रावधान किया गया है। इसके बनने से इलाज के साथ गुणवत्तापूर्ण शिक्षा एवं शोध को बढ़ावा मिलेगा। दरअसल आयुर्वेद भारत की अपनी और प्राचीनतम चिकित्सा पद्धति है। यह बिना किसी दुष्प्रभाव के रोगों के रोकथाम या निरोग करने की विधा। इसीलिए इसे दीर्घायु का विज्ञान भी कहा जाता है। विश्व की प्राचीनतम चिकित्सा प्रणाली आयुर्विज्ञान, विज्ञान की वह शाखा है जिसका सम्बन्ध मानव शरीर को निरोग रखने, रोग हो जाने पर रोग से मुक्त करने अथवा उसका शमन करने तथा आयु बढ़ाने से है। यही वजह है कि आयुर्वेद को बढ़ावा देने के लिए आयुष मिशन योजना के तहत अयोध्या में राजकीय आयुर्वेदिक महाविद्यालय की स्थापना की जा रही है। इसी योजना के तहत उन्नाव, श्रावस्ती, हरदोई, संभल, गोरखपुर एवं मीरजापुर में 50-50 बेड वाले एकीकृत आयुष चिकित्सालयों की भी स्थापना की जा रही है। प्रदेश के आयुष, खाद्य सुरक्षा एवं औषधि प्रशासन विभाग के मंत्री दयाशंकर मिश्र दयालु ने कहा कि इस विश्वविद्यालय के बनने से आस-पास के छात्रों को पढ़ाई के लिए बाहर नहीं जाना पड़ेगा। साथ ही स्थानीय लोगों के आसाध्य रोगों का इलाज भी इस विधा से आसानी से हो जाएगा। आयुर्वेद के जरिए उत्तरप्रदेश को मेडिकल हब बनाने की कोशिश  आयुर्वेद के जरिए उत्तरप्रदेश को मेडिकल हब बनाने की कोशिश भी चल रही है। यही वजह है कि सरकार आयुर्वेद को खासा प्रोत्साहन दे रही है और युद्धस्तर पर स्वास्थ्य सुविधाओं में तेजी से इजाफा किया जा रहा है। बेहतर हेल्थ इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर के लिए प्रदेश के सीमावर्ती व अन्य क्षेत्रों में सुपर स्पेशियलिटी चिकित्सालयों की स्थापना करने का निर्णय लिया गया है। प्रदेश में अन्तर राज्यीय और अंतर्राष्ट्रीय सीमाओं पर मेडिकल कॉलेज की स्थापना किए जाने का निर्णय सरकार ने लिया है जिससे एक ओर प्रदेश में रेफरल केसों की संख्या में काफी कमी आएगी वहीं उत्तर प्रदेश मेडिकल टूरिज्म का हब बनेगा। इसके लिए योगी सरकार ने साल वित्तिय वर्ष 2022-2023 के बजट में 25 करोड़ रूपए की धनराशि प्रस्तावित की है। आयुर्वेद को बढ़ावा देने के उद्देश्य से गोरखपुर में आयुष विश्वविद्यालय की स्थापना के लिए योगी सरकार ने बजट में 113 करोड़ 52 लाख रुपए की धनराशि प्रस्तावित की है। करीब 268 करोड़ रुपये की लागत से 52 एकड़ के परिसर में प्रदेश का पहला आयुष विश्वविद्यालय महायोगी गुरु गोरक्षनाथ के नाम से निमार्णाधीन है। 28 अगस्त 2021 को राष्ट्रपति राम नाथ कोविंद ने इसका शिलान्यास किया था। इसके अलावा आयुष मिशन योजना के तहत अयोध्या में राजकीय आयुर्वेदिक महाविद्यालय की स्थापना की जा रही है। इसी योजना के तहत उन्नाव, श्रावस्ती, हरदोई, संभल, गोरखपुर एवं मीरजापुर में 50-50 बेड वाले एकीकृत आयुष चिकित्सालयों की भी स्थापना की जा रही है। प्रदेश के आयुष, खाद्य सुरक्षा एवं औषधि प्रशासन विभाग के मंत्री दयाशंकर मिश्र दयालु ने कहा कि प्रदेश सरकार आयुर्वेद को बढ़ावा देने की दिश में काम कर रही है। आयुर्वेद, होम्योपैथ, यूनानी के अलग-अलग अस्पताल बनाएं जा रहे हैं। एक ही कैंपस में तीन विभागों के अस्पताल होंगे। 13 अस्पताल बनाएं जा रहे हैं। जिससे लोगों को किसी प्रकार की असुविधा न हो सके। यह भी पढ़े► संस्कृत विश्वविद्यालयों में आयुर्वेद की पढ़ाई !
CoronaVirus News

कोविड रोगियों ने माना स्वस्थ्य होने में योग ने की मदद

दिल्ली में होम-आइसोलेशन में रहे 92.3 प्रतिशत कोरोना रोगियों ने माना है कि योग ने कोरोना से उबरने में उनकी मदद की है। दिल्ली में कोरोना संक्रमितों के लिए 'दिल्ली की योगशाला' नाम से ऑनलाइन योग क्लासेस शुरू की गई थीं। लगभग 4600 से ज्यादा संक्रमितों को इसका लाभ हुआ है। इस फ्री योग कक्षाओं से संक्रमितों को हुए वास्तविक फायदे की जांच करने के लिए दिल्ली फर्मास्यूटिकल साइंसेज एंड रिसर्च यूनिवर्सिटी द्वारा आईसीएमआर के सीटीआरआई के तहत पंजीकृत एक रिसर्च किया गया। इस रिसर्च में शामिल 92.3 प्रतिशत लोगों ने माना कि संक्रमण के दौरान योग करने से उन्हें कोरोना के सभी लक्षणों में सुधार देखने को मिला और उन्हें सांस फूलने जैसी समस्या नहीं हुई। इस बाबत उपमुख्यमंत्री मनीष सिसोदिया ने कहा कि दिल्ली की योगशाला कार्यक्रम, दिल्ली की जनता को योग के माध्यम से स्वस्थ रखने की एक अनूठी पहल है। उन्होंने कहा कि ये बेहद खुशी की बात है कि जिस उद्देश्य के तहत दिल्ली की योगशाला कार्यक्रम की शुरूआत की गई थी वो पूरा हो रहा है और लोगों को इसका फायदा हो रहा है। उन्होंने कहा कि इस कार्यक्रम के तहत कोरोना के दौरान संक्रमितों को फ्री ऑनलाइन योग कक्षाएं उपलब्ध करवाई गई, जिससे न केवल उन्हें कोरोना से उबरने में मदद मिली बल्कि उनके खांसी, सर्दी, शरीर में दर्द, सांस फूलना आदि जैसे लक्षणों से भी राहत मिली। रिसर्च में शामिल ज्यादातर मरीज 30 से 70 साल के बीच 92.3 प्रतिशत रोगियों ने माना योग करने से कोरोना के लक्षणों में सुधार दिखा। ज्यादातर मरीजों ने माना कि उन्हें संक्रमण के दौरान योग करने से सांस फूलने जैसी समस्या का सामना नहीं करना पड़ा। योग करने से अधिकांश मरीज 5 से 7 दिनों के भीतर कोरोना से उबरे। योग करने वाले केवल 21 संक्रमित ही कोई दवाई ले रहे थे, केवल 26.2 प्रतिशत का ही टीकाकरण हुआ था। ज्यादातर संक्रमितों ने माना योग करने से उन्हें खांसी, सर्दी, शरीर में दर्द, नींद सांस फूलना आदि से जैसे लक्षण से राहत मिली। संक्रमितों ने माना ऑनलाइन योग क्लासेस ने उनके अकेलेपन को खत्म करने के साथ मेंटल हेल्थ को भी बेहतर करने का काम किया। (एजेंसी) यह भी पढ़े► कोविड महामारी अभी खत्म नहीं हुई है: डब्ल्यूएचओ
Yoga and Fitness

8 Reasons Why You Need

Contrary to popular belief, Meditation is not about zoning out and emptying your thoughts or mind. It's about zoning inwards, acknowledging your thoughts, and then detaching from them without judgment. The most common reactions I get when I talk about meditation are "I cannot meditate", "I cannot empty my mind", "as soon as I empty my mind a thousand thoughts enter my mind", "sitting for long hours hurts my back and hips" or "mediation makes me more anxious". Well, all of this can be true if you throw yourself into the deep end of mediation without any experience. Start From The Basics Preferably start by preparing your body through basic simple asanas (yoga stretches) and breathe through pranayama (breathing techniques). Find a place that is comfortable for you to meditate. Some people use a quiet space at home or in the office. You can meditate outside in nature as well. Meditation Reduces Stress, Anxiety, And Negative Emotions Meditation is a gift that you should dedicate to yourself every day. Use your breath to help de-stress and become more aware and present at the moment. Stress, anxiety, and negative emotions are unpredictable, they come and go as they please but through meditation, you can control the power they have over you and your mind. Over time you will observe a transformation in the amount of stress/anxiety you accumulate within. Simply closing your eyes and steadily breathing has a tremendous effect, especially when you acknowledge stressful situations arising. Meditation is so powerful to reduce anxiety. One of the main reasons people meditate is to help quiet a loud, overactive mind. Daily meditation might be able to help support the treatment and reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression. This is because meditation helps fight stress and anxiety, which are both major triggers for depression. It Helps Increase Focus, Creativity, and Productivity Want to feel more creative and productive at work? Start meditating now! Meditation can encourage creative thinking and problem-solving. Meditation also helps us separate our emotions from our work, which helps us think more clearly and develop new ideas. Daily meditation can help you perform better at work! It helps increase your focus and attention and improves your ability to multitask. Meditation helps clear our minds and helps us focus on the present moment - which gives you a huge productivity boost. Boasts Emotional Intelligence Unless you make the effort to observe your thoughts and attempt to understand what the mind is doing, you are never going to learn about your inner self. Many of us have trouble understanding our emotions. Meditation teaches us how to be more aware of our feelings and emotions and helps us process them better. Simply believing every thought that pops in your head and living under your mind's umbrella is not constructive. Practising meditation changes how you think and helps you learn to understand your emotions without having to act upon them. Improves Sleep A variety of meditation techniques can help you relax and control runaway thoughts that interfere with your sleep cycle. This can shorten the time it takes to fall asleep and increase the quality of your sleep. Helps Fight Addictions Meditation develops mental awareness and can help you manage triggers for unwanted impulses. This can help you recover from addiction, manage unhealthy eating habits, and redirect other unwanted habits. Boosts Immunity Regular meditation has been shown to help boost your immune system. It increases electrical activity in the left side of the brain which is responsible for your immune system. It was also found that those who meditate have higher counts of antibodies in their blood, which helps fight illness. Get More Out of Your Workout Exercise, especially HIIT workouts (High-intensity interval training) and long hours of cardio can do a number on your muscles and your central nervous system. Such workouts could unintentionally cause stress on the body and the mind and cause an increase in your cortisol levels in the body. Meditation allows you to deeply rest your body and mind removing stress from your physiology. With meditation's ability to reduce our stress levels, we're able to perform our workouts at an optimal level and at the same time meditation might also help minimize sensitivity to pain. After reading all these amazing benefits, isn't mediation worth a try? (Celebrity meditation expert Samiksha Shetty shares benefits of meditation) Read More► Exercise Key to Keep Muscles Healthy, Stay Young
Health News

Loss of Vision Leading Cause of Anxiety, Depression in Elderly: Experts

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which accounts for 8.7 per cent of all blindness worldwide, is the most common cause of anxiety, and depression seen among people older than 60 years, health experts said on Monday. AMD is a disease where abnormal blood vessels grow in the macula - centre part of the retina - causing damage to the central vision and making it difficult to cope. Recent projections estimate that globally the number of individuals suffering with AMD will reach 288 million in 2040. In India, the overall prevalence of AMD currently ranges from 1.4 per cent to 3.1 per cent. The earliest symptom of AMD is difficulty in seeing at night. At a later stage, AMD patients see blind spots and their ability to read, watch television, drive and recognise faces gets affected. It later progresses to blindness. The impaired vision disturbs the routine of the patients, makes them dependent and also increases functional disability. "People suffering from AMD, who have lost over 80 per cent of their central vision are more likely to have anxiety and depression. This is mainly as they have plans to retire smoothly, and find it difficult to read and perform recreational activities at this stage in life, which causes frustration and discomfort. Their life involves multiple visits to hospital accompanied with expensive treatments, which adds to deterioration in the quality of life," Dr. Indu Singh, Consultant Retinal surgeon and Director, Dr Daljit Singh Eye Hospital, Amritsar, told IANS. A recent study by International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health also confirmed that AMD has a negative psychological impact, and it reduces the quality of life to levels comparable to severe illnesses like cancer and stroke. While it is important to go for walks, supervise things at home, to manage depression, Dr. Vishali Gupta, Professor, Vitreoretinal and Uvea, Advanced Eye Centre, PGIMER, Chandigarh suggested the patients to engage in activities that they can do within the comfort zone of their vision. "These patients should use magnifiers, iPads or other low vision aid devices that can help them read the script. Today there are apps that can read books to them. The idea is to keep oneself busy and feel useful," Gupta told IANS. Another way to fight AMD related stress is to go for regular screening in order to avoid worsening of vision. Early diagnosis of AMD can help early treatment and also halt progression to vision loss. Dr. Daraius Shroff, a retina specialist at Shroff Eye Centre in Delhi, suggested patients with AMD share with family and friends their anxieties to help relieve mental stress as well as to gain support to find solutions to alleviate depression. Read More► Fatty Liver Likely Causing A Surge in Serious Liver Diseases in India
Health News

Simple Brisk Walk May Be Enough to Fight Off Depression

New York: You do not need to hit the gym, and lift heavy weights, but small doses of physical activity, such as brisk walking, may substantially help lower the risk of depression, suggests a study. The study, led by a team of international researchers including from Universities of Cambridge and Sydney, showed that about 1.25 hours of brisk walking per week could yield an 18 per cent lower risk of depression compared with not exercising. "Most benefits are realised when moving from no activity to at least some," the study authors wrote, in the paper published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. "Our findings have important new implications for health practitioners making lifestyle recommendations, especially to inactive individuals who may perceive the current recommended target (of exercise) as unrealistic," they added. The team conducted a meta-analysis of 15 studies involving over 190,000 people to determine how much exercise was needed to reduce depression. The findings revealed that moving up to an "activity volume equivalent to 2.5 hours of brisk walking per week was associated with 25 per cent lower risk of depression. The findings are consistent with previous studies that found people who exercised had about 43 per cent fewer days of poor mental health. "Even just walking just three times a week seems to give people better mental health than not exercising at all," study author Adam Chekroud, an assistant adjunct professor of psychiatry at Yale University, was quoted as saying to CNN. Exercising in 45-minute sessions three to five times a week was the most beneficial for improving mental health, the 2018 study found. However, even doing household chores reduced poor mental health days by about 10 per cent, the study said. Another study published in 2020 found that even light exercise helped protect children against developing depression. The 2020 study revealed that 60 minutes of simple movement each day at age 12 was linked to an average 10 per cent reduction in depression at age 18. The types of movement included running, biking and walking, as well as activities like doing chores, painting or playing an instrument, CNN reported. Read More► How Exercise Keeps Dementia at Bay
Research

Magic Mushroom Helps 'Open Up'

London: A psychedelic compound found in psilocybin, commonly known as magic mushrooms, can help to "open up" depressed people's brains, enabling brain regions to talk more freely to one another, finds a study. Psilocybin is one of a number of psychedelics being explored as a potential therapy for psychiatric disorders. Several studies have trialled a synthesised form of the drug to treat patients with depression and anxiety, with promising results. A team at Imperial College London's Centre for Psychedelic Research believes to have untangled how psilocybin exerts its therapeutic effects on the brain. The new results, taken from two combined studies including about 60 adults, reveal that people who responded to psilocybin-assisted therapy showed increased brain connectivity not just during their treatment, but up to three weeks afterwards. This "opening up" effect was associated with self-reported improvements in their depression. However, similar changes in brain connectivity were not seen in those treated with a conventional antidepressant (called escitalopram), suggesting the psychedelic works differently in treating depression. According to the team, the findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine, are a promising advance for psilocybin therapy, with the effects replicated across two studies. They explain that patterns of brain activity in depression can become rigid and restricted, and that psilocybin could potentially help the brain to break out of this rut in a way that traditional therapies cannot. "The effect seen with psilocybin is consistent across two studies, related to people getting better, and was not seen with a conventional antidepressant," said Professor Robin Carhart-Harris, from University of California, San Francisco. "In previous studies we had seen a similar effect in the brain when people were scanned whilst on a psychedelic, but here we're seeing it weeks after treatment for depression, which suggests a acarry over' of the acute drug action," Carhart-Harris, who was former Head of the Imperial Centre for Psychedelic Research. The researchers added that while follow-up data is still being analysed for participants, initial changes in brain activity one day following treatment were a good predictor of whether a person would still show improvement at six months. However, they cautioned that patients with depression should not attempt to self-medicate with psilocybin, as taking magic mushrooms or psilocybin in the absence of safeguards may not have a positive outcome. (Agency) Read More► Drinking Coffee Could Benefit Heart, Help You Live Longer: Study