Prakruti

Save your Vision !!

The sensory organs are needed to create more liveliness in humans and other animals’ lives. They provide information about the surrounding environment to behave accordingly and may make an alert. During and after the pandemic, vision has been affected more than any other sensory organ.

All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS) studies and observes these changes. ‘Prevent Blindness’ is one of the organizations that declares March as Workplace Eye Wellness Month to provide Sight-Saving Resources to employees and their employers to improve Eye Wellness and Eye Health conditions at the Workplace.

During the pandemic, everyone adapted to the lockdown and shifted their daily routine of regular work and academics to online mode. This involved the use of laptops, desktops, and mobile phones, which increased screen time more than the pre-pandemic situation for all age groups.

These new norms give rise to stress and strain on the eyes leading to various eye issues like excess dryness, eye redness, and burning sensation of the eyes that may result in chronic eye disorders. 

To reduce the effect of more screen time on eyesight and also to prevent further damage, the Prevent Blindness organization has advised numerous ways to overcome this. They are Eye exercise, using eye safety gear, ergonomics, nutrition, nutritional supplements, etc.

How does visual perception occur?

The eyes are wonderful and special sensory organs. Eyes can visualize all sorts of things – big or small, near or far, smooth or textured, colors and dimensions. The eyes have many parts – all of which must function to see properly, such as the retina, optic nerve, eye muscles, eyelids, and cornea.

Vision perception occurs through the retina and travels from the eye to the brain via the optic nerve. The brain combines these two images it receives to get a complete picture.

What are the visual complications among children?

Children are more vulnerable as they are in the developmental stage. Eye muscles are not that strong enough to adjust to the rapidly changing, harsh, and intense light from the screen. 

To further add to this, their meals are not balanced. Thus eye tissues are not properly nourished, and it may lead to numerous eye disorders like night blindness, lazy eye, ptosis, farsightedness, etc.

What are the visual complications among adults and old age?

In adulthood, compared to old age, adults have fewer complications. On the other hand, in old age, people have weakened their eye muscles, and cellular integrity, thereby naturally they may have poor eyesight.

Food habits and lifestyle plays an important role in adults as exposure to screen is more. Continuous gazing causes excessive dryness, which invites many other visual complications. Nearsightedness and farsightedness are major complications during early adulthood. 

As age advances due to muscular degeneration and the presence of other comorbidities like diabetes and hypertension, there is a higher chance of getting affected eyesight.         

Glaucoma, cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy are major visual complications with advancing age.

Unfortunately, eyesight cannot be improved naturally and there is no way to change a refractive error, such as myopia, hyperopia, or presbyopia. These types of visual conditions can be treated with glasses, contact lenses, or refractive surgery.

However, there can be other reasons for diminished eyesight. Macular degeneration causes diminished eyesight but can respond favorably to nutritional changes. In that instance, there are foods that may improve eyesight without glasses.

How can one take care of nourishment for healthy eyesight?

Aging is irreversible and no one can escape it. But eating the right foods can protect your vision and keep you healthy. Research says that foods rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and E, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, and omega-3 fatty acids help to keep eyes healthy.

But what does this nutrient-rich diet look like? Let’s break it down:

Vitamin C: Foods with lots of vitamin c are oranges, grapefruit, kiwifruit, strawberries, tomatoes, red and green peppers, and broccoli.

Vitamin E: Healthy sources of vitamin E include almonds, sunflower seeds, olive oil, and avocados.

Zinc: Legumes (beans and lentils), seeds, meat/seafood, dairy, and eggs are all good sources of zinc.

Lutein and zeaxanthin: Both of these nutrients are found naturally in the retina—the light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eye. This is why boosting your diet with lutein and zeaxanthin is a win for your eye health. Lutein and zeaxanthin—often found. 

● Together with many foods like leafy green vegetables, kale, spinach, and swiss chard. Broccoli, asparagus, and colorful fruits like raspberries, papaya, peaches, and mangoes are also chock-full of eye-healthy carotenoids.

Vitamin A: egg yolk, fish, nuts, milk, and meat are sources of Retinol. Carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato, green leafy vegetables, beetroot, apricot, mango, and peach are sources of carotenoids.

Antioxidant-rich foods: A diet rich in foods with antioxidants is helpful for healthy eyesight. Foods rich in vitamins A, C, and E, carotenoids, lutein, zeaxanthin, and selenium (pasta, bread, and grains) are packed with antioxidants.

Omega 3 and Omega 6-rich foods: These foods help in the lubrication of the eyes. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in oily fish (like salmon, trout, and sardines). Nuts and oils like walnuts and sunflower oil are great natural sources of omega-6 fatty acids.

Ayurveda perspective on eye health:

According to Ayurveda, the eye has domination of fire element and pitta dosha. Thus, eye disorders are mainly caused by the aggravation of pitta dosha.

Ancient texts in Ayurveda have mentioned various causes of eye disorders such as getting exposed to the heat of the Sun for a longer duration, physical, mental, and eye strain, excess grief, excess anger, excess weeping, excessive smoking, eye injury, constant viewing of minute objects, etc.

Ayurveda common remedies for eye health:

1. Massage of the eyes with a wet palm immediately after having food will protect vision from harmful effects.

2. One should neither induce natural urges forcefully nor suppress them (suppression of tears, vomiting, etc.) as it may lead to eye diseases.

3. Pouring warm water over the body bestows strength, but the same overhead makes for the loss of strength of hairs and eyes.

4. It is good to apply Anjana (Collyrium) for eye health.

5. One should regularly consume Ghee, Barley, Wheat, Shastika shali (old rice), Saidhava Lavana, Draksha (black raisins), Dadima (pomegranate), use of Shatavari (Asparagus officinalis), Green Gram.  

6. Padabhyanga (oil massage of the foot), use of footwear, and application of medicated Lepa (paste) to the Pada (foot) are useful to protect vision.

Yoga for eyes:

There are many yoga postures and eye exercises to keep your eyes healthy and improve your vision. They are Trataka, Bhastrika pranayam, Kapalbhati pranayam, Bahya pranayam, Anulom-Vilom Paranayam and Shavasan. These poses should be done under expert advice.

Thus we can conclude –

The eye is the jewel of the body and it’s important to take care of eye health as Your eyes show off the strength of your soul.


Author –

Vaidya Shilpa Venkatesh Jamdarkhana

(Certified Ayurveda Wellness Coach)

Atreya Innovations Pvt. Ltd.


Archana Amol Patil

(Nutrition Wellness Coach)

Atreya Innovations Pvt. Ltd.

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Digital Nadi-Pariksha and its Tracking

Science of Nadi Pariksha

The Nadi, an index of heart rate and mirror of our Mind & Body, is of great importance. According to ancient Ayurveda science, various Nadi patterns are indicators of the mind and body and their internal health components.
Nadi Pariksha i.e. pulse examination comes under 8-fold assessment tools described by Ayurveda.

Perception of Nadi and health diagnosis:
According to Ayurveda, Nadi Pariksha is key for assessment of many health parameters and Perception of Nadi and health diagnosis:
According to Ayurveda, Nadi Pariksha is essential for the assessment of many health parameters and underlying pathophysiology parameters.

  1. Nadi Gati (Manda, Vegavati)
  2. Nadi Guna
  3. Dosha avastha (predominant dosha)
  4. Updosha avastha (Sub-Dosha vitiation)
  5. Prakruti (Vikruti assessment)
  6. Agni (metabolic health-related complaints associated with a dominant Dosha)
  7. Bala (immunity/strength of person)
  8. Dhatu-Gata avastha (underlying Doshik predominance and its effects on various systems or probable pathophysiology)
  9. Hetu dyana (predictive causative factors, very similar in properties with prominent Guna and Dosha reflected by Nadi)
  10. Manas Bhav- Bhay, Chinta, Kaam, Krodh, and so on.

Nadi Pariksha is one of the traditional methods of performing health assessment in a non-invasive way. It is an extraordinary assessment tool and a boon in the field of the healthcare sector.
Sharangdhar Samhita, Bhavprakash, Yog Ratnakar, Ravan-Krut Nadi, and Nadi Tarangini are some old textbooks of Ayurveda that describe every single aspect of Nadi Pariksha. This assessment system is key for understanding Doshik imbalances, underlying pathophysiology, and even causative factors.

Based on Nadi analysis, Vaidya/ Ayurveda Physician emphasizes lifestyle modifications in terms of diet, water intake, exercise, and yoga in view of Prakruti, Vikruti, Ayurveda Aahar shastra, Aahar vidhi vishesh aayatane, Aahar nirman vidhi, Anna sanskar and Modern Science of Nutrition as Ayurveda states that every individual is different by their Prakruti, hence the Doshik configurations are also different inside their body.

An evidence-based Tech-Digital Nadi Pariksha

Evidence-based practice is the need of time for the Ayurveda and wellness sector as digital Nadi Pariksha can focus on personalized lifestyle corrections. Nadi Pariksha graphs and their analysis in the terminology of Ayurveda are now possible with the help of Nadi Tarangini.

Nadi graphs calculated in the form of energy, volume, speed, rhythm, and stiffness are translated into Ayurveda parameters with the expert’s advice and study. It is useful for Ayurveda practitioners to diagnose and analyze the Nadi patterns of the patients to understand their inner health.
In this fast-paced world where everything has to be ultra-efficient, Nadi Tarangini is an unparalleled technological advancement, providing systematic healthcare management. Nadi Tarangini auscultates subtle changes in overall health parameters based on Vata, Pitta and Kapha (Tridosha) by analyzing Nadi.

The analysis using Nadi-Tarangini Tech

As per classical texts, qualities or properties of Nadi / pulse such as pulse movement (Gati), speed of the pulse (Vega), stability of the pulse (Sthiratva), and hardness of the artery (Kathinya) play a major role in Nadi Pariksha. The classical texts emphasize the significance of Gati, a unique quality of the Nadi as part of Nadi Pariksha. As per texts, Gati plays an essential role in disease diagnosis. Sarpa, Manduk, and Hansagati for Vata, Pitta, and Kapha respectively are assessed through digital Nadi Pariksha too.

Monitoring and Tracking of Nadi graphs and its properties:

All these aspects of Nadi Pariksha are being considered, monitored and analyzed digitally using Sensor-based technology by Atreya Innovations. A report mentioning all minute parameters is generated that is a unique individual-specific health assessment card. The report can be assessed and co-related with associated complaints and it could be used for follow-up too. It is a simple, non-invasive technology that enables us to reach the root cause of health issues in a personalized manner and not just address the symptoms.
This is a perfect blend of ancient Ayurveda wisdom and technology that focuses on good QoL- Quality of life for everyone’s well-being.

“To learn more and to go digital with Nadi Tarangini, visit the Nadi Tarangini home page or contact us at +91 9168616013″

Author-
Vaidya Tejaswini S Bhale (Ayurvedacharya)
Physician, Prakruti Ayurveda Panchakarma Clinic, Pune
Chief Ayurveda Research officer, Nadi Tarangini, Atreya Innovations Pvt. Ltd.

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Ancient Non – invasive health monitoring system – Ashtavidha Pariksha

Ayurveda is science of life, and it focuses on the complete physical, mental, social and spiritual health of an individual. The principles of Ayurveda are based upon Tridosha- Saptadhatu- Agni and its role in maintaining health harmony. Impairment of single or multiple elements often leads to health hazards.

For diagnosing impairment within the body or for assessing underlying changing pathophysiology, Ayurveda had mentioned a very unique, Non-invasive eightfold examination system called Ashtavidha Pariksha. Acharya Charak mentioned this unique, non-invasive diagnostic tool approximately 5000 years ago in Charak Samhita. By conducting this examination with a patient thoroughly, one can conclude impaired Dosha and its probable effects on systems of the body or can diagnose particular disease.
A very unique feature of this diagnostic tool is that it can diagnose early stage of diseases, prognosis, pre-clinical stage, probable side effects on other systems and also helps in diagnosis of root causes for particular disease.

Eightfold diagnostic tools -

1. Nadi Pariksha - (Pulse diagnostics)

According to Ayurveda, pulse is the representation of underlying Tridoshik entities of the body. It is examined with respect to its rate, volume, tension and type of pulsation. Predominant Dosha within the body can be assessed by feeling pulse at different points.
Various velocities of Nadi are also mentioned in texts like Hansa gati, Sarpa gati, Manduka gati etc.
This tool of pulse examination is very unique, pinpoint can be used for further management.

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2. Mutra Pariksha - (Examination of Urine)

Particular questions and some tests are illustrated to be carried out for urine examination. Quantity, frequency and appearance like color, froth in urine etc. are main parameters used for assessment of underlying pathologies.

3. Mala Pariksha - (Stool Examination)

It is similarly conducted like a urine examination. Color of the stool, frequency, smell and consistency are some parameters used for diagnosing underlying vitiation of Doshas.

4. Jihwa Pariksha- (Tongue Examination)

Color of the tongue, coating on the tongue and appearance should be assessed for further diagnosis.

5. Shabda Pariksha - (Voice Examination)

Quality of voice, strength should be assessed for further diagnosis

6. Sparsha Pariksha - (Skin Examination)

Skin color, changes in skin color, texture, temperature and any discoloration should be examined for accurate diagnosis.

7. Drik Pariksha - (Eye Examination)

Complaints related eyes should be noted for knowing underlying pathophysiology.

8. Akrti Pariksha - (General appearance Examination)

General build, body physics, changes if any should be noted for conclusion of diagnosis.
By conducting an eightfold detailed examination, it is very easy to diagnose accurately. This ancient Ayurvedic medical diagnostic tool is the actual boon for accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Author:
Dr. Gayatri Kulkarni – Mulye
MD (Ayurved)
Blogger @ Turyaa Wellness

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Importance of Data in Ayurveda

Ayurveda is one of the oldest known medical systems in human history. Prediction and Prevention are the core strengths of Ayurveda which differentiates it from other streams of medical sciences such as Allopathy.
Ayurveda always emphasizes a personalized and holistic approach of diagnosis. Person needs to be benchmarked first (Prakruti). Later the current state of the person (Vikruti) is assessed by capturing various inputs such as Nadi (Pulse), Tongue, Face etc. The properties of these inputs are then linked to various tags (Guna, Dosha, Dhatu etc). The interdependence of these parameters in the context of that person (from benchmarked information) is then derived to conclude on the diagnostic part.

Ayurveda and Data Science .. a Perfect Marriage

Do the above ideas sound familiar? Welcome to the world of Machine learning and Artificial Intelligence!! On the face of it, this sounds bizarre. Why and how do these two uncorrelated fields go hand in hand? If you think carefully, Ayurveda based diagnosis is a data hungry process. 

In fact, I’d say the pioneers of Ayurveda were the best data scientists of all the time. They have monitored, assessed thousands of patients manually and established correlation with respect to the symptoms in their mind. This formed the base template of diagnosis. It got better and better over generations with more and more patient assessments. This is exactly what any machine algorithm does after digesting input data.
Now just imagine what can be achieved if this process of data analytics is implemented with the help of modern-day compute technologies and algorithms.
That’s what we are doing at Atreya Innovations Pvt Ltd. I am proud to say, we are pioneers and front runners when it comes to modernizing and digitizing the Ayurveda space with the help of data science.

Potential at a Glance …

Ancient knowledge of Ayurveda can be objectified and quantified with this data driven approach. There are great benefits of this step. Let’s have look at some of these,

  1. Technology adaptation of Ayurveda will make last mile delivery possible, thus benefiting the last person in the remotest corner of the world.
  2. Other streams of medical sciences such as allelopathy will become more complimentary and not competitive methods of diagnostics. 
  3. Open new avenues of Research and Innovative product/service ideas.

Exciting Time is Here!!

We have witnessed many technology revolutions brought by Data science in the last decade. It has transformed our life. I strongly feel Ayurveda is just the next natural candidate awaiting for this transformation with the help of data science. Once achieved, the Ayurveda story will be rewritten in modern day language and that will take Ayurveda to the world stage.

We, at Atreya Innovations Pvt Ltd are committed to this transformation of Ayurveda and help it achieve the much deserved recognition at the world forum!!

Author- Parag Kulkarni,
M. Tech, IIT Bombay
Co-Founder and CTO,
Atreya Innovations Pvt Ltd.

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Importance of understanding Agni in the diagnostic process

Digestive fire is the life of a human being. The process of digestive juices which is called as Pitta in Ayurveda plays an important role in the process of digestion and metabolism. Digestive fire work at the site of duodenum which is exactly behind the umbilicus. Pitta which is hot or ushna in nature with sharp/ tikshna properties and vata which is mobile/ Chala and light/ laghu enhances digestive fire.

In the science of Ayurveda, the root of all diseases is the vitiated digestive fire or Agni. And that is why Agni plays an important role in the diagnosis of any physical, physiological and psychological disorders. The Agni in a balanced state which shows proper hunger, digestion, nourishment of body tissues and mind is called Samagni. When the Agni is vitiated with the influence of Tridosha, Vata, Pitta and kapha it is diagnosed as Vishamagni, Tikshangni, and mandagni

Vishamagani shows a pattern of irregularities in appetite pattern, weak metabolism, poor nourishment of tissues and mind showing symptoms like bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, piles, etc.

Tikshnagni provokes Agni with excess heat and sharpness which results in excess hunger, burning in the chest, hyperacidity, acid reflux, headache, etc.
Mandagni is the weak digestive fire that results in indigestion, loss of appetite, laziness, weak metabolism, weakness, dullness, obesity, etc.

Digestive fire differs or predictable as per one’s Prakruti or body type. Vata predominant prakruti has irregular or vishamagni. Pitta predominant prakruti has tikshnagni and kapha predominant prakruti has mandagni.
To analyze and understand the exact state of digestive fire is key to accurate diagnosis of any disease. Once the digestive fire is corrected with proper Ayurveda based medicines, personalized diet, sleep and exercise will help to cure the disease easily.
Everyone should maintain their digestive fire in a balanced state I.e. samagni to gain health and a long life.

Vaidya. Tejaswini Sameer Bhale
Ayurvedacharya, PGPP, MBA, DYA
Prakruti Ayurveda and Panchakarma Clinic, Pune
Nadi Pariksha domain expertise
Nadi Tarangini, Atreya Innovations Pvt Ltd. Pune


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