I am in love with Turmeric, the Golden spice. A lot of research has been done on the health benefits of Turmeric and a lot of people the world over are experiencing positive results.
My being alive on this planet is primarily due to Turmeric.
Turmeric is widely being used to treat several illnesses from minor to major chronic illnesses of the body and the mind. There is a lot of information on the Internet.
Everyone is aware that prevention is better than cure but how many actually take the effort to be healthy. We don’t even know what to do to prevent illnesses. With the kind of diet and pollution levels ,most people should be worried about ending up with some kind of illness, but are clueless as to how to prevent.
By consuming Turmeric we can greatly reduce and even delay the probability of occurrence of illnesses.
Almost all Indians consume Turmeric via their food . Turmeric powder is one of the key ingredients in most Indian recipes. However , the quantity and quality of the Turmeric powder that is used should be increased so as to get the maximum benefit.
Turmeric can be used in the form of a powder or as raw turmeric. It is preferable to use Raw Turmeric .
The store bought powders may be adulterated. It is best to prepare the powder at home using dried Turmeric root. First crush the root into smaller pieces and then grind it in your mixer grinder.
It is best if you can get hold of raw Turmeric root. You can also grow it in your garden.
Reading and discussing about Organic food is the first half of a story whereas actually buying , tasting , appreciating and getting addicted to Organic food is the second and most exciting part of the story.
I came across Organic food some 7 years ago and accidentally came across a store selling Organic food in Hyderabad about 4 yrs ago, for the first time in the form of ‘Natures Basket’.
Having read about the benefits of Organic food , I walk into the store and find that all the veggies and fruits were shrivelled and the quantity was very less. I was excited about buying a lot of stuff but was disappointed . Bought some other groceries like dals .The store was far from home and hence was conveniently forgotten .
Come 2016 and I suddenly start searching the net for other Organic food stores in Hyderabad. Was glad to see that a lot of stores were open. Read about Organic Bazaars at Saptaparni , Lamakaan, Hyderabad Goes Green, Sristi Naturals, Sacred space etc.
Visited the Monthly bazaar at Saptaparni, Banjara Hills and loved the atmosphere and variety of products. Veggies, fruits, Dals, cold pressed oils, mud vessels, honey, millets, handicrafts, hand made jewelry, jute bags, soaps (vegan), shampoos and many other items are available.They do appear fresh and look good too. I was happy but then the doubting mind starts questioning whether the products are genuine . They are expensive too, almost double the price of the regular stuff.
I did buy a few veggies hesitantly and found that they did taste good .
I continued reading about the other stores.
Landed at Lamakaan , Banjara Hills on anothet Sunday. They had similar stuff like in Saptaparni. Saw lots of people buying stuff and carrying big bags full of groceries. My confidence levels on the authenticity of the wares increased. I bought many more veggies during this visit. I also bought a few varieties of dals , tamarind and a hair shampoo bar.
I usually end up throwing away a few veggies in the refrigerator once in a while but this time I made sure not a single vegetable was wasted. I wouldn’t allow my cook to do the cooking and I would prepare the curries myself 🙂 . I wanted to wash , cut , smell and taste the expensive veggies myself .
I liked the taste and flavors.
Lamakaan and Saptaparni are far from home and I wanted to visit more often but was unable to.
I had joined a group ‘Organic Meetup’ on FB, sometime ago.
A few days back I saw a post with the address of an Organic food store closer to where i live. It is named ‘Goodseeds’ . I wanted to go there the next minute. Went there directly from work and entered this neat little store with several packets and veggies placed on the shelves on the walls.I spent some time looking at each one of them.Though the atmosphere is incomparable to the lively atmosphere at Saptaparni and Lamakaan , I was pleased with the items that are available here.There were a few veggies and I was told that new stock will arrive the next day.
I pick up a few veggies , virgin coconut oil , millet ravva , chia seeds and apples.
I am back the next day and pick up cinnamon and more veggies.
I no longer want to buy groceries at the regular supermarkets. I am thoroughly enjoying the taste and flavor of Organic food.
I am now addicted to Organic food!!
The lady managing this store added my phone number to her whatsapp group and sent a msg as soon as new stock arrived.
I was her first customer to buy from the new stock :)))
This was the grocery haul.
My experience till now with Organic food :
For the first time in three decades I tasted original Shimla apples which crispy and have a sweet fragrance unlike other imported ones that have flooded the market.
For the first time in decades I was able to taste authentic cinnamon that is sweet. Memories flashed from childhood days when I would love to chew a small piece of cinnamon while mom was cooking and had placed a few pieces on the kitchen counter. These were very neat and clean too.
My morning ginger + cinnamon tea now tastes very sweet and I need not add honey to it .
Been ages since I smelled the typical sour flavour of dosakaaya (cucumber) while it was being cooked.
I like the shampoo bar too. It is vegan and made of soap nuts and vegetable oils.
I finally started cooking with cold pressed coconut oil and the curries are yummy. I plan to prepare Avial one of these days 🙂 .
While I buy the groceries I have a nice chat with the lovely lady as to how and where they source the groceries, the quality checks , home delivery , organic manure etc
People with chronic diseases go for various treatments depending on the faith they have in a particular treatment. Most use allopathy by default, as the duration of treatment is the fastest ,success rate is highest and the results are quick. Some follow a different treatment based on the experiences of their near and dear ones or when Allopathy has no solution or as a last resort.
But usually for cancers Allopathy is the first and foremost treatment that one opts for as the diagnosis itself happens in the third or fourth stage wherein the disease would have progressed to a large extent and Allopathy would be the best treatment. .
I didnt think of Alternative treatments for two years after I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma . I started experiencing side effects of Chemotherapy in the third year and I began scouring the internet for other treatments.
Internet is full of articles on Alternative Treatments . Initially I didnt believe all that was written on various websites and was being said on youtube videos by patients. I found them ridiculous too. Always wondered how it was possible that people are getting cured of Cancer which is not curable . Not just ‘managing’ but they were getting ‘cured’ and have been living for decades without any Allopathic treatment. I felt that these people were just exaggerating , that they wanted people to watch their videos , knowing that many would be looking up , that they were just uploading these videos to get a lot of views/hits. There were websites which talked a lot about a cure but at the end of the page there is a link to a book with a price or some secret methods which confirmed my fears that people only wanted to make money by luring desperate patients.
I wanted to believe all this was true , that there is a way , but was not convinced.
I came across various articles on the reasons for cancer and a cure. Juicing, diet, exercise, detox , supplements, antioxidants , various high frequency protocols, immunotherapy , Ph therapy, effect of yoga and meditation for curing the disease and the reasons for cancer varied from DNA mutations to microbes to lack of Vitamin D , poor diet , stress etc. These are a few of the topics that I was reading and trying to digest . All the information was baffling.
Just when I relapsed , at the end of the third year after my Bone Marrow Transplant for Multiple Myeloma, I came across a blog written by Margaret , a patient with Smouldering Multiple Myeloma. She was using natural supplements and has been successfully ‘managing’ the disease for more than a decade. After reading her blog , all the information and videos that I had seen suddenly flashed across my mind and I began believing all that I had read and seen. Suddenly all of it made sense. I was desperate for an alternative solution.
I talked to my Oncologist if he could recommend any Ayurvedic doctor but he was unaware of any specialist in Ayurveda. Ayurveda is an ancient Indian mode of treatment which uses natural herbs for curing various ailments. He didnt discourage me from using any alternative treatment and advised me to use ‘Tinaspora Cordifolia’ , a natural immunity boosting supplement.
I recommend everyone to do their own research. Once convinced one has to start incorporating one or more methodologies as per their faith and convenience. One needs to have faith in the treatment and should go all the way and follow the methodologies scrupulously.
I have almost given up food products made with sugar , milk , all purpose flour , rice and also reduced salt intake .All of these comprise a bad diet. These are the five white poisons that Ayurveda recommends to avoid.
I also read that cancer cells feed on sugar. I initially started taking supplements like Curcumin (in the form of turmeric) suggested in Margarets blog , started doing Pranayama and meditation , I also started taking ashwagandha , shigru , punarnava , garlic , had ginger decoction in the morning, eliminated most acidic foods and lo and behold within three months my MSpike was down to Zero !!
It is nothing short of a miracle.
I was later referred to an Ayurvedic Doctor by another MM survivor and since then I have been using Curcumin and other natural supplements since last one year. Fasting is also part of my regimen. I have been encouraging the use of Curcumin to whomsoever I come across. Curcumin is an extract from turmeric .Turmeric is a spice that is extensively used in South Indian cooking and as a medicine in India for various ailments.
It is one year and 3 months since I started following the new regimen and my M-Spike is in control.
Talk to other patients and their caregivers who follow Alternative treatments make your own decision.
If there is a will to survive , a solution will appear out of the blue. Never give up !!
Received the following mail from ‘ Art of Living ‘
Swine Flu remedies:
Urging people not to panic, Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living said ,
“India has a wealth of knowledge from Ayurveda to counter swine flu”. With Swine flu continuing to infect thousands across the country and resulting in approximately 774 deaths , doctors at Sri Sri Ayurveda of The Art of Living, have advised consumption of herbs to raise the immunity levels.
Elaborating on this, Dr. Manikantan and Dr. Nisha Manikantan, senior ayurvedic doctors at Sri Sri Ayurveda center said, “Swine flu invades the body because of a breakdown in immunity. And Ayurveda offers simple & effective remedies to boost immunity & build resistance. Tea made from Laxmi Taru leaves (botanical name: Simarouba), Tulsi, Amla and Amrut (Giloy) acts as an immunity enhancer.
Alternatively & additionally, Ginger and Turmeric (haldi) powder mixed with either lime juice or honey can also be taken twice a day.”
These generic herbs are also available in Ayurvedic medical formulations as Shakti drops and Immugen tablets.”
“To counter air-borne swine flu viruses, Sambarani dhoop (loban stems) should be burnt in the house twice a day. Sambarani is a very potent atmospheric sterilser”, the doctors added.
He said, “In addition, our mind also plays an important role in our immunity. Whenever we panic and have fear, our immunity level goes down. Practices like pranayama and meditation play a vital role in reducing panic / fear and keeping ourselves calm.”Independent studies conducted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru have empirically proved that practices such as pranayama and meditation boosts immunity at least three-fold.
If we can integrate these practices in our daily lives along with the simple Ayurvedic remedies, we can effectively counter swine flu“.
This is in continuation to my experiments with veggies which are rarely used in Indian recipes. I spotted Asparagus too on Bigbasket.com and ordered them.
The shoots are tender and fresh.
While browsing the net i learnt that Asparagus grows in the Himalayan region in India. I also discovered that it is called as ‘Satavari’ or ‘Shatavari’ in Sanskrit and used in various treatments in Ayurveda (the traditional system of Indian medicine)
This is the first time I laid my hands on Asparagus shoots. This veggie too was on my mind for a long time. After looking up several videos on YouTube I decided to prepare Asparagus soup.
Recipe : To prepare soup for 2 persons
Cut the tender part of the Asparagus (100 gm) into pieces one inch pieces.
Boil these pieces of Asparagus in salt water for 3 minutes.
Strain and cool them immediately under cold running water so they stop cooking. This helps in retaining the green color.
Puree these pieces and keep aside.
In a pan , add butter or olive oil (2 tsp) and then add finely chopped onion (one small) . Keep stirring the onion till it turns very soft.
Add chopped garlic ( 2 big cloves)and stir for one minute.
Add the puree.
Season with salt n pepper as per taste.
Add a little milk (50 ml) and stir for a minute.
Switch off the stove and add drops of lemon juice as per your taste.
I hope to include Asparagus in my diet for its liver and kidney detoxifying properties. It is also one of the most Alkaline foods . It is very important to ensure that the pH levels of the blood remains Alkaline in order to keep the body healthy.
Here is a link to the numerous health benefits of Asparagus.
Cleanse your body and mind daily by
• Avoid low energy substances and people
• Eat, live and buy Whole Plant Based Superfood
• Drink plenty of pure Water and breathe Oxygen daily.
• Never become dehydrated
• Express feelings through writing, dance, art, music, and poetry
• Life changes when you do
• Surround yourself with those who inspire and support you
• Follow your Heart and not your head
• Allow yourself to receive
• Reduce or eliminate your exposure to T.V.
• Stop reading the newspaper
• You can’t look forward if you’re looking back
• Align first then take action
• Extend acts of kindness without needing thanks
• Find ways to keep on clearing emotions
• Be grateful for what you already have (Gratitude)
• Avoid being too nice
• Express anger appropriately
• Allow yourself to make mistakes and forgive yourself often
• Set goals and keep a journal
There are fresh Pineapples and Oranges in the market these days. I love the smell and taste of ripe pineapples.One reason for not buying pineapples is the effort involved in peeling .
Peeling pineapples at home is a messy job.
Thanfully, these days the vendors do it for us. We just have to choose a pineapple from the pile and hand it over to the vendor. Using a sharp knife he cuts off the top and bottom and then peels away the thick outer layer , places the pineapple in a plastic cover ands it to us. I used 1/3 of the pineapple to prepare the juice today.
The only way to take in more pineapple is by juicing it. Eating a pineapple causes itching in the mouth, so juice it and enjoy.
As usual I add one spoon of honey to the juice.
Sugar is poison so it has to be avoided as much as possible in the food/drinks that we take.
