YOGA THERAPY TO REMOVE ALL DISORDERS.

Yoga is no longer a traditional fitness workout. The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (Nimhans) not only has a 45-minute yoga package to treat psychiatric disorders like depression and schizophrenia, but has started comparing its curative effects with general medicine.

 

Doctors at Nimhans say their studies reveal evidence of biological changes in the body brought about by yoga. They prescribe yoga therapy along with medication in major ailments, while using yoga therapy alone for less serious disorders. Nimhans is currently doing rigorous clinical trials on the impact of yoga in treatment. Doctors are also measuring biological parameters in patients after yoga therapy. This project has been taken up as the scientific community has still not accepted the role of yoga despite even mainstream doctors prescribing it with allopathic treatment.

 

"In all our investigations, there is a high degree of evidence that yoga in different forms does have a curative effect in diseases like depression, memory loss in elderly persons, schizophrenia and others. We worked out specific protocols for yoga for specific neurological problems. The degree of improvement is comparable to that of medicine," said programme director, Advanced Centre for Yoga, Nimhans, Dr B N Gangadhar.

 

* Yoga reduces cortisol levels (cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal gland. It's released in response to stress and low level of blood glucocorticoids)

 

* Yoga increases brain derived neurotrophic factor (BNDF). The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the nerve growth factor family. Expression of this gene is reduced in patients suffering from Alzheimer's and Huntington. It may regulate stress response 

 

* Yoga helps reduce TNF alfa (tumour necrosis factor) "We found that chanting of `Om' reduces activity of sensors which have become hyperactive in patients suffering from depression. About 35-40 patients come to our centre every day. We've developed a 45-minute package that should be practised daily. We found certain biological

parameters also change with yoga practice. It's not merely faith in a traditional therapy; it's much more than faith," Dr B N Gangadharsaid.

 

The yoga university ( Bangalore and Jigani) recently found evidence that it can reduce sugar levels and help control it in a case of juvenile onset diabetes Type 1 of 14-year-old Rakshith S. He suffered very high sugar levels and severe glaucoma for 18 months but now his sugar level has stabilized thanks to 21 days of intensive yoga
therapy. It's a matter of pride for Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samstha University. Rakshith was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 12 after complaints of giddiness and tiredness and being very hungry most of the time. In September 2009, he was diagnosed with fasting blood sugar level of 340 mg/dl and post-prandial blood sugar level of 525 mg/dl. 

"Doctors asked me to take insulin. I used to inject it. Despite using high doses, blood sugar level didn't come to normal," he said. When he came to SVYASA, his insulin dosage was 24 units in the morning and 24 in the evening. A holistic approach that included asanas, pranayama, suddhi kriyas or detox methods, meditation and sattvic food was put in place. But Rakshith had glaucoma in which the intraocular pressure rises, so he couldn't do all the asanas. 

His therapist Rupali Ashok Zamvar said: "We saw tremendous improvement and stability in his sugar level after therapy. His insulin dosage was gradually reduced. We gave him instant relaxation, quick relaxation and deep relaxation techniques. Diet also played a major role."

 

The department of AYUSH launched a country-wide Stop Diabetes campaign. In it, we train yoga practitioners to treat diabetes patients. Extensive research over 20 years reveal that blood sugar reduces with yoga and good cholestrol increases. It has a calming effect on body and mind. We have seen improvements in those suffering
from hypertension, obesity, heart diseases and cancer.

Even as English and modern Indian language newspapers continue to flourish in the country, Sudharma, which claims to be the only Sanskrit newspaper in the world, is struggling hard to survive as it enters its 42nd year next week. "That's because no state or central body comes forward to assist us in any way and the response from various organisations in the private sector is indifferent," K.V. Sampath Kumar, editor of the Mysore-based daily that has over 2,000 subscribers, told IANS.

 

But then why publish a paper in a "dead language" at all? The editor's wife, Jayalakshmi, who is well versed in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, English and of course Sanskrit, reacts sharply: "Who says Sanskrit is dead? Every morning, people recite shlokas, conduct pujas...all ceremonies including marriages, childbirth to death, are in Sanskrit. India is united by Sanskrit, which is the mother language sustaining so many languages in the country. It's growing and now evenIT professionals are saying it is useful."

 

Sampath Kumar said his father Pandit Varadaraja Iyengar started the paper July 15, 1970. "When he was dying in 1990, he made me promise I would continue the mission, come what may. So this daily is now a dream mission continuing with the same passion and commitment, and I will continue till my death." Priced at Re.1, the paper mostly contains articles on Vedas, yoga, religion and also politics and culture, among others.

 

The husband-wife pair are the paper's contributors and publishers rolled into one. "Credit for starting Sanskrit radio bulletins on Akashvani goes to my father, who successfully persuaded the then information and broadcasting minister I.K. Gujral," Sampath Kumar said. According to him, Mysore is the Sanskrit capital of India, with a fairly good strength of scholars. A large number of yoga enthusiasts also come to learn Sanskrit here. Interest in ayurveda and alternative medicines has also led to an increase in the demand for Sanskrit learning centres. 

In India, Sanskrit was considered the 'language of the gods'. Despite the contribution Sanskrit has made to Indian philosophical and literary traditions, vested interests have spread the impression that the language is dead, inaccessible and of negligible relevance to daily life, Kumar said.

 

Initially printed manually, Sudharma now has a modern computerised printing facility. An e-paper too is available online, making its reach international. "We have lots of subscribers among the minorities also. Most academies and language centres are our subscribers. Each morning, the two-page tabloid-sized sheet is folded and posted to more than 2,000 subscribers. Every year, a special number is brought out during Dussehra celebrations to mobilise funds to support the mission," Kumar said.

 

Lamenting the lack of official patronage, he said: "Being in Sanskrit, Sudharma never had sufficient revenue from advertisements. Despite the ample lip service and words of encouragement, no concrete help comes our way. But the constraints have never deterred us and we will continue to keep alive this glorious tradition."

 

The modest office in Agrahara has been visited by ministers, governors, Shankaracharyas, and other dignitaries. "Words of encouragement and felicitation has come profusely from prime ministersand presidents over the years," Kumar said.

 

He showed this IANS correspondent his vast collection of messages from politicians, scholars, intellectuals and business leaders, including late president Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, social reformer Jagjivan Ram, L.K. Advani, Arjun Singh and others. The common strain was that Sanskrit was a unique unifying force and a treasure to be preserved.

As part of its 42nd birthday celebrations, Sudharma is organising an all-India Sanskrit Book Exhibition. A photo exhibition is also planned, apart from a felicitation of Sanskrit scholars. But will Sudharma be able to preserve the pristine glory of Sanskrit, or be overwhelmed by modernity?

 

Many university students this IANS correspondent talked to in Mysore had not heard of the paper. Just a few paces from the newspaper office, a chemist blinked in incomprehension when told about Sudharma. The signs may be ominous, but perhaps the paper, like the language it is published in, may be able to survive the test of time.

link--http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=249761  

CORRUPTION IN INDIAN MEDIA

Rahul Singh, a former editor of “The Reader’s Digest” and “The Indian Express,” had quite recently pointed out in one of his articles that in India, “bribing, or influencing, journalists by business houses or by the government is nothing new. Indian chief ministers have ‘discretionary quotas’ of plots of land - sold at much below the market rate - which they hand out liberally to their favourites, or those they want to influence, which includes judges and journalists.”

In his December 21, 2010 article “Assessing India’s fourth estate,” Rahul Singh had written: “I shall start on a personal note, since it is relevant to this column. The incident took place 30 years ago. I had just been appointed by Ramnath Goenka, the doughty owner of the Indian Express, as editor of the Bombay edition of his paper. Mygeneral manager wanted me to pay a courtesy call on Dhirubhai Ambani, whose office was close by. I naturally agreed. Dhirubhai’s two sons, Mukesh and Anil, are now familiar names in India and abroad, with huge business empires. They figure among the wealthiest individuals in the world.”The distinguished Indian editor had gone on to write: “At that time, however, Dhirubhai was the Indian entrepreneur everybody was talking about. A rags-to-riches story (he had started as a simple textile salesman) he had realized that the only way to prosper in India then was to exploit the corrupt ‘licence-permit-Raj’ that had prevailed.Which meant bribing government officials and politicians, even senior journalists! After the usual pleasantries, Dhirubhai asked me, “Do you have any Reliance (the name of his company) shares?” Being relativelyinnocent of the stock market, I was a little taken aback but had the presence of mind to answer ‘no’. He immediately summoned his personal assistant and ordered him to arrange for me to be issued some“directors’ quota shares.”Rahul Singh further stated: “Though as I said I knew little about stocks and shares, I knew enough to recognize that this was nothing less than an outright bribe: The “directors’ quota shares” were Rs10 a share, whereas in the market they were quoted at over 10 times that amount. If I had taken them and sold them the next day, I could have made a sizeable profit. As soon as I left Dhirubhai’s office, I typed out a letter to him, thanking him for his offer, but declining it. I still have a copy of that letter.”Editor Rahul Singh had further stated in the same article: “A far more senior journalist, the editor-in-chief of India’s most powerful newspaper, the Times of India, no less, sadly succumbed to Dhirubhai’s enticement (the wily businessman even arranged for a bank loan to pay for the editor’s shares, since the editor did not have that kind ofmoney).

“Another newspaper exposed this much later and the shamefaced editor, his reputation in tatters, returned the shares.” Views similar to those expressed by Editor Rahul Singh above were published by a leading Indian weekly “India Today” in its November 21, 2010 edition. “India Today,” which today has a circulation of over 1.1 million copies with a readership of over 5.62 million, had written: “Governments trying to bribe journalists seems to be a fairly common phenomenon across Indian states. And it is not even new. In Rajasthan, where it has traditionally been a two-way street, governments often come forward to offer favours even while some media persons approach the authorities, mainly chief ministers, seeking favours.”

The magazine had gone on to write, “During the 1950s and 1960s, when even cars had a long waiting list, state governments kept a discretionary quota with them. Many of those whom the governments obliged were journalists. But then, the saving grace was that the car would not come free - the journalists had to pay for them. The onlyadvantage they had was that they got to jump the queue. But in a period when journalism was a poorly paid profession, media professionals could not even think of buying a car. So, even the discretionary quota was of little use.” It had stated: “Later, cars made way for flats in government colonies. Apart from secure housing, these colonies had groceries and other facilities at subsidised rates. This was challenged all the way to the high court, but the decision was never reversed. Many journalists in Rajasthan were also allotted agricultural land in prime locations. It is not too different in Uttar Pradesh where bungalows and government colonies of the Rajya Sampatti Vibhag (Estate Department) are allotted to “senior” and “accredited” journalists at rents ranging from Rs105 to Rs1,000 a month.”“India Today” further reported: “In 1994, the then chief minister of UP, Mulayam Singh Yadav, obliged nearly two dozen journalists by donating lakhs to their start-up fund to help them launch newspapers or printing presses. This was exposed by his successor Mayawati. A senior office bearer of the Uttar Pradesh Accredited CorrespondentsCommittee was sanctioned lakhs of rupees to start a newspaper by Mulayam, she said in her report. The report also mentioned how a senior correspondent of a regional Hindi news channel was given more than Rs5 lakh to build a school in the Deoria district. Another senior journalist was involved in a land grab and housing scam in the plush Gomtinagar locality of Lucknow five years ago. He was given one plot of land by the Mulayam government, but it was later found that the journalist, along with several others, had grabbed plots in the name of their wives, children and relatives. Some even managed to get up to four properties.”It added: “In addition, accredited journalists in UP get perks such as free travel in state transport buses, 50 per cent discount in railway tickets, accommodation at government guest houses and press clubs across the country at concessional rates, free medical aid, free-to- vacate Estate Department property (a bungalow or a house), etc. In Madhya Pradesh, several journalists accepted bribes to refrain from any sort of negative reporting against the state government. The give-and-take relationship between journalists and politicians in Madhya Pradesh began under the chief ministership of Shyama Charan Shukla who began giving two-wheelers to journalists who used to ride a bicycle.”The report continued: “His successors Arjun Singh, Motilal Vora, Sunderlal Patwa, Digvijay Singh, Uma Bharti and the present chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan have all used their discretionary powers to benefit journalists and media barons who were give prime land at dirt cheap rates. Media house owners also got government adverts, subsidised electricity and prime commercial land to set up their offices. At present, more than 200 journalists occupy these government houses.”It concluded saying: “In Himachal Pradesh, journalists “close” to the government are given a number of facilities like free travel in all state transport buses, concessional stay in state owned hotels, a 25 per cent discount in restaurants and Type IV houses, which is equivalent to those given to secretaries and senior IAS officers. Freevehicles are also handed out as and when they are requested for.”An AFP report of December 2, 2010, had also mentioned of a scandal involving high-profile Indian journalists and telephone taps that had given India “its own WikiLeaks-style controversy.” The AFP had reported: “At the centre of the storm is India’s best-known television journalist, Barkha Dutt, who is accused of acting as a power broker in negotiations involving big business and the government over allocation of cabinet seats. Tapes recorded by thepolice have emerged as part of a major row over the cut-rate sale of mobile phone licences in 2007-2008 which is estimated to have cost the treasury as much as 40 billion dollars in lost revenues.”The report stated:” Transcripts of the 104 tapes, many of which have been printed by two news magazines, have brought question marks over the reputations of Barkha Dutt, veteran newspaper columnist Vir Sanghvi and other big media names. The tapes are a treasure trove for close followers of New Delhi’s interwoven media, business and political scenes. A number of them, which record the conversations of about 30 journalists, date back to 2009 when the re-elected Congress party was patching together its current coalition government. Barkha Dutt and Vir Sanghvi are heard in separate conversations discussing who should be in the cabinet with influential lobbyist Niira Radia, who was pushing for A Raja, a south Indian regional politician, to bereinstated as a minister.”