HEALTH ETHICS:TURMERIC,TRIPHALA,TRIKATU

HEALTH ETHICS:

TURMERIC  

A bright yellow Indian cooking spice that promotes digestion and overall well-being…

Ø  Cleanses the blood and promotes healthy skin

Ø  Strengthens digestion and promotes healthy intestinal flora

Ø  Supports healthy blood glucose levels that are already within the normal range

Ø  Supports comfortable movement of the joints

·        Turmeric (Curcuma longa), a common Indian kitchen spice, has a broad range of beneficial properties.

·        It bolsters the immune system, purifies the blood and promotes clear, healthy skin.

·        Turmeric strengthens digestion and eliminates toxins from the GI tract.

·        It supports proper function of the pancreas, reduces kapha and promotes healthy blood glucose levels that are already within the normal range.

·        Turmeric soothes and nourishes the joint tissue and promotes comfortable movement.

·        An excellent herb for those with kapha constitutions or imbalances, turmeric supports proper function of the heart and helps clear the channels of the physical and subtle bodies.

Ayurvedic Energetics

• Rasa (taste): sweet, sour, pungent, bitter, astringent
• Virya (action): neutral
• Vipaka (post-digestive effect): sweet
• Doshas (constitutions): Balancing for vata, pitta, and kapha

Trikatu

               

Ø Trikatu translates as “three pungents”, and contains the herbs pippali, ginger, and black pepper.

Ø The powerful heating quality of this combination is traditionally used to enkindle the digestive fire and to burn fat and natural toxins.

Ø Trikatu supports a healthy metabolism, allowing nutrients to be properly digested and assimilated, thus aiding in weight management when accompanied by diet and exercise.

Ø It is also a rejuvenative for kapha, supporting healthy lungs and clear breathing.

Triphala
                         

 

Ø   Triphala is recommended and used more than any other Ayurvedic herbal formulation.

Ø Popular for its unique ability to gently cleanse and detoxify the system while simultaneously replenishing and nourishing it, this traditional formula supports the proper functions of the digestive, circulatory, respiratory and genitourinary systems.

Ø Translated as “three fruits”, it is composed of the dried fruits of amalaki, bibhitaki and haritaki. Containing five of the six tastes (all but salty)

Ø Triphala readily removes excess vata, pitta and kapha from the body, bringing balance and proper functioning to the system.

Ø  It is commonly taken as a daily supplement to help maintain balance of the doshas.

PRINCIPLES OF MEDICAL ETHICS

PRINCIPLES OF MEDICAL ETHICS:

The Four Principles are general guides that leave considerable room for judgement in specific cases.

Respect for autonomy: respecting the decision-making capacities of autonomous persons; enabling individuals to make reasoned informed choices.

Beneficence: this considers the balancing of benefits of treatment against the risks and costs; the healthcare professional should act in a way that benefits the patient

Non maleficence: avoiding the causation of harm; the healthcare professional should not harm the patient. All treatment involves some harm, even if minimal, but the harm should not be disproportionate to the benefits of treatment.

Justice: distributing benefits, risks and costs fairly; the notion that patients in similar positions should be treated in a similar manner.

To get some feel for how the Four Principles could be used by a clinical ethics committee consider the following hypothetical case study.

Mrs Y is 56 years old and has a learning disability. She is admitted to hospital with an ovarian cyst. The cyst is blocking her ureter and if left untreated will result in renal failure. Mrs Y would need an operation to remove the cyst. Mrs Y has indicated quite clearly that she does not want a needle inserted for the anaesthetic for the operation to remove the cyst- she is uncomfortable in a hospital setting and is frightened of needles.

The clinician is concerned that if the cyst is not removed Mrs Y will develop renal failure and require dialysis which would involve the regular use of needles and be very difficult to carry out given her fear of needles and discomfort with hospitals. The anaesthetist is concerned that if Mrs Y does not comply with the procedure then she would need to be physically restrained. Mrs Y’s niece visits her in the care home every other month. The niece is adamant that her aunt should receive treatment.

Should the surgeon perform the operation despite Mrs Y’s objections?

Consideration of the ethical issues using the Four Principles framework

Respect for autonomy:

The principle of respect for autonomy entails taking into account and giving consideration to the patient’s views on his/ her treatment. Autonomy is not an all or nothing concept. Mrs Y may not be fully autonomous (and not legally competent to refuse treatment) but this does not mean that ethically her views should not be considered and respected as far as possible. She has expressed her wishes clearly; she does not want a needle inserted for the anaesthetic. An autonomous decision does not have to be the ‘correct’ decision from an objective viewpoint otherwise individual needs and values would not be respected. However an autonomous decision is one that is informed – has Mrs Y been given enough information, in a manner that she can comprehend?

Beneficence:

The healthcare professional should act to benefit his/her patient. This principle may clash with the principle of respect for autonomy when the patient makes a decision that the healthcare professional does not think will benefit the patient – is not in her best interests. Here we should consider both the long term and short -term effects of overriding Mrs Y’s views. In the short - term Mrs Y will be frightened to have a needle inserted in her arm and to be in hospital – this may lead her to distrust healthcare professionals in the future and to be reluctant to seek medical help. In the long term there will be a benefit to Mrs Y in having her autonomy overridden on this occasion. Without treatment she will suffer serious and long-term health problems that would require greater medical intervention (ongoing dialysis) than the treatment required now (operation).

The benefits of acting beneficently would need to be weighed against the dis-benefits of failing to respect Mrs Y’s autonomy. (From a legal point of view the wishes of a competent patient cannot be overridden in his best interests).

Non maleficence:

Do no harm to the patient. Here, Mrs Y would be harmed by forcibly restraining her in order to insert the needle for anaesthesia. On the other hand if she is not treated now she will require ongoing dialysis a number of times per week. If she does not comply with dialysis it would be impractical to administer and may require restraint. Which course of action would result in the greatest harm? This assessment relies on assumptions: how successful is the operation likely to be; how likely will Mrs Y comply with dialysis?

Justice:

It would be relevant to consider cost effectiveness of the treatment options for Mrs Y, and the impact the decision about her treatment has on the availability of treatment for others (awaiting dialysis).

SOCIAL ETHICS

SOCIAL ETHICS:

What is the Social Ethic of Sharing?

·        Basically societies work on the principle of give and take. In other words sharing is inherent to human life.

·        By sharing something with a person who is in dire need of it you are starting a chain of good deeds which is bound to come back to you in some form or the other.

·        Sharing can imply not only physical and material things but can broadly involve sharing of emotions and moral support.

·        Thus the social ethic of sharing is crucial to meaningful interaction in society.

What are the factors that influence Social Ethics?

·        What is considered right or wrong by a society seems to be influenced by a number of factors and social ethics  such as religious beliefs, the economic conditions, social and cultural factors and so on.

·        Besides this, political and legislative bodies may influence what a society holds to be socially ethical.

·        For example issues such as abortion, euthanasia, death penalty and   animal cruelty have long been topics of debate in various societies.

·        Further the advance in science medicine and technology has given rise to a number of issues which may be a threat to the age-old social ethics.

·        For example, gene manipulation , artificial insemination, cloning etc have given rise to ethical questions which can disturb the equilibrium of a society.

What are the social ethics of living in a community?

·        Help and care are the foundation of any community. It is important to identify the need and decide how you can help the person. For example the poor in a community can be helped in a number of ways.

·        It could be in the form of personal help or seeking help for them through some voluntary organization.

·        Social ethics is all about understanding the obligations one has towards others in a community. Understandably social ethics is a complex topic and cannot be defined objectively. But generally any behavior that is largely considered right or good by large groups tend to be accepted by the society as a whole over a period of time.

How can one be Socially Accountable?

·        An individual is accountable not only to his loved ones in his family but in a large sense towards all those with whom he interacts in society.

·        They may include his friends, supervisors, co-workers among others. The idea is to generate mutual interests and trust avoiding deception of any kind.

·        Public trust can be earned by following the social ethics of help, responsibility, honesty, fairness and freedom.

·        Consequently it would be considered negative social ethics when one indulges in arrogance, dishonesty, irresponsibility and has conflicting interests.  

LIFE ETHICS BY "SWAMI VIVEKANADER AND MOTHER THERSA"

HOW TO GET STARTED WITH AYURVEDIC DIET

HOW TO GET STARTED WITH AYURVEDIC DIET:

Ayurveda is a 5000 year old Indian medicine system that is getting ever more popular in the Western part of the world. It's a holistic system essentially aimed toward feeling well and living in harmony with yourself and your surroundings.

According to Ayurveda one of the most important means to achieve this is a balanced diet; not to be confused with the Crash-diets the Western culture is generally used to. Instead of leaving out all "bad" foods an Ayurvedic Diet means adjusting your cooking to go well with your person and will help you feel better in general and being able to cope better with the hurdles that everyday life may put in your way.

STEPS:

1.Basic clear out: Have a good look at your current diet and try getting less preservatives,artificial colors,chemicals. See how much frozen, fried or fermented foods are on your diet; do you think you could replace them with freshly cooked meals? Why not have baked potatoes instead of fries tonight?

2.Take your time: There should be some time in your schedule for your meals (not only eating but some time thereafter as well) where you can rest, enjoy and focus on your food without disturbance. How about some rays of sunshine and fresh air if your trapped in an office all day? Also a bit silence or relaxing music couldn't hurt. Of course this might look hard; of course you'd wish to have some time to eat unhurriedly but your schedule looks uncompromising. But think about it: Food is one of the most important factors to your health; by rushing it in you might save a little time now but you'll pay it back later in case you get sick. Besides it's amazing how a restful break can boost your efficiency. Considering your meals small highlights of the day instead of an annoying necessity you'll help yourself to pay them more attention, be aware of what you eat and what your body most needs rather than cramming in whatever is in closest reach. This way you'll effortlessly learn to listen to your body—and probably be surprised how often you want healthy fresh things more than the hot dog around the corner.

3.Find out what benefits you. Get familiar with the principle of "Gunas" Don't worry it's not difficult:

• "Sattvic" foods: in general are the juicy, easy to digest, tasty, organic, freshly made – they stimulate a sharp and focused state of mind, so try and get some more of these.
• "Rajasic" foods: are eggs, caffeine, chile, alcohol, garlic, high quality meat as well as fermented and freshly canned foods. We require them to realize out projects by supporting stamina and providing a decisive state of mind.
• "Tamasic" foods: are e.g. leftovers, alcohol (long term effect), meat, mushrooms, onions and frozen as well as fermented foods. They plenty of a lot of energy to digest and give us the need to finish a project and rest; possibly they can put the mind in a lackluster state. That said, they're really not "bad" but in our current culture we're usually already getting enough of them so try and cut back on their intake.

4.Understand yourself: Eventually it's usually helpful to get counsel from an Ayurvedic practitioner to tackle your more subtle imbalances. If you don't have one close to you try learning as much as you can about yourself by observation: yourself should know what is best for you but you possibly have to learn how to listen to your body.

5. As a starting point why not trying to find out your personal constitutional type? You could take a so called "Dosha Test" to see which Doshas are most dominant in your constitution. Whilst discovering Ayurveda you'll see that the majority of the ideas are categorised for the sake of learning, but always be mindful that in reality everything is interrelated and the transitions between one state and another are seamless.

6.Fine-tune: Once you're at a point where you have a reasonably good awareness of the general things that agree with you, give you an energetic and positive feeling, support you you could start and try fine-tuning your diet so that it assists your personal type as well. You can do this by skillfully spicing your foods in line with your Doshas, finding or creating recipes specially for your type or simply adjusting the things you eat a little more to include more of what's good for you personally.

7.Take it easy. No-one has to be perfect. Don't start categorizing foods in good and bad drawers—Ayurveda is not about excelling in a healthy diet and/or lifestyle. It's about living in harmony with yourself and your environment. If you wanted you could always adjust and tweak things here and there, but this way it's too easy to get lost in details and losing the vision for the big picture. Just continue listening to your body, it will tell you what needs to be adjusted.

HEALTH ETHICS: BENEFITS OF USING COPPER POTS FOR DRINKING WATER

HEALTH ETHICS: BENEFITS OF USING COPPER POTS FOR DRINKING WATER

Microbially-unsafe water is still a major concern in most developing countries. Although many water-purification methods exist, these are expensive and beyond the reach of many people, especially in rural areas.

Copper has a sterilising effect on water. It is particularly effective against diarrhoea causing bacteria like E Coli. So having water stored in copper vessels is naturally cleansed and purified.

Ayurveda recommends the use of copper for storing drinking-water. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of copper pot on microbially-contaminated drinking-water.

ADVANTAGES:

·        Kills bacteria

·        Regulates tyroid Function

·        Cures Arthritis Pain

·        Heals Wounds Faster

·        Stimulates Brain Activity

·        Improves Digestion

·        Beats Anemia

·        Good to use during Pregnancy

·        Protects Against Cancer

·        Slows Down Ageing Process- removes wrinkles in skin

The antibacterial effect of copper pot against important diarrhoeagenic bacteria, including Vibrio cholerae O1, Shigella flexneri 2a, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, enteropathogenic E. coli, Salmonella enterica Typhi, and Salmonella Paratyphi is reported.

When drinking-water (pH 7.83±0.4; source: ground) was contaminated with 500 CFU/mL of the above bacteria and stored in copper pots for 16 hours at room temperature, no bacteria could be recovered on the culture medium.

Providing safe drinking-water to the majority of the world's population, especially to those in developing countries, is still a major problem. Approximately a billion people lack access to safe drinking-water

(1). Water and food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, and protozoa cause infectious diarrhoea. Diarrhoea is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity, especially in children of developing countries

(2) and claims two million lives each year

(3). The major aetiological agents that account for over a million diarrhoeal deaths per year, particularly in developing countries, are enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), rotavirus, Vibrio cholerae, and species of Shigella, which are spread through contaminated water and food or from person to person.