Tolerance has pain has reduced during the late days. One of the main reason for that is no regular exercise and lifestyle practices in terms of diet, exercise. That is the reason the pain tolerance is pretty less in most of us nowadays. Yoga can be of great help in increasing the pain tolerance in each one of us. How does it make it happen? Let me give you a simple example. A small plant when it is growing or probably in its mid life stage the tender stem so flexible. So you can bend the stem in which ever direction you want and it will not break. But if it becomes harder when it becomes older it becomes stiff. Any stiff stem of a plant if it is bent too hard it will break. It is as simple as that. Even our bodies, especially our muscles, joints, bones, they are all supposed to be in a pretty good health only when they are regularly exercised.

Sharp pain during yoga practice is very much possible only when it is not done inn the right way. Every muscle and every joint has a range of movement. Only when the joint or muscle is stretched beyond its range of movement it leads to snapping action and it leads to sharp pain. How do you deal with that? We have to be careful not to imitate others in your yoga class. Follow your instructor carefully and in any doubts please ask him about it and clarify and go ahead. Yoga practice has to be individualised to each individual based on their age, health, weight. Only then you can avoid any sharp pains. Even then if you get any sharp pain while your yoga practice please make sure, don’t continue your yoga practice immediately. Give a rest, lie down or relax that point of your body which is having a sharp pain and then seek for medical help. If you have access to ice bag or ice application that will be the best thing to happen. Just apply the ice for a short time and if the pain reduces that is no problem, you can leave it as it is. If the pain continues with swelling or any other symptoms that aggravate the condition please seek for medical help.

Everyone are so aware that yoga is very important in our lives today. But do we know what is the right time to do yoga. The best time to practice yoga is during the morning time. We call it traditionally as brahmimuhurtha between 3.30 to 5’o clock. But practically it may be very difficult to many of ourselves to do that. But we can have a relaxation even then. It is better always to practice before 8 am in the morning. So you have slept overnight. Your stomach is empty, your food is digested, you have attended your nature calls. You don’t have too many things on your mind to think about. So that is when your focus is much better doing the yoga practice. Third thing is when you have rested throughout the night your body is relaxed, your brain is not functioning so with too many thoughts and processes. So it becomes easier for us to practice yoga. Mind is free, body is relaxed. So it is very comfortable to practice yoga in the morning hours. Our mind is fresh. But it is not advisable to do the practice in the afternoons. Probably it is because of the food. You probably had two meals by then and afternoons are the right time for good digestion. If you are doing yoga during that time it can impair the digestion. It can lead to accumulation of undigested food called as ama in ayurveda which can be a major cause of concern for non communicable chronic conditions. So it is advisable either you practice yoga in the morning hours or evening during the sunset.

Lots of people ask me what is the right position to sleep. Well sleep is so important for us because it relaxes our brain, it helps our brain to process all the information what we have gone through and there are a lot of proteins which are released during the sleep that will help to repair ourselves. so that is why sleep is most important. It has also been found in several studies that if you don't sleep sufficiently say for 6 to 7 hours there are some genes which are activated for ageing. So if you're sleeping well you're automatically ageing process becomes much more graceful. Remember sleep is so important for that much amount of time we should also understand no other activity can replace sleep or deprivation of sleep cannot be replaced by anything else today.

Lots of people ask me what is the right position to sleep. Well sleep is so important for us because it relaxes our brain, it helps our brain to process all the information what we have gone through and there are a lot of proteins which are released during the sleep that will help to repair ourselves. so that is why sleep is most important. It has also been found in several studies that if you don't sleep sufficiently say for 6 to 7 hours there are some genes which are activated for ageing. So if you're sleeping well you're automatically ageing process becomes much more graceful. Remember sleep is so important for that much amount of time we should also understand no other activity can replace sleep or deprivation of sleep cannot be replaced by anything else today.

Before we understand what is the difference between magnet therapy and seed therapy we need to understand the concept behind that. The concept is very simple and based on traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that our body is having 14 energy channels through energy flows. It is called as Chi in Chinese and in Indian collateral language we call it Praana. Whenever there is a disturbance in the flow of energy, either it can be excess, deficient, blockage, whatsoever that leads to different disease conditions. It can be pain or gastritis or low back pain or headache. So we use several tools to balance out the energy flow in the energy channels. One of them is seed therapy. You take a small seed for e.g. mustard seed, see one of the point which is used for pain relieving, put the seed here and tape it up so that the seed is in constant touch with that accupoint. It gives a constant stimulation in the point thereby relieving the pain by balancing the energies. Instead of a seed if you use a magnet it is little more effective because magnet has its own energies that will have an effect on the energy point. That is the basic difference between a seed therapy and a magnet therapy. Some practitioner’s use manual pressure or with a blunt tool to press the point or we can even use a needle by a qualified practitioner to puncture the point and thereby the energies are balanced and the problem is relieved.

Before we understand what is the difference between magnet therapy and seed therapy we need to understand the concept behind that. The concept is very simple and based on traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that our body is having 14 energy channels through energy flows. It is called as Chi in Chinese and in Indian collateral language we call it Praana. Whenever there is a disturbance in the flow of energy, either it can be excess, deficient, blockage, whatsoever that leads to different disease conditions. It can be pain or gastritis or low back pain or headache. So we use several tools to balance out the energy flow in the energy channels. One of them is seed therapy. You take a small seed for e.g. mustard seed, see one of the point which is used for pain relieving, put the seed here and tape it up so that the seed is in constant touch with that accupoint. It gives a constant stimulation in the point thereby relieving the pain by balancing the energies. Instead of a seed if you use a magnet it is little more effective because magnet has its own energies that will have an effect on the energy point. That is the basic difference between a seed therapy and a magnet therapy. Some practitioner’s use manual pressure or with a blunt tool to press the point or we can even use a needle by a qualified practitioner to puncture the point and thereby the energies are balanced and the problem is relieved.

Sleep is a very important factor in each one of our lives. Lack of sleep can lead to lot of health issues. The most important thing when there is no sleep is our stress level rises and we become more angry and temperamental. It also leads to digestive disorders like acidity, gastritis etc. It also increases our heart rate. To maintain good sleep there are few things we need to notice. Good exercises everyday is important. Second thing is good sleeping habits. That means going at the same time and waking up at the same time. The third thing is reduce the viewing of our screens, maybe it is laptop, tab or phone because it stimulates the brain too much and will not allow it to settle down. We have certain points in acupuncture where we can help you to balance out those stresses, reduce the pressure and get to sleep. The first point will be the centre of our eyebrows just above the bridge of the nose, press it and rotate it for about 30 seconds. Don’t press too hard though. Second point is the temples. The depression here, just locate it and it will help to relax our eyes and eye muscles and rotate it for about 30 seconds in the clockwise direction. Don’t press too hard so that it will cause any pain. The third point will be just the inner side of the wrist towards the body, locate the point at the end of the wrist crease and rotate it. This is the heart channel which helps to relax the heart and go to good sleep. The fourth point will be between the first two bones of your foot from the toes, measure about two and a half fingers from the web of your foot which is soft and smooth. Rotate in clockwise direction for about 30 seconds in both the foot. All the above points will help us to get a good sleep every night. But you need to do it on a consistent basis if you have a sleep issue. If it is not getting resolved or if there is any health issue please consult a doctor. All these points have to pressed on both the sides of the body.

Walking is a very good form of exercise for the cardiovascular health. It prevents lots of conditions like hypertension, regulates our metabolism, it will keep our weight under check, we can prevent diabetes and we can probably even prevent stroke and hypertension. Several people ask me whether it is okay to walk inside the home in a treadmill or should I go out and walk in the sun or in a park. I would always recommend it is individual based. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages. When it comes to treadmill you need to have an equipment which is an investment and you need to find the right place at home which is little scarce these days. Going to the park the advantages are much more than treadmill walking. You don’t have to have much of investment, you have lot of greenery around, you get to meet more people and you get the inspiration to do walking more and more and keeps you going. Consistency is very important while doing walking. Every day if you walk only then it will bring health and prevent the chronic conditions. Several studies have been done to find out the difference between treadmill walking and walking out in a park or elsewhere. It has been found that when you are walking in the outside it has been found that all the sunlight, the fresh air and the leaves are found to keep us happy and at the same time give the physical health. Health is not merely the physical fitness. It is also the mind. So treadmill walking is good for your physical body, but walking in the park is not just for the physical body, it is also for your mind. So you decide what is good for you, what is required for you, what is your preferences and take the call.

Arthritis, as the name indicates is the inflammation of the joints,”Arthro” means joint “itis” means inflammation, right from a small joint in the foot to any joint in the knee, foot, anything for that matter. There can be several types of arthritis. It can be infective arthritis; it can be viral arthritis, which is very common these days. It can be degenerative arthritis, which we call it as osteoarthritis, which is very common with the knees and the hip and it can also be autoimmune arthritis, which is where our own immune system is acting against our joint. For example rheumatoid arthritis. Acupuncture can be of a great help in arthritis where irreversible damage is not done. If already irreversible damage is done in the joint, acupuncture may not help you, but it can certainly help you to manage the pain without any medication. It also depends on what stage it is. If it is an early stage or a mid-stage then acupuncture does help. It helps to reduce the inflammation; it helps to reduce the pain, to improve the ability of the joint so that you can carry on with day to day activities. It will also help to improve the blood flow in the local areas where the acupuncture needles are put. So that way generally the acupuncture can help arthritis in the early and the mid stage of arthritis whether it is inflammatory or it is autoimmune. But in certain cases like infective arthritis or viral arthritis, we are not supposed to treat with acupuncture then the infection is prominent. Post infection, when they are recovering acupuncture can be helpful even in viral arthritis Overall acupuncture can be of great help in the management of arthritis and the arthritic pain.

Let us understand what is acupuncture. Acupuncture is nothing but inserting very fine thin, hair kind of needles into specific acupuncture needles on energy channels. So we call that as filiform needles. So when we say needles, most of the patients they are very frightened that needles they will be very painful when it is inserted. But you need to understand one thing. Most of the times when injection is given to you or blood is drawn from you so that to inject the medicine or to draw the blood. But acupuncture needle is a solid needle. There is no tube, it is very thin like a hair. So I don’t think it is painful at all. It is only the prick when they put the needle in the body, they will have the feeling of a prick. Other than it is just a psychological fear of the needles that will trouble you other than that nothing else is there. And also it depends on the skill of the doctor how he puts the needles. If it is too good and good experience, I don’t think that it will cause any pain, acupuncture needles. Second thing is it is important that we need to understand that sharpness of the needle. If the sharpness of the needle is great, then it doesn’t feel at all. In my own experience I have seen that you won’t even feel the needles go into your body. That depends on the needle sharpness. So the best fop the needles we have to buy and use it. So overall it is not necessary you don’t have to be frightened whether acupuncture needles have to be painful or not. It is not at all painful it is only a prick you be relaxed when you take the acupuncture treatment. You will enjoy thoroughly.

That depends on each stage and the condition off the patient. Because just most of the times when the condition like arthritis is involved, there is additional conditions, maybe hypertension, diabetes, obesity. So many other health issues. So it varies for individual to individual. It can be 7 to 10 sessions, to 20 sessions, 40 sessions. It is all depending on each individual. In order to determine how many sessions are required, a thorough investigation has to be done before starting the treatment. Based on the condition and the stage the patient is suffering, the doctor will determine how many sessions are required. In my opinion, a minimum of 12 to 15 sessions are required and it can go upto 25 to 30 sessions of acupuncture to manage the pain. Even after finishing the course of the treatment, acupuncture can be continued for however long you wish to, because it helps to reduce the dependency on the medicine It helps to reduce the pain keep it at a abase minimum and carry on with your day to day activities very comfortably, but the only thing is the frequency of the acupuncture treatment will be quite less. Like for example once a week or once in 10 days, or I do once in 3 weeks also. So it depends on each individual how many sessions is required and it can go as long as possible till the disease is there and many of the arthritis which cannot be reversed, which cannot be completely healed, which can be just managed, acupuncture can go among depending on the condition and the doctor.

Psoriatic arthritis is one kind of inflammatory arthritis which is commonly seen these days. As the name itself indicates, it is a skin issue where inflammation of the skin, the cause of which is unknown We all know is that it is a an inflammatory reaction problem the reason is difficult to find out, When this skin disease psoriasis spreads and develops or becomes very prominent, then in some people it can affect even the joints. That is why it is called as Psoriatic arthritis. So on order to treat Psoriatic arthritis it is s not very early. So we have to treat the skin as well as the joint. Many at times what happens is it even has an autoimmune factor in some people, in the sense, our own immune system is acting against. So we have to take that factor also into consideration while treating the Psoriatic arthritis. So acupuncture can be of some help, I won’t say that it will be of great help. Certainly it will be of some help to manage the pain of Psoriatic arthritis. Even to some extent I have treated certain cases of psoriasis wherein acupuncture has helped to heal the psoriasis itself and the symptoms of itching, joint ache and mobility very less, not able to walk. Those condition and all can be helped. Acupuncture can be of great help in the management of Psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis. So how can that happens is when we I insert needles in specific areas or specific accupoints, it can help to reduce the inflammation. Psoriatic or psoriasis is nothing but inflammatory disease. So acupuncture will help to reduce the inflammation. The inflammatory chemicals will reduce in the blood and obviously there is better flow of blood in the local area, which will flush out the inflammatory chemicals thereby it will help to reduce the inflammatory arthritis that is psoriasis, Psoriatic arthritis, both of them. It can be of good help in Psoriatic arthritis.

Before we understand what is the difference between magnet therapy and seed therapy we need to understand the concept behind that. The concept is very simple and based on traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that our body is having 14 energy channels through energy flows. It is called as Chi in Chinese and in Indian collateral language we call it Praana. Whenever there is a disturbance in the flow of energy, either it can be excess, deficient, blockage, whatsoever that leads to different disease conditions. It can be pain or gastritis or low back pain or headache. So we use several tools to balance out the energy flow in the energy channels. One of them is seed therapy. You take a small seed for e.g. mustard seed, see one of the point which is used for pain relieving, put the seed here and tape it up so that the seed is in constant touch with that accupoint. It gives a constant stimulation in the point thereby relieving the pain by balancing the energies. Instead of a seed if you use a magnet it is little more effective because magnet has its own energies that will have an effect on the energy point. That is the basic difference between a seed therapy and a magnet therapy. Some practitioner’s use manual pressure or with a blunt tool to press the point or we can even use a needle by a qualified practitioner to puncture the point and thereby the energies are balanced and the problem is relieved.