You must have observed that if you go to an allopath doctor with issues like High Blood Pressure, or Blood Sugar or Thyroid , you will be prescribed pills to be taken daily throughout your life. This pill only manages the disease, but will not cure you.
If you are sensible you will understand that the objective of these pills are to just manage the ailment , not cure you , by this who only will benefit is very clear, I need not go in details. Also most of the allopath medicines have some side effects . But, still I wont say that there is no need of these medicines, as mentioned before these medicines helps to manage the disease , when ever required most of us do take some medicines, as they are supportive. Keep in mind always that too much use of any medicine like Paracetamols or antibiotics makes your internal healing system weak with multiple side effects.
Just for your information - The Most Dangerous Medicine In The World , as declared by EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PAIN, 27th November, 2014 is PARACETAMOL, the most commonly prescribed medicine when you have fever. Paracetamol is the most frequent cause of LIVER FAILURE (Davidson's Principle & Practice Of Medicine- 23rd edition). But what we see in medical practice is just the opposite.
Your body by itself is an arrangement of medicines , it is a hospital by itself . If we get any disease in our body, our body gives solution for the same. If you get an arm fracture, you are just given a plaster support for stability of that effected arm, the bone repairs by itself in a given time . When you get a cut on your skin, we apply medicine as a support so that no infection happens, but the cut heals by itself. This healing is done by the internal system of the body. In today's scenario when the world is effected by CORONA virus, those with strong IMMUNE SYSTEM and not being effected or if effected then recovering fast. Every day many viruses & bacteria attack our body, but our IMMUNE SYSTEM protects us from these invaders ( read my blogs : "A Powerful Breathing Technique- Increases Lung Capacity & Improves Immune System" , & "10 Foods To Avoid For Your Immune System".). But if your system is weak, then for sure you are bound to get effected by these invaders. Even the CORONA VACCINE is just supportive, that is the reason inspite of getting vaccinated doctors are recommending use of MASK & SOCIAL DISTANCING. It is clear that it's not FULL PROOF, also as it is being said that vaccines may also have some side effects in future.
UNDERSTANDING THYROID - A NEW DIMENSION, DIET & SUGGESTIVE EXERCISES.
So, it is most vital to understand the mechanism of our body that can heal us permanently and protect us from multiple diseases. Even Ayurvedic medicines were and are given as a support, but as it had no chemical compounds & were totally prepared from plants and earth minerals, therefore these had very minor side effects. But even if these are used in wrong way then will cause harm to your system. Abnormal use will surly effect your system.
A New Dimension :
Your body can heal by itself , only YOGA is a system which do not involve taking anything externally. Yoga teaches - "if problem is in your body, the solution is also in your body". It is most important to understand that the biggest medicine is YOUR BODY , how to use this body appropriately as medicine to heal ourselves and protect ourselves from diseases, this can only happen when we incorporate YOGA with correct technique in our life.
Many do YOGA for years but get no impact, the reason being you are not following the correct technique, in the name of YOGA you are just jumping, twisting, bending , like any other physical exercise. With faulty breathing process, this not YOGA or HAT YOGA. The medicine of YOGA is the supreme medicine, we need to learn the YOGA process correctly, have trust in the process, for us to benefit from it and make our internal & external system strong.
In SRI BHAGWAT GITA , Sri Krishna says - ||"Yoga Bhavati Dukhah" ||
Meaning : Yoga will cure and keep away any sorrow or ailment.
Yoga is like a vaccination that will keep us protected from any disease. Also what & how we eat our food, correct time to sleep with a quality sleep plays a vital role (read my Blog: "How To Get QUALITY SLEEP: Benefits- Prerequisites-Techniques"), this is also part of the YOGIC process (read my Blog: "PRANIK FOOD- Meaning, List & Benefits").
When you take any medicine it gets absorbed into our body by our internal system, if your internal system is faulty then how do you expect that medicine you take to get into your system to show it's effectiveness. With faulty system when you are not being able to properly digest your normal food then how do you think of digesting the medicine with complex chemical composition.
Also, keep in your mind that if you are doing regular YOGA/HAT YOGA it is not that you will not be needing any external medicine, as I have mentioned these will only support your system in case of any serious ailment, but the ultimate medicine is your own body. It does not mean a YOGI will never fall sick or die, every method has it's own benefits and limitations. Yoga and few exercises if done daily will keep you more healthy and fit as compared to other people who are not into this routine.
Whole lot of people have come out of THYROID with Hata Yoga (Yogic Exercises), but this pretty wide spread manifestation of thyroid imbalance . We must understand that what you call as thyroid is that secretion within you which is trying to calibrate your system on a daily basis. It is just calibrating - how much digestion should happen, how much energy should produced, how much fat should be produced , how much muscle should be built, everything it's trying to calibrate. Your physical structure is very closely related to your psychological structure.
Today, there is substantial evidence to show that if you think of a mountain then your glandular function will happen in a certain way , if you think of tiger then it will happen in another way, you think of a ocean then it will happen in another way, you think of a man or women then it will then again happen in another way - Just a thought, with no contact with mountain, tiger, ocean or a man or woman, just a thought will fluctuate the glandular function.... that is how fine the system is, that it is calibrating everything to keep you in a place.
The problem with us is , we actually need a bullock- cart , but they gave you a fine space ship. Every little think in our system will do world of thinks simply if you can touch it waves of stuff will be happening in the system . where ever you may be - Mumbai, New York, London, Tokyo, or in any city , Now just look at the situation in which you are walking , may be socially you are used to such things , but just see the number of things happening around you , non of them are conducive to this life , you might have got adjusted to it , may be now you can not live out of these cities , that's another mater, but the life that you are is not seeking that kind of atmosphere.
So, the number of variations happening within you are not in your favour. Glandular dysfunction is just one manifestation . A very highly calibrated function of glandular function, one thing is the thyroid . It is easily noticeable, the first thing is your physiological and psychological parameters gets thrown off a bit simply because of the disturbance . Another dimension is what's the disturbances happening within you, that is own psychological patterns , another dimension of disturbance is what kind of food is getting within you , there is no way you can eat anything today which is not chemically infested, it is very difficult to eat something that's just grown in the wild forest that you can pluck and eat, not even a small percentage of people are capable of eating that anymore. All we eat are all from the market place, what goes into the market place is all about MORE , not about WHAT.
Now, you have to take pills to manage your glandular function, there is no way that by popping a pill you can get into a balance, you can suppress it but you cannot get into proper balance, because every day it is different , every moment it is different . This about calibration , a very active calibration that is happening , you just kill it by a pill , you can just manage. You become a little dysfunctional machine. This dysfunctional machine will manifest in so many ways & you will know it only when you stretch it, if you live only with minimal stuff you won't notice it. It is like , if you drive at 20 KM /Hr. speed and get a flat tyre then it wont show-up and you can manage reaching your home , but once you drive at 100 KM /hr and get a flat tyre then you will go off road causing some major accident.
If all functions of your body is taken care of well , now when you rev up your life to function at a much higher level simply it will go smooth . Now if you rev up your life without bringing in balance , then you will see it will freak , this is happening all around you every day. You can not leave your city and live in a jungle, you cannot leave the atmosphere you are used to, then at least you must get equipped yourself so that those things do not have too much impact on you , it will anyway have impact, but how is the question. Have plants in your home , sufficient sunlight in rooms , not everything is closed and air conditions are on most of the time. The machine reverberations around you are freaking your body completely.
One of the main reasons of thyroid is , now a days human beings are becoming less and less active as technology grows. In a day how much physical activity an average person does as previous generations of people. The physical activity that all of us do now is far below as required by this body. With such a low level of activity keeping the balance in the system is difficult. So, when ever you feel little imbalance do not go to bed, just jump into some activity instead of going into bed, unless seriously ill.
Do the activity with some vigoure and joy and do more and more of such activity when feeling sick . The moment you go to bed you are empowering that imbalance or sickness. For glandular imbalance or dysfunction of various kinds activity is the simple solution. You can play games, go walking, jogging, trekking, swimming, cycling or do daily physical exercise , do whatever activity which you enjoy doing and feel lively .
Essentially our Fundamental problem is we have become bloody serious about life , so let's remind ourselves that we will anyways die one day, don't be so serious about it, it will get over in no time, you should loosen the grip, now if you loosen the grip the last scene will be different and life will happen wonderfully well.
Coming to THYROID, where there are two variations - Hyper & Hypo . Now we will try to understand THYROID, why does the imbalance happen & what is the solution :
When the thyroid is its normal size, you can not feel it. The thyroid secretes several hormones, collectively called thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones act throughout the body, influencing metabolism, growth and development, and body temperature.
Thyroid diet :
There are no specific foods or dietary supplements that are helpful in treating thyroid disorders. To ensure that you remain as healthy as possible it is important to eat the right variety of foods in the correct proportions. It is suggested to :
1. eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables daily.
2. your meals should be higher on fibre starchy foods like potatoes, bread, rice or pasta.
3. have curd daily.
4. eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat (chicken) and other protein.
5. have in small amounts unsaturated oils and spreads.
6. drink plenty of fluids ( minimum 6-8 glasses in a day).
Why thyroid problem happens or why such imbalance happen ?
Research has shown that , the first reason being, those who are in multitasking tend to get effected most. That is doing or managing multiple works in a same time, generally you will find that females who manage their family are in multitasking . Nearly 80% of thyroid patients are female, because they are multitaskers. In the morning if you just observe first 3 hours of a house-wife you will find - they are into preparing breakfast, but in her mind she is thinking about when to make her kids ready for school, planning instructions for family members or house workers, thinks of managing home finance, planning what to prepare for lunch, has to think & look after the senior members in the family & many more. If she is a working woman , then many more activities, thoughts & plannings to be added. Also, they are mostly doing too much talking and that too in a high pitch. In addition to multitasking, they have chances of hormonal imbalance due to the complexity in the female physiology, as a result they have to go through lot of hormonal fluctuations socially, physically, mentally & emotionally, in comparison to a male.
When you are in multitasking the brain pattern gets disturbed, the PITUITARY GLAND which is in your brain, gets insufficient oxygen as the supply of oxygen in your brain gets reduced. This pituitary gland governs the thyroid gland. As such the thyroid gland can not function until it gets instruction from the pituitary gland. If your pituitary gland functions smoothly then the thyroid gland will never have any problem. Multitasking adversely effects the hormonal pattern of the brain and the nervous system , resulting insufficient flow of oxygen in the brain, thus it effects the thyroid gland.
So, the first step should be to control multitasking followed by few breathing exercises (PRANAYAM) & few YOGA EXERCISES (Hata Yoga) are MUST. There are other reasons also for Thyroid issue, but 70% is due to multitasking. When a person is used to multitasking & can not stop or control multitasking , then the effort should be to strengthen the brain by doing regular Pranayam and Hata Yoga exercises to take care of the brain.
The main objective should not be to concentrate on treating the thyroid gland , but to take care of the pituitary gland as it governs the thyroid gland, as pituitary gland dysfunction is the root cause. But unfortunately we just concentrate on treating our thyroid gland, thus only suppressing the problem instead of resolving the issue ones for all, even if we take medicines ,do some yoga exercises or Pranayam to create pressure and increase blood flow in our thyroid gland, but the problem will remain. If only we manage our pituitary gland which governs the thyroid gland, then only the issue will be solved.
Suggestive Exercises :
Now let us learn at least 3 Pranayams that will manage your pituitary gland , these 3 breathing exercises take care of your thyroid gland , after doing these 3 Pranayams for at least 21 days get yourself checked , you will find the change, I am not saying you will be cured within these 21 days, but you will see that the report will indicate minimum 3-4 points lower than your previous report, in the long run if practised regularly will find a big improvement .
1. UJJAI BREATHING :
Not the kind as in Hat Yoga. Sit in a crossed legged position as per your comfort, or on a chair with your back comfortably erect, your body should be lose not tensed. Place both your palms on your knees or thighs, with palms facing upwards, whole body to be in relaxed mode. Then slightly open your mouth, close your eyes, then slowly and smoothly inhale from your mouth, not making any sound from your throat, inhale with a count of 5-6, fill your lungs with maximum air so that your chest bulges out, then hold the breath for count of 2, then slowly and smoothly exhale through your mouth with a count of 7-8. This process should be in a rythm in accordance to ones nature. This should be done daily for minimum 11 minutes .
2. UJJAI PRANAYAM WITH CHIN LOCK :
This pranayam or breathing technique is same as above, only difference is , after you inhale then bring your chin towards your chest so that your chin touches the chest and hold your breath for 2-3 counts , then lift your chin to original position and exhale through your mouth as in the previous pranayam.
When you lock your chin to your chest it does not effect your thyroid gland as most people say, this process actually puts pressure on your pituitary gland, that is pressure of excess oxygen, and then when you exhale with your chin up , then the pituitary gland gets relaxed. You can do this breathing exercise for 2-3 minutes daily.
3. ABDOMINAL BREATHING :
This you should do before going to bed. This breathing technique will help you get a deep sleep with no dreams, where your middle brain is only active. If your left or your right brain is active during sleep then you will either get a hypo or hyper dream.
Here also you will sit cross legged or on a chair, with both your palms facing upward on your thighs, your back to be comfortably erect and whole body relaxed. Then slowly inhale deeply with the count of 5-7 through your nose without making any sound from your throat, fill your chest with air , then push the air to your abdomen so that your abdomen / tummy bulges out, hold the breath for 3-4 counts , then gently press your tummy in and push the air up while exhaling through your nose, making no sound from your throat, then repeat. You can do this for 2-3 minutes daily.
These pranayamas creates an alignment between the pituitary and the thyroid glands. Once this alignment happens, the problem gets solved.
I am suggesting 5 Yoga asanas / exercises for you, from which you can choose & do daily any one or two from these as per your capability & fitness level , for thyroid, these exercises have multiple benefits. You may club pranayam with one or two of these asanas to have maximum benefit, especially for thyroid. These exercises if done on a daily basis will give you other physical benefits also, will make your body flexible & keep you fit and healthy till later part of your age.
The exercises in this routine has been bit modified & designed considering you a beginner & taking thyroid into consideration.
Warm-up (pre-exercise) & Cool-down ( post-exercise) exercise:
A. Spine Flex:
Stand straight , raise both your hands over your head and while inhaling slowly bend gently back , then come back to original position while exhaling, do this 8-10 times. Then again raise both your hands up over your head , turn your palms toward the ceiling and interlock fingers of both hand while inhaling, then while exhaling bend to your right and then to your left, do this 8-10 times. Then with the same hand position twist to right and then left and then come to original position, this also do 8-10 time. Maintain very gentle movements in all these routine.
B. Marjaryasana (Cat-Cow Pose):
This asana can be done before starting of the below mentioned asanas ( 1-5 ) as warm-up & also after completion of the routine as cool-down.
As in all the below mentioned exercises/ asanas (1-5) your back bone or spinal column is involved , so for it's relaxation this pose is very much beneficial.
Start on your palms and knees on the floor, with your wrists directly under your shoulders, and your knees directly under your hips. Point your fingertips to the top of the yoga mat . Place your shins and knees hip-width apart. Centre your head in a neutral position and soften your gaze downward.
Begin by moving into Cow Pose: Inhale as you drop your belly towards the mat. Lift your chin and chest, and gaze up towards the ceiling. Broaden across your shoulder blades and draw your shoulders away from your ears.
Next, move into Cat Pose : As you exhale, draw your belly to your spine and round your back toward the ceiling. The pose should look like a cat stretching its back. Release the crown of your head toward the floor, but don't force your chin to your chest.
Inhale, coming back into cow-pose, and then exhale as you return to cat-pose. Repeat 5-20 times, and then rest by sitting back on your heels with your torso upright.
This is a gentle flow between two poses that warms the body and brings flexibility to the spine. It stretches the back torso and neck,and softly stimulates and strengthens the abdominal organs. It also open the chest, encouraging the breath to become slow and deep. This sequence also helps to develop postural awareness and balance throughout the body . It brings the spine into correct alignment & can help prevent back pain when practised regularly.
1. Setu bandhasana (Bridge Pose): This asana / exercise is considered as one of the most effective exercise for thyroid patients.
Beginners - Lie flat on your back with arms at your sides. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor. Keep your feet hip width apart, parallel to each other and as close to the buttocks as possible. Simultaneously, press your upper arms and feet into the floor and begin lifting your hips towards the ceiling. Try to distribute your weight equally on the inside and outside of your feet.
Now, move your chest bone towards your chin, keeping your chin lifted only slightly as not to flatten the back of the neck. Firm your tailbone in towards the pubis and move your pubis slightly slightly towards the belly. In order to keep the lower back extended, keep the knees over the ankles, perpendicular to the floor. Your buttocks should be firm, but not clasped.
Lift your hips as high as you are able without breaking position. Hold this pose for 5 to 15 breaths. To come out of the pose, release on an exhalation, rolling your spine slowly down onto the floor.
As you progress, make this exercise more challenging by bringing both your ankles bit closer to your body while you are still in hip raised position, then with your right hand hold your right ankle & with your left hand hold your left ankle and try to further raise your hips & slowly bring your chest bone towards your chin.. Hold this pose for 5-15 breaths. Then release your pose with exhalation.
Do not practice this asana if you have a neck injury. People with severe migraines should avoid this pose. People with weak stomach or intestine should avoid this pose as maximum pressure is put on the internal organs.
Benefits :
👉 Stimulates thyroid glands, lungs, & abdominal organs.
👉 Stretches the chest, neck, spine, & hips.
👉 Strengthens the back, buttocks, & hamstring.
👉 Improves circulation of blood.
👉 Helps alleviate stress and mild depression.
👉 Calms the brain and central nervous system.
👉 Improves digestion.
2. Sarvangasana (shoulder stand) in combination with partial Halasana (Plough Pose) : both have been bit modified for beginners .
Take supine position. lie down on the carpet / mat facing upward . Keep the hands beside the thighs and the legs together. As a beginner, first fold both your knees, bring your ankle nearer to your hips, then while inhaling start raising both the legs upward up to 90 degrees if possible & exhale. As a beginner, initially a slight inward bend of your legs will also do. Again inhale and raise the waist and push the legs backward over the head. Support the waist with both the hands then gradually lift the legs straight in alignment with the body. Maintain the final position with normal breathing . Gaze at tip of the nose while in the final position. While exhaling , fold your knees & bring the legs down over the head, with folded knees release the support of the hands from the waist and then gently place the back on the floor. Again exhale and bring the legs down to the floor with folded knees. The whole movement should be very smooth and slow, avoid any jerky movements in the practice .
Women are advised not to practice this pose during menstruation and pregnancy. Those suffering from enlarged thyroid, liver, spleen, cervical spondylitis , slipped disc, high blood pressure, heart ailments and weak blood vessels in the eyes should not practice this asana.
Benefit :
👉 Calms the brain & helps relieve stress and mild depression.
👉 Stimulates the thyroid and prostate glands and abdominal organs.
👉 Stretches the shoulders and neck.
👉 Tones the legs and buttocks .
👉 Improves digestion.
👉 Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause.
👉 Reduces fatigue and alleviates insomnia.
👉 Therapeutic for asthma, infertility, and sinusitis.
3. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) :
Lie on your belly with your hands along your torso, palms up. Exhale and bend your knees, bringing your heels as close as you can to your buttocks. Reach back with your hands and take hold of your ankles, initially you can hold the middle of the feet if holding ankles seems difficult. Make sure your knees are not wider than the width of your hips, and keep your knees hip width for the duration of the pose.
Inhale and strongly lift your heels away from your buttocks and, at the same time, lift your thighs away from the floor . This will have the effect of pulling your upper torso and head off the floor. Burrow the tail bone down toward the floor, and keep your back muscles soft . As you continue lifting the heels and thighs higher, press your shoulder blades firmly against your back to open your heart. Draw the tops of the shoulders away from your ears. Gaze forward.
With the belly pressed against the floor, breathing will be difficult. Breathe more into the back of your torso , and be sure not to stop breathing. Stay in this pose anywhere from 20 to 30 seconds. Release as you exhale, and lie quietly for few breaths. You can repeat the pose once or twice more.
Those having high or low blood pressure, Migraine, Insomnia & serious lower-back or neck injury should not practice this asana.
Benefits :
👉 Stretches the entire front of the body, ankles , thighs & groins, abdomen and chest, and throat, and deep hip flexors.
👉 Strengthens the back muscles.
👉 Improves posture.
👉 Stimulates the organs of the abdomen and neck (thyroid gland).
4. Bhujangasan (Cobra Pose) :
Lie on your belly. Come onto your forearms, with your elbows directly inder your shoulders and parallel to each other. Stretch your legs straight back, about hip-width apart. Firm your legs, and roll your inner thighs up, your outer thighs down. Press your tailbone toward your feet, lengthening your lower back. Press down into your forearms to lift your chest up. In case finding it difficult, can also initially, bring your hands close to one another in front of you , lock fingers of both hands and push your chest up. Continue to push down firmly into your forearms while also pulling back against the resistance of the mat.
To protect your lower back, lift your naval, engaging your abdominals, almost as if you were rounding your lower back. Open the upper back into a bend as you engage your belly to support the lower back. This will help you find greater opening in the upper back.
You can hold this pose while inhaling and exhaling slowly for 5-10 times so that you can maintain this pose for 20-60 seconds. When you are ready, release all the way down to the floor. Relax and breathe into your back. Do not practice it for more than 90 seconds at a time.
Those suffering from Hernia, Back , neck or wrist injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome and headache should not practice this.
Benefits:
👉 Strengthens your spine and makes it more flexible.
👉 Stretches and tones chest and shoulders muscles.
👉 Opens up the lungs and heart and helps to reduce the risk of respiratory diseases.
👉 Strengthens pelvic muscles.
👉 Relieves stress and anxiety and calms the mind.
👉 Excellent asana for those suffering from sciatica.
👉 Helps regulate metabolism and aids in weight loss.
5. Ustrasan (Camel Pose) :
Sit in Vajrasana, then stand on the knees. keep the thighs fully straight. keep the knees and feet together, but if one feels more comfortable with maintaining a little distance between them, they may do so. Then place both your hands on the lower back to support , take a deep breath & lean in the backward direction while exhaling. Slowly move more backward, reach the right heel with the right hand, and then the left heel with the left hand. Avoid straining the body. Push the hips in the forward direction, the thighs should be kept vertical. Then bend the head slowly and the spine as backward as possible without straining. Relax the body and the muscles of the back. Support the body weight equally on the legs and arms.
Keep the the arms in such a way that they anchor the shoulders to maintain the back arch. Stay in the same position for as long as you find it comfortable & do normal breathing. Then slowly bring back your hands one by one towards your lower back again and return to the starting position. Relax and take a deep breath.
Breath normally throughout the practice. Avoid long and deep breaths as the chest is already stretched during this asana and taking long, deep breaths may create discomfort in breathing.
Those suffering from high or low blood pressure should avoid practising this asana. People suffering from insomnia should avoid doing this asana. This asana should not be done by those having back injury or pain in the neck. Also this asana is not recommended for those suffering from migraine .
Benefits :
👉 Helpful in getting rid of all kinds of back pain.
👉 Stimulates the functioning of the thyroid gland.
👉 Makes the neck , back, chest & abdominal regions flexible.
👉 Stretches pelvic region thus reduces excess fat deposited on the stomach, neck and back.
👉 Activates the brain cells and makes it function better by improving the blood circulation.
👉 Beneficial for curing the diseases related to the respiratory system such as Bronchitis and Asthma.
Once you have completed the above 5 exercises or any one or 2 of the above Yoga Exercises do the cool-down Routine (A & B), then do Savasana (Corpse pose)- this is the final resting pose at the end of almost every yoga practice. lie down on your back body & mind completely relaxed & still, palms facing upward and legs apart. Breath normally . You can be in this pose as long as you want.
Thumb pressure & Roll:
This is a very simple routine & this practice stimulates the thyroid gland. Here first you bring your right hand forward with palm facing front and all fingers open (✋), then with your left hand fist around or grab the thumb of your right hand moderately tight and then start rolling your left palm holding the thumb in half clock-wise and half ant-clock-wise direction like screwing , at least 10 times. Then repeat the same with your left thumb 10 times, go on doing this alternatively for 5 minutes daily.
Those suffering from THYROID, preferably the best routine that you may go for as a beginner, is a combination of the followings :
1) Ujjai Breathing.
2) Ujjai Pranayam with chin lock.
3) Setu Bandhasana.
4) Thumb Press Roll.
5) Abdominal Breathing (before going to bed).
CAUTION : It is always advisable to start practising the above routine under the supervision of a qualified and experienced yoga instructor.
