learnings – Page 159 – Take off with Natarajan

Message For the Day…” Signifacance of Genuine Deepawali …”

October 23, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

The festival of Deepavali is to express gratitude at the defeat of the Naraka (demonic) tendencies in man, which drags one down from Divinity. Naraka, whose death at the hands of Krishna is celebrated today, signifies hell. Narakaasura is the personification of all the traits of character that obstruct the upward impulses of man. The human being is a composite of man, beast and God, and in the inevitable struggle among the three for ascendency, you must ensure that God wins, suppressing the merely human and the lowly beast. The griha (home) where the Name of the Lord is not heard is a guha (cave), and nothing more. As you enter it, as you leave it and while you are in it, regularly perfume it, illumine it and purify it with the Name. Light it as a lamp at dusk and welcome it at dawn, as you welcome the Sun. That is the genuine Deepavali, the Festival of Lamps.

Sathya Sai Baba

” படித்து ரசித்தது …சத்ரு சம்ஹார வேல்…”

October 22, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

திருச்செந்தூரில் சுப்பிரமணிய சுவாமியையும், ராமேஸ்வரத்தில் ராமநாதசுவாமியையும் தரிசிக்கலாம். அவர்கள் இருவரையும் ஒரே தலத்தில் தரிசித்து, அந்த இரு தலங்களுக்கும் சென்று வந்த புண்ணிய பலனை ஒருசேரப் பெற விரும்புகிறீர்களா?
அப்படியென்றால், நீங்கள் செல்ல வேண்டிய தலம் பெருவயல்.
ராமநாதபுரத்தில் பெரிய வயல்கள் சூழ்ந்த கிராமமாக இவ்வூர் திகழ்வதால் பெருவயல் என்றே அழைக்கப்படுகிற. ஒரு காலத்தில் இவ்வூரில் மிகப் பெரிய நெற்களஞ்சியம் இருந்துள்ளது.
இத்தலத்தில் மூலவராக வள்ள-தேவசேனா சமேதராக அருள்பாலிக்கிறார். ரணபலி முருகன் என்ற சிவ சுப்பிரமணியசுவாமி. பிராகாரத்தில் ராமநாதசுவாமியும், பர்வதவர்த்தினியும் எழுந்தருளியுள்ளார்கள்.
பெருவயல் தலத்தின் பெருமைக்கு மேலும் பெருமை சேர்ப்பது இங்குள்ள சத்ரு சம்ஹார வேல்.
நான் எத்தனையோ தலங்களில் முருகனை தரிசித்திருக்கிறேன். ஆனால் வேலில் முருகன் உருவம் பதித்திருப்பதை பெருவயல் கோயிலில்தான் கண்டேன் என்று திருமுருக கிருபானந்தவாரியார் சுவாமிகள், முப்பத்தைந்து வருடங்களுக்கு முன் இதே அக்டோபர் மாதத்தில் இங்கு விஜயம் செய்தபோது குறிப்பிட்டிருக்கிறார். அதோடு தன சொற்பொழிவுகளில் எல்லாம் அந்த வேலின் சிறப்பையும் எடுத்துக் கூறியிருக்கிறார். அந்த அருள் வாசகத்தை கோயிலில் அவர் புகைப்படத்தோடு பிரேம் போட்டு மாட்டி வைத்திருப்பதை இன்றும் காணலாம்.
திருச்செந்தூர் முருகப் பெருமானின் அருளாலும், அவரது தீவிர பக்தர் ஒருவரின் முயற்சியாலும் கட்டப்பட்ட கோயில்.
ராமநாதபுரம் சமஸ்தானத்தை மன்னன் கிழவன் சேதுபதி ஆண்டு வந்த சமயம், அவரது நம்பிக்கைக்குரிய தளபதியாக பவிளங்கியவர், சாத்தப்பன் என்கிற காத்த வீர தளவா வயிரவன் சேர்வை.
முருக பக்தரான அவர் அடிக்கடி திருச்செந்தூர் சென்று முருகப் பெருமானை வழிபட்டு வருவது வழக்கம். ஒருநாள் அவர் கனவில் முருகன் தோன்றி, என்னை வழிபட இனி திருச்செந்தூர் வர வேண்டாம். தேவிப்பட்டினம் கடலில் நவபாஷாண கற்கள் இருக்கும் இடத்துக்குக் கிழக்கில் கண்ணாமுனை என்ற இடத்தில் மேலே கருடன் வட்டமிடும். அதற்குக் கீழே கடலில் மாலையும் எலுமிச்சம் பழமும் மிதக்கும். அந்த இடத்தில் கடலுக்கு அடியில் வள்ளி-தெய்வானை சமேதராக சத்ரு சம்ஹார வேலுடன் நான் இருப்பேன். என்னை எடுத்துச் சென்று உங்கள் ஊரில் பிரதிஷ்டை செய்து வழிபடு என்று கூறினார்.
இதோபோன்ற கனவு திருஉத்திரகோச மங்கை என்னும் தலத்தைச் சேர்ந்த ஆதிமங்களேஸ்வர குருக்களுக்கும் தோன்றியதால், இருவரும் மறுநாள் சந்தித்து, கந்தன் கனவில் சொன்ன அடையாளங்களின்படி ஆட்களை விட்டு கடலுக்குள் முருகன் சிலையைத் தேடினார்கள்.
பலமணி நேரம் தேடியும் சிலை கிடைக்கவில்லை. கடலுக்குள் சென்றவர்கள் கடும் ரணத்துடன் திரும்பினார்கள். கடைசியில் வயிரவன் சேர்வையே கடலுக்குள் மூழ்கி அந்த சிலையையும் வேலையும் எடுத்து வந்தார்.
விஷயம் அறிந்த மன்னர், தன் அரண்மனையில் “ராமலிங்க விலாசம்’ என்ற தர்பார் மண்டபம் கட்டுவதற்காக வைத்திருந்த பொருட்களைத் தந்து பெருவயல் ஊரணிக்கரையில் முருகனுக்கு ஆலயம் அமைக்க நிலங்களையும் இறையிலியாகக் கொடுத்து உதவினார்.
அதன்பின்னர் ஆலயத்திருப்பணிகள் விரைவாக நடைபெற்று, கடலில் கண்டெடுக்கப்பட்ட சிலைகள் கோயிலில் பிரதிஷ்டை செய்யப்பட்டு கும்பாபிஷேகம் சிறப்பாக நடைபெற்றது. திருச்செந்தூர் முருகன் கோயிலில் நடைபெறும் வழிபாட்டின் அடிப்படையில் பெருவயல் கோயிலிலும் பூஜைகளும், விழாக்களும் நடைபெறுகின்றன.
வயிரவன் சேர்வை ராமேஸ்வரம் ராமநாத சுவாமி மீதும் அதிக பக்தி வைத்திருந்ததால், ராமநாதசுவாமி மற்றும் பர்வதவர்த்தினி அம்மன் சன்னதிகளும் பெருவயல் தலத்தில் அமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன.
கடலுக்குள் இறங்கி சிலையை எடுக்க முயன்ற பலருக்கு உடல் முழுவதும் ரணம் ஏற்பட்டதால், மூலவர் சிவசுப்பிரமணியசுவாமி, ரணபலி முருகன் என்றே அழைக்கப்படுகிறார்.
பக்தர்களின் உள்ளத்தில் ரணத்தை ஏற்படுத்தும் கடன்,பிணி, சத்ரு ஆகிய துன்பங்களையெல்லாம் பலி செய்து, அவர்களுக்கு சகல நண்மைகளும் அருள்வதால், “ரணபலி முருகன்’ என்ற பெயர் இவருக்கு மிகப் பொருத்தமே!
இக்கோயிலில் கி.பி. 1741-ம் ஆண்டு, ராமநாதபுரம் மன்னர் குமாரமுத்து விஜய ரெகுநாத சேதுபதி காலத்தில் செதுக்கப்பட்ட கல்வெட்டும், செப்பேடகளும் உள்ளன. அவை இக்கிராமத்தின் பெயரை, பெருவல் கலையனூர் என்றும், மூலவரை, சிவசுப்பிரமணியசுவாமி என்ற ரணபலி முருகய்யா எனவும் குறிப்பிடுகிறது.
குருக்களையே கிரையத்திற்கு வாங்கி, நித்ய பூஜை செய்வதற்காக அவர்களுக்கு நிலங்கள் கொடுத்து, கொல்லர், தச்சர் போன்றவர்களுக்கும் நிலங்களை கொடுத்து, நிர்வாகம், கணக்கு, முத்திரைக் கணக்கு, தான கணக்கு சரி பார்த்து கோயில் கைங்கரியம் தொடர்ந்து நடந்து வர வேண்டும் என்பதை அந்த சாசனங்கள் தெரிவிக்கின்றன. அதன்படி இன்றும் கைங்கரியம் நடந்து வருவது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.
ஐந்து நிலை ராஜகோபுரம் தாங்கிய கிழக்கு நோக்கிய ஆலயம். கோயிலின் நுழைவுவாயிலில் இரண்டு குதிரை சிலைகளைக் காணலாம்.
ஒரு குதிரையில், பத்ரகாளி உபாசகரான ஆதி மங்களேஸ்வர குருக்களும், அதற்கு எதிரேயுள்ள இன்னொரு குதிரையில் பத்ரகாளி அம்மன் திருவுருவமும் அமைக்கப்பட்டிருப்பது வித்தியாசமான காட்சி. காலசந்தி மற்றும் சாரட்சை பூஜையின்போது இவர்களுக்கு நைவேத்யம் செய்த பின்னரே பலிபீடத்திற்கு செய்யப்படுகிறது.
ஜெயங்கொண்ட விநாயகரை தரிசித்துவிட்டு பலிபீடம், கொடிமரம், மயில் வாகனம், அர்த்தமண்டபம் கடந்தால் கருவறை. உள்ளே வள்ளி-தேவசேனா சமேதராக ரணபலி முருகன் என்ற சிவசுப்பிரமணியசுவாமி கருணை என்ற சிவசுப்பிரமணியசுவாமி கருணை பொங்கும் முகத்துடன் காட்சி தருகிறார். திருச்செந்தூர் முருகனை வழிபட்டால் கிடைக்கும் பலன்கள் அனைத்தும் இவரை வழிபட்டாலே கிடைக்கிறதாம்.
பிரகாரத்தில் ராமநாதசுவாமி, பர்வதவர்த்தினி, சண்முக சக்கரம், நாகரை தரிசிக்கலாம். கோயிலுக்கு வடக்கே தளவா வயிரவர் சேர்வைக்காரரின் சமாதி கோயில் உள்ளது. அங்கு சுப்பிரமணிய யந்திரமும், சிவலிங்கம் பிரதிஷ்டை செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளது. தினமும் கோயிலில் இருந்து நிவேதனம் கொண்டு செல்லப்பட்டு அங்குள்ள லிங்கத்திற்கு பூஜை நடைபெறுகிறது.
உற்சவர்களாக விநாயகர், வள்ளி-தெய்வானை சமேத சுப்பிரமணியர், வள்ளி-தெய்வானை சமேத சண்முகர் அருள்கிறார்கள். இவர்களையும், முருகன் உருவம் பொறித்த அதிசய வேலையும் பிரம்மோற்சவ நாட்களிலும், சூரசம்ஹாரத்தன்றுமே பக்தர்களால் தரிசிக்கமுடியும். மற்ற நாட்களில், பாதுகாப்பாக வேறு இடத்தில் இருக்கும் சத்ரு சம்ஹார வேலை சிறப்பு அனுமதியின் பேரில் ஆலயத்திற்குக் கொண்டு வந்து, அதற்கு பக்தர்கள் சிறப்பு பூஜை செய்வதும் உண்டு. சத்ரு சம்ஹார வேலை வழிபடுவோருக்கு எதிரிகள் தொல்லை விலகி, சகல பேறுகளும் கிட்டும் என்பது நம்பிக்கை.
வெளி பிராகாரத்தில், யாகசாலையின் மேல் பகுதியில் கோயில் தலபுராணமும், கோயிலுக்கு அளிக்கப்பட்ட நன்கொடைகள் பற்றிய குறிப்புகளும் காணப்படுகின்றன.
தினசரி நான்கு கால பூஜை நடைபெறும் இவ்வாலயத்தில் முருகனுக்குரிய முக்கிய தினங்களில் சிறப்பு வழிபாடுகள் நடத்தப்படுகின்றன. மாசியில் நடைபெறும் பிரம்மோற்சவமும், கந்த சஷ்டி விழாவும் இங்கு கோலாகலமாகக் கொண்டாடப்படுகின்றன.
பதினொரு நாள் நடைபெறும் மாசிமாத பிரம்மோற்சவத்தில் 7ம் நாள் திருச்செந்தூரைப் போல் சண்முகர் சிவப்பு, வெள்ளை, பச்சை சாத்தி மூன்று காலங்களில் எழுந்தருள்வார். இது இறைவனின் ஆக்கல், அழித்தல், காத்தல் ஆகிய செயல்களைக் குறிக்கும். 10ம் நாள் தேரோட்டமும், 11ம் நாள் ஆலய தீர்த்தமான சரவண பொய்கையில் தீர்த்தவாரியும் நடைபெறும்.
ஏழுநாள் உற்சவமாகக் கொண்டாடப்படும் கந்தசஷ்டி திருவிழாபவில் 6ம் நாள் பிரசித்தி பெற்ற சூரசம்ஹாரம் மாலை 3 மணி முதல் 6 மணி வரை நடைபெறும். அப்போது, கடலில் கண்டெடுக்கப்பட்ட அரிய சத்ரு சம்ஹார வேலைக் கொண்டு சூரனை முருகப் பெருமான் வதம் செய்யும் அற்புதக் காட்சியை பல்லாயிரக்கணக்கான பக்தர்கள் கண்டு பரவசமடைவார்கள்.

SOURCE:::: – மு. வெங்கடேசன் IN www.dinamalar.com ….Kumudam Bhakthi

Natarajan

” When there is a Turbulence During your Flight …”

October 22, 2014October 22, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

plane storm Shutterstock

[Editorial note: This is an updated version of an earlier post. Turbulence is once again the news, after a Singapore Airlines flight encountered rough conditions while landing in Mumbai. recently.

Turbulence is far and away the No. 1 concern of nervous flyers.

If you’re among those seeking reassurance, please refer to my earlier essay on the topic, a version of which also appears in chapter two of the my book. Many anxious passengers have found this discussion helpful.

READ IT HERE.

In the meantime, I’ll go ahead and reiterate some points:

1. First and foremost, turbulence is, for lack of a better term, normal. Every flight, every day, will encounter some degree of rough air, be it a few light burbles or a more pronounced and consistent chop that sometimes gets your coffee spilling and the plates rattling in the galley. From a pilot’s perspective, garden-variety turbulence is seen as a comfort and convenience issue, not a safety issue per se. It’s annoying, but it is not dangerous.

2. In rare circumstances, however, it’s worse, to the point where a plane’s occupants can be injured or, even more uncommonly, aircraft components can be damaged. How rare? Put it this way: The type of encounter that United and Cathay ran into is the sort of thing even the most frequent flyer will not experience in a lifetime. And of the small number of passengers injured each year, the vast majority of them are people who did not have their seat belts on when they should have.

3. Can turbulence occur unexpectedly — or, as the news people have been embellishing it, “out of nowhere”? Yes. Pilots receive weather and turbulence forecasts prior to flight; once aloft we get periodic updates from our dispatchers and meteorologists on the ground. We have weather radar in the cockpit, as well as our eyes to see and avoid the worst weather. And perhaps most helpful of all, we receive real-time reports from nearby aircraft. With all of these tools at our disposal, we have a pretty good idea of the where, when, and how bad of the bumps. But every so often they happen without warning. Almost always it’s a mild nuisance, but the lesson here is to always have your belt fastened, even when conditions are smooth.

4. Do pilots keep their belts fastened in the cockpit? Yes, always. Is this one of those things that, well, hey, we sometimes ignore and get lackadaisical about? No, and neither should you.

5. For what it’s worth, thinking back over the whole history of modern commercial aviation, I cannot recall a single jetliner crash caused by turbulence, strictly speaking. Maybe there have been one or two, but airplanes are engineered to withstand an extreme amount of stress, and the amount of turbulence required to, for instance, tear off a wing, is far beyond anything you’ll ever experience.

6. During turbulence, the pilots are not fighting the controls. Planes are designed with what we call positive stability, meaning that when nudged from their original point in space, by their nature they wish to return there. The best way of handling rough air is to effectively ride it out, hands-off. (Some autopilots have a turbulence mode that desensitizes the system, to avoid over-controlling.) It can be uncomfortable, but the jet is not going to flip upside down.

7. Be wary of analogies. You might hear somebody compare turbulence to “driving over a rough road,” or to “a ship in rough seas.” I don’t like these comparisons, because potholes routinely pop tires, break axles and ruin suspensions, while ships can be capsized or swamped. There are no accurate equivalents in the air.

8. Be wary of passenger accounts in news stories. Not to insult anyone’s powers of observation, but people have a terrible habit of misinterpreting and exaggerating the sensations of flight, particularly if they’re scared. Even in considerably bumpy air — what a pilot might call “moderate turbulence,” a plane is seldom displaced in altitude by more than 20 feet, and usually less. Passengers might feel the plane “plummeting” or “diving” — words the media can’t get enough of — when in fact it’s hardly moving.

9. Will climate change increase the number of severe turbulence encounters? Possibly, but in the meantime remember there are also more airplanes flying than ever before. The worldwide jetliner fleet has more than doubled in the past 20 years, and it continues to grow. It stands to reason that as the number of flights goes up, the number of incidents will also go up, regardless of changes in the weather.

SOURCE:::: http://www.businessinsider.com

Natarajan

Kindly have a look at my earlier blog post on this subject…pl click the following link and read further…

https://natarajank.com/2013/08/30/what-causes-turbulance-is-it-dangerous/

natarajan

Message for This DAY…” On Deepawali Day, Resolve to Light the Lamp of Namasmarana…”

October 22, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

Do not be elated by riches, status, authority, intelligence, etc., which you may have. Consider that they have been given to you on trust, so that you may benefit others. They are all signs of His Grace, opportunities of service, and symbols of responsibility. Never seek to exult over others’ faults; deal sympathetically with the errors and mistakes of others. Seek the good in others; hear only good tidings about them; do not give ear to scandal. On the occasion of Deepavali, resolve to light the lamp of Namasmarana and place it at your doorstep, the lips. Feed it with the oil of devotion; let steadiness be the wick. Let the lamp illumine every minute of your life. The splendour of the Name will drive away darkness from outside you as well as inside. You will spread joy and peace among all who come near you.

Sathya Sai Baba

The Wettest Place on Earth…Village Mawsynram in Meghalaya, India …

October 21, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

Winchester Lyngkhoi carries fresh meat up to his butcher’s stall on market day in Mawsynram. Picture: Amos Chappele/Rex/australscope Source: Supplied

YOU might need a bigger umbrella — in fact, you might need a stash of them.

And forget sunglasses because you’ll be lucky to see many rays in the wettest place on Earth. Perched atop a ridge in the Khasi Hills of India’s north east, the village of Mawsynram is subject to the highest average rainfall on the planet.

Rainwater surges through Mawsynram Village during a heavy downpour. Picture: Amos Chappele/Rex/australscopeSource: Supplied

In the two peak monsoon months of June and July Mawsynram is hit with an average 275 inches of rain. Picture: Amos Chappele/Rex/australscope Source: Supplied

Mawsynram is a village in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya state in north-eastern India, a region renowned for being constantly wet.

The village receives a whopping 467 inches of rain per year thanks to summer air currents sweeping over the floodplains of Bangladesh and gathering moisture as they move north.

Perched atop a ridge in the Khasi Hills of India’s north east, the village of Mawsynram is subject to the highest average rainfall on the planet. Picture: Amos Chappele/Rex/australscope Source: Supplied

Mawsynram receives constant rain. Picture: Amos Chappele/Rex/australscope Source: Supplied

When the resulting clouds hit the steep hills of Meghalaya they are “squeezed” through the narrowed gap in the atmosphere and are compressed to the point where they can no longer hold their moisture.

The end result is the near-constant rain the village is famous for.

Labourers wearing traditional ‘knup’ umbrellas walk into Mawsynram. Picture: Amos Chappele/Rex/australscopeSource: Supplied

A farmer wearing a traditional ‘knup’ umbrella doesn’t let the rain get in the way as he works near Mawsynram. Picture: Amos Chappele/Rex/australscope Source: Supplied

Further afield, deep in the rainforests of the state of Meghalaya lie some of the most extraordinary pieces of civil engineering in the world.

Here, in the depths of the forest, bridges aren’t built — they’re grown.

A fisherman walks under an ancient tree root bridge at Mawlynnong village. Picture: Amos Chappele/Rex/australscopeSource: Supplied

Examples of the thin aerial rubber tree roots used by locals to creates bridges and ladders in and around Mawsynram, which is the wettest place in the world. Picture: Amos Chappele/Rex/australscope Source: Supplied

Trailing vines and mosses, the living trees bridges of Cherrapunji are breathtaking in their majesty.

Ancient tree vines and roots stretch across rivers and streams, creating a solid latticework structure that appears too fantastical to be real.

A local man on the “double decker” tree root bridge in Nongriat Village, deep in the rainforests of the Indian state of Meghalaya. Picture: Amos Chappele/Rex/australscopeSource: Supplied

Local woman Mary Synrem holds a young Ficus Elastica rubber tree root, the material used to construct the tree root bridges in Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, India. Picture: Amos Chappele/Rex/australscope Source: Supplied

The Cherrapunji region is considered to be one of the wettest places on the planet and this is the reason behind the unusual bridges.

With Cherrapunji receiving around 15 metres of rain per year, a normal wooden bridge would quickly rot.

A living tree root bridge deep in jungle near Nongriat Village, near Meghalaya, India. Picture: Amos Chappele/Rex/australscope Source: Supplied

Deep in the rainforests of the Indian state of Meghalaya lie some of the most extraordinary pieces of civil engineering in the world. Picture: Amos Chappele/Rex/australscope Source: Supplied

This is why, 500 years ago, locals began to guide roots and vines from the native Ficus Elastica rubber tree across rivers using hollow bamboo until they became rooted on the opposite side, eventually creating a bridge.

Tourists visiting Mawsynram will definitely need one of these, in fact maybe a few. Picture: Amos Chappele/Rex/australscope Source: Supplied

But locals don’t let the rain get in the way of a good celebration or some hard work.

Farmers especially have developed ways to keep the rain at bay.

The sign on the weather station on the outskirts of Mawsynram, India, says it all. Picture: Amos Chappele/Rex/australscope Source: Supplied

Made from bamboo and banana leaf, they wear knups, which are favoured for enabling both hands to be kept free for work and for being able to stand up to the high winds which come with the rainstorms in Mawsynram.

Goats shelter in a bus stop during nother drizzly afternoon in Mawsynram. Picture: Amos Chappele/Rex/australscopeSource: Supplied

Source::::news.com.au

Natarajan

Top 10 Healing Herbs….

October 21, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

10 Best Healing Herbs

Science shows these herbal power-healers can help ease pain, prevent Alzheimer’s, and ward off cancer and heart disease

By Nancy Kalish

10 Best Healing Herbs

Your arsenal of home remedies is about to get a lot spicier with these best healing herbs. Though herbs have been used for hundreds of years to heal, scientists are finally starting to substantiate these plants’ abilities to alleviate arthritis pain, reduce high blood sugar and cholesterol, and help with many other conditions. They’re even discovering amazing new powers in the best healing herbs, such as the ability to kill cancer cells and help problem drinkers curb their alcohol intake.

“Herbs and other natural remedies can be as effective as traditional treatments, often without the same negative side effects,” says Roberta Lee, MD, medical director of the Continuum Center for Health and Healing at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City.

Here are 10 superhealers you’ll want to add to the all-natural section of your medicine cabinet—and even to your favorite recipes. Folding one or two of them into your cooking every day can yield big benefits.

Turmeric: Ease arthritis
A heaping helping of curry could relieve your pain. That’s because turmeric, a spice used in curry, contains curcumin, a powerful anti-inflammatory that works similarly to Cox-2 inhibitors, drugs that reduce the Cox-2 enzyme that causes the pain and swelling of arthritis, says Lee.

It might also: Prevent colon cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. According to a small clinical trial conducted by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, curcumin can help shrink precancerous lesions known as colon polyps, when taken with a small amount of quercetin, a powerful antioxidant found in onions, apples, and cabbage. The average number of polyps dropped more than 60% and those that remained shrank by more than 50%. In a 2006 study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, researchers at UCLA also found that curcumin helps clear the brain of the plaques that are characteristic of the disease.

Maximize the benefits: For general health, Lee recommends adding the spice to your cooking whenever possible. For a therapeutic dose, James A. Duke, PhD, author of The Green Pharmacy, suggests 400 mg of curcumin extract three times daily, right in line with what subjects in the colon polyp study took (480 mg of curcumin and 20 mg of quercetin, three times a day).

Cinnamon: Lower blood sugar
In a recent German study of type 2 diabetics, taking cinnamon extract daily successfully reduced blood sugar by about 10%.

It might also: Lower cholesterol. Cinnamon packs a one-two punch for people with type 2 diabetes by reducing related heart risks. In another study of diabetics, it slashed cholesterol by 13% and triglycerides by 23%.

Maximize the benefits: To tame blood sugar, study subjects took 1 g capsules of standardized cinnamon extract daily, while those in the cholesterol study took 1 to 6 g. But keep in mind that a large amount of the actual spice can be dangerous, so stick with a water-soluble extract. Terry Graedon, PhD, coauthor with her husband, Joe, of Best Choices from the People’s Pharmacy, recommends the brandCinnulin PF.

Rosemary: Avoid carcinogens
Frying, broiling, or grilling meats at high temperatures creates HCAs (heterocyclic amines), potent carcinogens implicated in several cancers. But HCA levels are significantly reduced when rosemary extract (a common powder) is mixed into beef before cooking, say Kansas State University researchers. “Rosemary contains carnosol and rosemarinic acid, two powerful antioxidants that destroy the HCAs,” explains lead researcher J. Scott Smith, PhD.

It might also: Stop tumors. Rosemary extract helps prevent carcinogens that enter the body from binding with DNA, the first step in tumor formation, according to several animal studies. When researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign fed rosemary extract to rats exposed to dimethylbenzanthracene, a carcinogen that causes breast cancer, both DNA damage and tumors decreased. “Human research needs to be done,” says study author Keith W. Singletary, PhD. “But rosemary has shown a lot of cancer-protective potential.”

Maximize the benefits: To reduce HCAs, Smith recommends marinating foods in any supermarket spice mix that contains rosemary as well as one or more of the spices thyme, oregano, basil, garlic, onion, or parsley.

Ginger: Avert nausea
Ginger can prevent stomach upset from many sources, including pregnancy, motion sickness, andchemotherapy. “This is one of Mom’s remedies that really works,” says Suzanna M. Zick, ND, MPH, a research investigator at the University of Michigan. A powerful antioxidant, ginger works by blocking the effects of serotonin, a chemical produced by both the brain and stomach when you’re nauseated, and by stopping the production of free radicals, another cause of upset in your stomach. In one study of cruise ship passengers traveling on rough seas, 500 mg of ginger every 4 hours was as effective as Dramamine, the commonly used OTC motion-sickness medication. In another study, where subjects took 940 mg, it was even more effective than the drug.

MORE: The Smoothie Cure For Gas And Bloating

It might also: Decrease your blood pressure, arthritis pain, and cancer risk. Ginger helps regulate blood flow, which may lower blood pressure, says Zick, and its anti-inflammatory properties might help ease arthritis. Ginger extract had a significant effect on reducing pain in all 124 patients withosteoarthritis of the knee, in a study conducted at the Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the University of Miami. Those same anti-inflammatory powers help powdered ginger kill ovarian cancer cells as well as—or better than—traditional chemotherapy, at least in the test tube, found a study by the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Although further testing is needed, Zick and the study’s authors are excited about its prospects: “Our preliminary results indicate that ginger may have significant therapeutic benefit for ovarian cancer patients.”

Maximize the benefits: For nausea, ginger is best taken before symptoms start, at least 30 minutes before departure, say the Graedons. They recommend capsules containing 500 to 1,000 mg of dried ginger every four hours, up to a maximum of 4g daily.

Holy Basil: Combat stress
Several animal studies back holy basil, a special variety of the plant you use in your pesto sauce, as effective at reducing stress by increasing adrenaline and noradrenaline and decreasing serotonin. This is no surprise to Pratima Nangia-Makker, PhD, a researcher at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, whose mother and grandmother relied on a tea made from the leaves of holy basil to relieve indigestion and headaches.

It might also: Inhibit breast cancer. First in test tubes and then in mice, a tea made of holy basil shrunk tumors, reduced their blood supply, and stopped their spread, found Nangia-Makker, who plans to study the effects in humans.

Maximize the benefits: For stress relief, try holy basil extract from New Chapter or Om Organics, widely available in health food stores. To aid in breast cancer treatment, Nangia-Makker advises drinking this tea daily: Pour 2 cups boiling water over 10 to 15 fresh holy basil leaves (other varieties of basil won’t work) and steep 5 minutes. Remove the leaves before consuming. If you are being treated for breast cancer, be sure to check with your doctor. You’re unlikely to find the plants at your local nursery, but you can order them and organic holy basil seeds from Horizon Herbs.

St. John’s Wort: Soothe your worries
You probably know that research has confirmed this herb’s power to relieve mild to moderate depression and anxiety as effectively as many drugs—without a lot of the side effects.

It might also: Help you snooze more soundly. St. John’s wort not only contains melatonin, the hormone that regulates our sleep-wake cycles, but it also increases the body’s own melatonin, improving sleep, says a report from the Surgeon General. (These 20 ways to sleep better every nightcan also help.)

Maximize the benefits: For both mood and sleep problems, author Duke recommends a supplement containing at least 0.3% hypericin (the active phytochemical) per capsule or 300 mg of the extract to be taken three times daily. Warning: St. John’s wort has been shown to interact with several prescription medications, so be sure to check with your doctor before taking it.

Garlic: Lower cancer risk
High consumption of garlic lowered rates of ovarian, colorectal, and other cancers, says a research review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. A Japanese clinical trial also found that after a year of taking aged garlic extract supplements, people with a history of colon polyps saw a reduction in the size and number of the precancerous growths detected by their doctors.

It might also: Provide cardiovascular benefits. Garlic contains more than 70 active phytochemicals, including allicin, which many studies have shown decreases high blood pressure by as much as 30 points. Garlic may help prevent strokes as well by slowing arterial blockages, according to a yearlong clinical study at UCLA. In addition, patients’ levels of homocysteine, a chemical that leads to plaque buildup, dropped by 12%.

Maximize the benefits: Crushed fresh garlic offers the best cardiovascular and cancer-fighting benefits, says Duke. But you’ll need to down up to five cloves each day. Try Kyolic aged garlic extract capsules (1,000 mg), the product used in many of the studies.

SOURCE::::http://www.prevention.com/mind-body/natural-remedies/best-healing-herbs

Natarajan

Indian American DR. Subra Suresh Honoured…

October 21, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

A top Indian American scientist who heads the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University, will be inducted into the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in recognition of his research into cell mechanics related to malaria, blood diseases and certain types of cancer.

Subra Suresh, would be one of the only 16 living Americans to be elected to all three national academies – IOM, National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering.

Suresh is the first Carnegie Mellon (CMU) faculty member to hold membership in all three academies.

Before becoming president of CMU last year, he served as director of the National Science Foundation(NSF), a USD 7-billion independent government science agency charged with advancing all fields of fundamental science, engineering research and education.

He has also been elected a fellow or honorary member of all the major materials research societies in the United States and India.

Suresh received his Bachelor of Technology degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, a master’s degree from Iowa State University and Doctor of Science degree from MIT.

Following postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, he joined the faculty of engineering at Brown University in December 1983.

He joined MIT in 1993 as the R P Simmons Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and served as head of MIT’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering during 2000-2006.

In 2011, Suresh was awarded the Padma Shri.

Source:::::Economic Times

Natarajan

Message For the Day….Advice To Children…

Image October 21, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

Why an Apple a Day Keeps You Away From Your Doctor !!!

October 21, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

Why Are Apples So Healthy?

We all know that old saying: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.“

But have you ever wondered why that is? How one apple a day can bring about significant health benefits? If you have, then you’ll be glad to read this article. From strengthening the immune system, through preventing cancerous growths and to losing weight, say hello to your one apple a day!

How do apples do what they do?

An important research published in 2008 by the German cancer research center, showed that apples offer a significant health advantage. When comparing between a group that had less than one apple per day and a group that had one or more apples a day, the latter was found to have less risk of mouth cancer, larynx cancer, breast cancer, intestinal cancer, kidney cancer and ovarian cancer.

These findings support a new research performed at Cornell university, showing that the peel of the apple has strong anti-oxidant properties, a powerful block against the influences of breast cancer cells. Researchers found that the higher the concentraion of apples, the lower the concentration of cancerous cells.

Cancerous growths are uncontrollable growths of cells independently spreading through the body. The growths are based on three principal levels: The first stage causes mutations in cell DNA. The second, when the growth becomes malignant and grows faster, and finally when it metastases and spreads throughout the body.

In the case of a cancerous growth, apples aren’t only used as anti-oxidants, but also improve the function of the immune system, which helps clean out the growths at the early stages.

In addition to boosting the immune system and fighting cancerous growths, apples also help control the levels of cholesterol and sugars in the blood, prevent heart disease and improve mouth hygiene. The fact that they contain more than 80% water and a long line of essential vitamins, makes them one of the healthiest foods available.

The secret is in the nutritional fibers

Apples are considered a vital source of nutritional fibers. Eating one apple a day (with peel) can award us about 4.4 grams of nutritional fibers, which is 1/5 of our entire day’s recommended amount.

Nutritional fibers are materials found in foods that come from plants, and have a very important role in stimulating the digestive system and encouraging its function. Since they are not digested and taken apart in the body, they sate our hunger for a longer period of time. Extensive research has shown that those that do not get their daily recommended amount (at least 25 grams a day), deny themselves a host of health benefits. In addition, the researchers found that consuming these fibers is quite the effective method of losing weight.

The secret is in the chewing. Drinking apple juice will not bring about the same health benefits. We’d be happy to receive the essential sugars and vitamins, but we would not get the fibers.

A research conducted in China found that chewing can help the body regulate the amount of calories it absorbs from food.

What does this have to do with apples?

Everything. Apples are a terrific source of nutritional fibers, especially a group of fibers called Pectin. This is a group of complex carbohydrates that regulate our bowels, improve good cholesterol rates and is a powerful anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial.

Researchers from UCLA have shown that consuming pectin instead of regular fibers, doubles the time it takes the stomach to empty from one hour to two. Meaning that we don’t feel hungry for a longer time. In fact, a recent research paper entitled: “Weight Loss Associated with a Daily Intake of Three Apples or Three Pears among Overweight Women”, shows that women suffering from overweight and were instructed to eat an apple or pear before each meal, lost significant weight, just for doing so. The women in the experiment were asked to eat regularly and just add the apple before the meal. What happened was that the apples and fibers crowded the stomach, increased the feeling of being full, and made the body absorb less calories.

Other sources of nutritional fibers are: Pears, Peaches, peas, carrots, seeds, nuts, peel of fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, oats and whole wheat. But apples offer many more advantages.

So if you want to:

Lose weight, eat one apple a day.

Strengthen your immune system, eat one apple a day.

Control the level of cholesterol, eat one apple a day.

Prevent the spread of cancerous cells, eat one apple a day.

And if you want to keep the doctor away – EAT ONE APPLE A DAY!

SOURCE::::: ba-ba mail site

Natarajan

Message For the Day…” Don’t Ignore GOD’s Presence In You …’

October 21, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

God is inscrutable. He cannot be realised in the outer objective world; He is in the very heart of every being. You extol God as omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent, but ignore His presence in you! Who can affirm that God is this or that? Who can confirm that God is not of this form or with this attribute? Each one can acquire from the vast expanse of the ocean only as much as can be contained in the vessel one carries to its shore. From that quantity, they can grasp but little of that immensity. Gemstones have to be sought deep underground; they do not float in mid-air. Seek God in the depths of yourself, not in the tantalising, kaleidoscopic Nature. The body is granted to you for this high purpose; but you are now misusing it, like the person who used the gem studded gold vase that came into his hands as an heirloom for cooking his daily food.

Sathya Sai Baba