Good Practices

Although the entire blog and all the posts are devoted to “good practices” there are certain things and precautions that go a long way in helping to improve health. Here I will list a few that I indulge in and will keep adding to the post from time to time. You can make your own suggestions using the comments option. These are little things that go a long way in health benefits. So here we go.

BREATHING is a very important aspect of good health. A good deep breath ensures that a good amount of oxygen is supplied to the lungs for onward transmittal to all the cells. Remember that oxygen is required by every cell in the conversion of nutrients to energy (ATP). Oxygen is absorbed and Carbon Dioxide + water are released (ref Nutritional Pathways). Therefore do make it a point to remind yourself to take deep breaths (as deeply as you can) whenever you can. Hold your breath for as long as you can and then exhale slowly. Start with a few as and when you remember and build up to at least a 100 a day. It will make a substantial difference to the quality of your life. This practice is also a great stress buster.

STOPPING BREATHING is as important as deep breathing is. In many emails I have stated that our bodies are “Bionomes” of living cells & organisms. Our body consists of trillion of cells, each of which is alive. Apart from that we are also home to over 400 varieties of bacteria inside of us. Some of these are beneficial and some are harmful. Apart from these, we are surrounded by bacteria, viruses and several invisible organisms on and around our body, very much like an aura. The outer organisms are more than 10 times the number of cells within the body. All of this put together constitutes our individual bionome. It lives with us and moves with us. During seasonal changes when the temperature or humidity changes, our bionomes also change, possibly due to magnetic field changes. Sometimes a particular bacteria crosses the threshold of a formidable number and is able to attack and afflict us. This is how viral infections take root. In light of this it is therefore a good practice to stop breathing (for some time) when in environmentally hostile situations, such as crossing an open garbage dump, or carcass of dead dogs, cats or mice on the street.

PERFUMES, deodorants or sprays are another source of foreign bodies and dangerous chemicals that enter our body when used. These are vaporized under high pressure with chemicals that are known carcinogens (cancer causing compounds). The sprays that are released from these pressurized bottles are very fine and while most of it lands on the intended target like the body, some of it enters our system through the nose. It is therefore a good practice to (a) use these sprays on your clothes and not your body and (b) to stop breathing while spraying. Ideally spray in one location without breathing, and then move a few paces away before breathing again. At least the potential harm can be minimized this way. The same is also true of talcum powders in our day to day use.

WATER for drinking and bathing should be as close to the body temperature as possible. That is how nature intended it to be and that is how it should be. People with sinus problems and some allergies will find immediate relief by following this practice. Some believe that cold water drops the temperature of cells that come in contact with it and the body needs to expend some energy to raise and maintain its own temperature, thereby aiding in weight loss. However, I think that the cold water sends a shock wave into the epithelial cells in the esophagus & the stomach, sending these cells into momentary remission. There are no studies that I could find on this, but my gut feeling is that this shock & recovery frequently during the day is avoidable.   

ADULTERATION in foodstuff is a problem that we all have to deal with repeatedly. Most of the times this is done by repacking adulterated goods into disposed wrappers, boxes or bottles. One way to avoid becoming a contributor to this evil is to destroy packaging before disposal, in a manner that it cannot be reused. Especially plastic bottles containing water. These are reused more frequently than other containers.

DON'T EAT & SHOWER immediately afterwards. This is a practice that I inculcated from my Grand Father. At the time we never questioned anything our elders said. In retrospect there is a lot of value in this advice. When we eat, our stomach & intestines rapidly go into digestion mode. This generates a lot of heat within the body, also known as "The Thermogenic Effect of Food". If you shower immediately after that, you actually interfere in the digestive process. I have done it a few times, in cases of urgency, but I always feel a lot of discomfort afterwards. 

Here's another Good Practice. Cover your mouth / nose when coughing or sneezing. Here's proof

So let me know if you have other ideas that can help in this endeavour.