Eye Care
Among the five sensory organs, eyes are the most beautiful expressive organs we have that also have the capability of vision. Kapha eyes are usually large and clear with thick las hes. Pitta eyes are sharp, penetrating and sensitive and are prone to itchiness or redness. Vata e yes are small, nervous and dry.
To prevent eye form damage its care is very necessary. It is best to avoid p oor light when reading or using computers or watching television for long hours. Very intense light or using very hot or very cold water on the face and head is also not healthy for the eyes. Applying few drops of almond, coconut or sesame oil around the eyes prevents dark circles.
Dry or dull eyes
The aggravation of Kapha dosha causes dull eyes, while an increase of Vata leads to dryness.
Remedies
Aggravation of Pitta dosha due to stress, smoke or pollution leads to red sore eyes. Fatigue and insufficient or irregular sleep also causes tense or blood shot eyes.
Remedies
Alochaka Pitta is responsible for maintaining eyesight and it weakens with age. Proper caring for the eyes is one preventative measure that helps.
Remedies
An Important Aspect of Health
If you were asked, "Do you take care of your eyes once a week or at least once a month?", the most common reply would probably be in the negative. The eyes are considered to tbe the most important organ in ourt body and yet, people neglect to care for them.
Although we use our eyes everyday, we rarely pay attention until there is some serious problem. Ayurveda advises to take care of health while in a healthy state. You can maintain perfect eyesight for most part of your life by following some simple remedies.
To prevent eye form damage its care is very necessary. It is best to avoid p oor light when reading or using computers or watching television for long hours. Very intense light or using very hot or very cold water on the face and head is also not healthy for the eyes. Applying few drops of almond, coconut or sesame oil around the eyes prevents dark circles.
Dry or dull eyes
The aggravation of Kapha dosha causes dull eyes, while an increase of Vata leads to dryness.
Remedies
- Use a few drops of honey, ghee or sesame oil in the eyes.
- Boil 1/2 teaspoon of fennel seeds in 1 cup of water until it has reduced to half. Cool and use as eye drops.
- Wash the feet in warm water and massage with oil.
Aggravation of Pitta dosha due to stress, smoke or pollution leads to red sore eyes. Fatigue and insufficient or irregular sleep also causes tense or blood shot eyes.
Remedies
- Put 3 drops of rose water in the eyes.
- Soak a cotton pad in rose water, milk or aloe vera juice and apply to closed eyes for 10-20 minutes while laying down comfortably.
- Place a slice of cucumber on each eye for some time.
- Boil 2 or 3 figs and 1 tablespoon of raisins in 1 cup of milk. Drink each morning.
Alochaka Pitta is responsible for maintaining eyesight and it weakens with age. Proper caring for the eyes is one preventative measure that helps.
Remedies
- Grind about half a cup each of almonds, raw sugar and aniseeds. Divide into 40 doses and take one each day with a cup of warm milk.
- Meditate daily on the flame of a candle.
- Rinse the eyes with water daily. Rest eyes if working for long periods.
- Mix some cardamom seeds with 1 tablespoon of honey. Eat daily.
Taking Care of Eyes
Although we use our eyes everyday, we rarely pay attention to them until there is some serious problem. You can maintain perfect eyesight for most of your life by following some simple remedies.
An Important Aspect of HealthIf you were asked, "Do you take care of your eyes once a week or at least once a month?", the most common reply would probably be in the negative. The eyes are considered to tbe the most important organ in ourt body and yet, people neglect to care for them.
Although we use our eyes everyday, we rarely pay attention until there is some serious problem. Ayurveda advises to take care of health while in a healthy state. You can maintain perfect eyesight for most part of your life by following some simple remedies.
- Every morning after waking up, fill your mouth with water, close the eyes and sprinkle water on them about 10-15 times. Be sure, as Ayurveda advises, to wake up before sunrise. Do not use hot water to wash the eyes.
- Do not wash the eyes or face when the body is sweating, especially after hard physical exercise or after being exposed to heat and sun.
- Do not stare continuously, specially while looking at long distance objects. Blinking or giving rest to the eyes is good. Do not look at the objects in bright sunlight for a long time. Avoid reading, writing or working with eyes in improper light, or when the light is not sufficient. Take a break and give rest to the eyes if you feel heaviness or tiredness in the eyes.
- Staying up late in the night and sleeping after sunrise is harmful for the eyes. In case of staying up late, drink a cup of water after each hour or half hour.
- Protect your eyes from dust, smoke, strong sunlight and strong wind. Avoid staying long in such conditions. In case you have to stay, blink often and massage the closed eyes gently with your palms.
- Try to maintain regular and clean bowel movements. Constipation weakens the eyesight. In addition; too much anxiety, mental stress, grief, anger and worry are harmful for the eyes.
- Regular eye exercise maintains perfect eyesight. One simple method of exercise is moving the eyeball - right and left; upwards and downwards and rotating it in the clockwise and anti-clockwise directions.
- Another simple way of protecting of eyes is through 'palming'. Rub the palms of both hands for about 30 seconds, close the eyes and gently place the warm palms over the eyes.
- Eating cabbage and carrots is very beneficial for the eyes. These should be eaten raw. It is all right to drink cabbage and carrot juice mixed together or separately.
- If Triphala (an Ayurvedic preparation) is available, you can wash the eyes with 'Triphala water'. Put a teaspoonful of Triphala powder in a glass of water, and let it stay overnight. Strain the water and wash the eyes with it.
- Putting one drop of honey in each eye once a week is also beneficial to the eyes. It causes a bit of irritation, but cleans the eyes.
Mouth Care
It is said that a clean mouth is a healthy mouth. Pleasant breath, clean teeth and hea lthy gums all contribute to a beautiful smile. Bad breath is usually a sign of poor digestion, wh ich is why cleaning the teeth or using mouth gargles only relieves the problem temporarily. To permanently eliminate bad breath the eating habits or diet should be monitored. Fas ting for a day, and then adopting a light, easily digestible diet can eliminate this problem.
Consuming aloe Vera gel, or ginger and lemon juice, also helps improve digestion. Rins ing the mouth with a decoction of mint, or chewing parsley or basil leaves can improve breath.
Teeth
Healthy teeth are white, evenly spaced, level and clean. Unhealthy teeth are discolored, uneven, and are present in greater or less than the normal number.
Teeth problems occur due to poor diet or bad eating habits, tobacco, tea, coffee, sweet and sticky foods (sweets, chocolates, raisins) and very cold or hot food can lead to discoloration or decay. Ayurveda emphasizes on cleaning the teeth twice daily, in the morning and evening.
After eating it is necessary to rinse and gargle to remove food particles that may be stuck between teeth. Eating hard, crunchy fruits and vegetables (Apples, carrots) is good for the teeth. For discolored teeth salt mixed with lime or lemon juice to brush the teeth. To ease toothache, apply a couple of drops of cinnamon or clove oil to the base of the aching tooth.
Gums
Healthy gums are red, regular, compact and hard while unhealthy gums are spongy, dark red or very pale and may bleed.
Citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit, lemon, lime), guavas or pomegranates should be included in the diet to ensure healthy gums as these fruits contain large quantities of vitamin C. Massaging the gums daily with a mixture of salt, black pepper, turmeric and sesame oil is also beneficial.
Tongue
The internal conditions of the digestive system is reflected by the tongue. According to ayurveda the condition of coating on the tongue determines physical disorders that may be present while a mucus like coating on the tongue demonstrates the presence of Ama (a toxic byproduct of poor digestion or improper eating habits).
Ayurvedic oral hygiene includes:
Cleaning the teeth and tongue daily with specially designed metal tongue scraper and gentle use of toothbrush.
Consuming aloe Vera gel, or ginger and lemon juice, also helps improve digestion. Rins ing the mouth with a decoction of mint, or chewing parsley or basil leaves can improve breath.
Teeth
Healthy teeth are white, evenly spaced, level and clean. Unhealthy teeth are discolored, uneven, and are present in greater or less than the normal number.
Teeth problems occur due to poor diet or bad eating habits, tobacco, tea, coffee, sweet and sticky foods (sweets, chocolates, raisins) and very cold or hot food can lead to discoloration or decay. Ayurveda emphasizes on cleaning the teeth twice daily, in the morning and evening.
After eating it is necessary to rinse and gargle to remove food particles that may be stuck between teeth. Eating hard, crunchy fruits and vegetables (Apples, carrots) is good for the teeth. For discolored teeth salt mixed with lime or lemon juice to brush the teeth. To ease toothache, apply a couple of drops of cinnamon or clove oil to the base of the aching tooth.
Gums
Healthy gums are red, regular, compact and hard while unhealthy gums are spongy, dark red or very pale and may bleed.
Citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit, lemon, lime), guavas or pomegranates should be included in the diet to ensure healthy gums as these fruits contain large quantities of vitamin C. Massaging the gums daily with a mixture of salt, black pepper, turmeric and sesame oil is also beneficial.
Tongue
The internal conditions of the digestive system is reflected by the tongue. According to ayurveda the condition of coating on the tongue determines physical disorders that may be present while a mucus like coating on the tongue demonstrates the presence of Ama (a toxic byproduct of poor digestion or improper eating habits).
Ayurvedic oral hygiene includes:
Cleaning the teeth and tongue daily with specially designed metal tongue scraper and gentle use of toothbrush.