• It's vedas and cricket at Pune's gurukuls
• Spicy food could provide compound to fight cancers
• Don't overdo yoga, warns Ramdev
• Koreans invade DU Hindi class
• To live longer just stay in School
• Yoga effect on AIDS? Baba has 'proof'

• YOGA
• When shopping, brain pits pain against pleasure
• ASI-Navy team to dig into Dwarka's past
• Discovery Shows How Brain Stimulates Hunger
• Vishnu idol found during excavationin Russian town

When the decision to send 11-year-old Akshay Joshi to a modern-day gurukul to take Veda lessons was made two years ago, the only question he had on his mind was whether he would be able to manage without his parents for the 12 years. Two years have passed and Joshi is enjoying his stay at Vedbhavan in Pune. The establishment is based on the traditional Indian system of schooling in which children stay with the teacher. It gives the children a feeling of being at home, with chores to be done and cricket to be played during free time. Even in an age when international schools are mushrooming in many cities, Vedbhavan and a few more like it in Pune occupy a niche and have many takers. Vedbhavan was founded by Vedmurti Vinayak Bhatt Ghaisas in 1945. It shifted to its present location of a picturesque hill on Paud Road only recently from the old town area. Step in and the resonating chant of mantras being uttered in the assembly hall greets you. Students between 10 and 20 years of age are busy taking lessons. "Vedbhavan was built a few years ago. We have come a long way from our humble start in a chawl at Perugate in Sadashivpeth," Vedmurti Moreshwar Bhatt Ghaisas says. "That was when my father used to run the Vedpathshala." Children at the gurukul, along with learning the wisdom of the ancients, also spend their time playing cricket and other games. "It's not at all a school. It is a home away from home," Joshi says. He has two friends, Akshay Dixit (12) and Dhananjay Bhide (11), with whom he spends his free time. "We have planned a cricket match on Sunday," Dixit, who has come all the way from Bidar in Karnataka, says. Vedbhavan does not accept any fees. "We run on donations," Ghaisas says. "And admissions are on the basis of the child's ability to stay away from parents." Teenagers with tonsured heads, smeared foreheads and wearing traditional dhotis spend their days for almost 12 years learning the Rigveda alone and doing chores. It is a similar way of life at the other two Vedpathshalas in the city. The 60-year-old Patwardhan Vedpathshala is in Budhwarpeth while Pune Vedpathshala, at 125 years the oldest Veda teaching institution in the state, is in Shaniwar Peth. In keeping with the times, children are allowed a short summer vacation with parents in all three institutes. Of the four Vedas (Rigveda, Yajurveda, Saamveda and Atharvaveda) the complex Rigveda is taught, as it takes 12 years to learn. The other three Vedas can be learnt in four to five years.

Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com, January 29, 2007

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The word "yoga" derives from the Sanskrit language and means "union." Yoga benefits the body, mind, and spirit by teaching self-control through a series of postures and exercises called asanas, as well as through breathing, relaxation, and meditation techniques. Practicing yoga can also relieve stress. The movement, breathing, and meditation of yoga result in relaxing the body and quieting the mind. Many use yoga for that purpose alone. Yoga can help prevent and treat a range of ailments. There are several different branches of yoga, known as "paths". The most popular Hatha yoga is a physical discipline that focuses on asanas, or poses. Most yoga studios and fitness clubs teach some type of Hatha yoga -- and there are many different types.

Ananda yoga: Ananda means bliss, this branch of yoga focuses on the easy poses. This gentle yoga developed by Swami Kriyananda, focuses on slow stretches, flexibility, and deep breathing. It is easy, and natural, to integrate the Ananda approach with other hatha yoga practices, because it is just that: an approach.

Ashtanga yoga: Ashtanga yoga is a vigorous, fast-paced yoga that helps to build flexibility, strength, concentration, and stamina. When doing Ashtanga yoga, a person moves quickly through a set of predetermined poses while remaining focused on deep breathing.

Ashtanga yoga: Ashtanga yoga is a vigorous, fast-paced yoga that helps to build flexibility, strength, concentration, and stamina. When doing Ashtanga yoga, a person moves quickly through a set of predetermined poses while remaining focused on deep breathing.

Bikram yoga: Named after Bikram Choudhary, Bikram yoga is also known as "Hot Yoga." It is practiced in rooms that may be heated to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius).

Kundalini yoga: Kundalini yoga uses poses, deep breathing and various other breathing techniques, chanting, and meditation.

Kripala yoga: Kripala Yoga blends postures with awareness, breath, relaxation and meditation techniques to deliver you into the present moment. Kripala yoga develops the. body, mind and spirit in a compassionate way.

Iyengar yoga: This type of yoga focuses on precise poses and participants use benches, ropes, mats, blocks, and chairs. Special emphasis is placed on holding certain postures for several minutes.

Power yoga: Similar to Ashtanga yoga, this is also a very fast-paced form of yoga that improves flexibility and stamina by completing poses. This type of yoga involves vigorous workout to purify and strengthen the body.

A word to the wise

Almost anyone can benefit from the power of yoga, before you begin any type of exercise program, it's a good idea to talk to your doctor, especially if you have a health problem or pregnant. Also, be sure to mention any orthopedic problems or special needs you may have to your instructor before the class begins.

Ayurveda

Ayurveda is a more than 6,000 year old comprehensive system of medicine based on a holistic approach rooted in Vedic culture. Ayurveda, from India, may be the world's oldest intact system of healing, dating from between 3000 and 2000 BC.

"Prevention is better than cure" - is the principle followed by Ayurveda.

Ayurveda in Sanskrit means "the science of Life". Ayurveda is a holistic healing science which comprises of two words, Ayu and Veda. Ayu means life and Veda means knowledge or science. So the literal meaning of the word Ayurveda is the science of life.

As mentioned above Ayurveda is a science of life so to know more about it, we must know what is life? Life according to Ayurveda is a combination of senses, mind, body and soul. So it is clear from this definition of life that Ayurveda is not only limited to body or physical symptoms but also gives a comprehensive knowledge about spiritual, mental and social health.

It is an ancient, unfailing system of treatment based on medicines prepared from herbal plants found in abundance in India. Ayurveda is an integral part of the people of India. This ancient knowledge system of medicine has gained global acceptance especially for alternative ways of preventive, curative and rejuvenate processes making life a more pleasurable experience. This has a holistic approach and it helps maintain the balance of the physiological systems and plays a vital role in preventing diseases and revitalizing the entire life system body, mind and soul.

Basic Principles of Ayurvedic Science :
According to the Ayurveda, some of the popular "health foods" of today are not actually good for your health at all. Western "health food" advocates generally prescribes the same kind of food for everyone. However, according to the Ayurveda the con situation of your body determines what food is good for you. There are five elements which constitutes the bodily make up: air, fire, water, earth & eather. Basically there are three kinds of people, depending on which elements are predominating: AIR People (Vata): Generally underweight, skinny, with thin bone structure. Philosophical, loves traveling, emotional, sentimental and artistic. Prone to rheumatic pains, heaviness, gas, rough skin, weak digestion and nervousness. FIRE People (Pitta): Moderate in weight, with strong bone structure. Technical, sportive, intelligent, energetic, hard working, tendency for leadership. Prone to allergies, skin diseases, headache, acidity, etc. WATER & EARTH People (Kapha): Generally overweight, heavy, with thick bone structure. Business minded, very creative, diplomatic, quick in money making, tactful. Prone to blood circulatory disorders, heart diseases, muscular pains, mucus, etc. According to Ayurveda, from birth to death, doshas influence the health status and physical constitution of a man, either positively or negatively. Doshas are the functional intelligences within the body. As soon as life enters into the body, three vital principles emerge which regulate and control the biological functions.

Courtesy: http://www.indif.com/India/yoga.asp

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By Cahal Milmo

The compound that makes spicy food hot and generates the heat in muscle strain remedies could be the key to a new generation of cancer drugs which kill tumours with no side effects, a leading scientist has said. Capsaicin, the active component of chillies, has produced "startling" results in tests to kill a variety of tumour cells including pancreatic cancer, one of the most difficult versions of the disease to treat. Dr Timothy Bates, who led the research at Nottingham University, said his team have discovered a potential Achilles heel for all cancers because capsaicin targets the "powerhouse", or energy source, of tumour cells. The discovery could lead to the production of drugs to cure a variety of cancers at a fraction of the £410m cost of developing conventional medicines, as capsaicin is already consumed daily by millions of people. Capsaicin is also commonly used as an active ingredient in muscle rub creams and the treatments for psoriasis.

Dr Bates said: "This is incredibly exciting and may explain why people living in countries like Mexico and India, who traditionally eat a diet which is very spicy, tend to have lower incidences of many cancers that are prevalent in the Western world. We appear to have discovered a fundamental weakness with all cancer cells. Capsaicin specifically targets cancerous cells, leading to the possibility that a drug based on it would kill tumours with few or no side effects for the patient." When released onto cancer cells, capsaicin attacks the mitochondria in the cell, which is responsible for generating ATP, the major energy-producing chemical in the body. Capsaicin specifically binds to the protein within the mitochondria of tumour cells and triggers apoptosis, the process of natural cell death. Experiments by the Nottingham team found this took place in cancer cells without affecting surrounding healthy cells. The team applied the compound to human lung cancer cells, considered a gold standard test for anti-cancer drugs, and produced a "startling" rate of cell death. A similar rate was recorded on pancreatic cancer cells. The researchers said: "These results are highly significant as pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to treat and has a five-year survival rate of less than one per cent." Dr Bates said the fact that capsaicin, part of a group of food compounds called vanilloids, was a common part of the diet in many countries would dramatically reduce the number of regulatory hurdles that any anti-cancer drug would have to overcome. It costs around £410m and takes 10 years for a large-scale pharmaceutical company to develop a new compound from scratch. But the Nottingham team, who are also working in conjunction with Chinese scientists to develop active ingredients from herbal remedies, is looking for industrial partners to start clinical trials at a fraction of the cost. The researchers have also found dramatic results with a common anti-depressant, chlorimipramine, in targeting tumours. Josephine Querido, cancer information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: "This research does not suggest that eating vast quantities of chilli pepper will help prevent or treat cancer. The experiments showed that pepper extracts killed cancer cells grown in the laboratory, but these have not yet been tested to see if they are safe and effective in humans. It will be interesting to see how research on capsaicin progresses."

Courtesy: www.independent.co.uk, January 10, 2007

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A battle wages in your brain every time you are out shopping. A new research says specific areas in the brain seem to weigh the pleasure of buying against the pain of spending when people are deciding whether or not to go for the bargain, reports WebMD. A team of researchers consisting of psychologist Brian Knutson of Stanford University; economist George Loewenstein of Carnegie Mellon University; and Drazen Prelec of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management, report their finding in the January issue of Neuron. The findings defy an economic theory that purchasing decisions are a trade-off between current pleasure (buying something now) and future pleasure (buying something else later), Loewenstein says. "We suspected that that's not the way the brain solves the problem of how much to spend," Loewenstein says. He and his colleagues tested another theory: that purchasing is a mental tug-of-war between pleasure and pain. In the experiment, the researchers gave 26 healthy young adults $20 to spend. While the participants made their purchases in a lab their brains were being scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging. The brain scans showed what participants' brains were up to as they considered each item. When they liked an item, a certain brain area called the nucleus accumbens was particularly active. But if they thought items were overpriced, another brain area (the insula) became more active and a third brain area (the mesial prefrontal cortex) became less active. "The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the brain frames preference as a potential benefit and price as a potential cost," the researchers write. That is, the brain apparently weighs how much it likes an item with how hard it will be on the wallet to buy it.

Courtesy: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, January 7, 2007

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A day after the death of a boy allegedly after doing yoga at Baba Ramdev's camp in Bhopal, the yoga guru on Thursday asked his followers not to cross limit while undertaking yoga and pranayam practice. "Excess of anything, including physical and breathing exercise, is bad for health. The boon of yoga should not become a curse for human beings," he told a 15,000-strong gathering. For the second day at the camp, Ramdev exhibited various techniques of yoga and pranayam. A 13-year-old boy with a heart ailment, who had trekked to the camp, died soon after the inaugural session on Wednesday. Referring to the incident, Ramdev said,"Yoga is for productivity and longevity. It is an ancient form of lifestyle meant for well-being of society. But it should be practised with respect and utmost care." He said like excess of eating causes problems for the stomach, excess of physical exercise too adversely affects health. "Do not stress your body by crossing the limit while practising pranayam or yoga. One must understand the capability of his or her body and practise yoga accordingly. One should also take rest at regular interval while practising yoga," he said. While Wednesday's incident apparently had no impact on the yoga enthusiasts here, the organisers seem to have become more cautious to avoid repetition of any such incidents. At least 250 yoga teachers, trained at Patanjali Yoga Samiti, Hardwar, were seen guiding sick people to perform yoga. "Yoga teachers are monitoring the ailing persons and newcomers at the camp," samiti member S S Adhikari said. According to sources at the camp, the yoga guru addressed a special session for the teachers. "We were told about the responsibility of a yoga teacher," a teacher said. He added that like any other profession, there were some "professional hazards" in the field of yoga too.

Courtesy: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, January 5, 2007

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It has long beckoned pilgrims and researchers alike, and is believed to have been a thriving port once. Now, to bring submerged Dwarka's past to the surface, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and an Indian Navy team are planning to not only go down into the ocean's deeps, but also dig along the shore and land. The excavation operations, which were launched at a site opposite Dwarkadheesh Temple on Monday, are the first on such magnitude undertaken by the ASI at the site.

This is a significant project as this will be the first time that the ASI will go in for land, shore and undersea operations here. So far, the National Institute of Oceanography (Goa) has been carrying out exten.sive research into Dwarka's history, but it has limited itself to undersea excavations,'' said Alok Tripathi, ASI superintendent (underwater archaelogical wing). Considered one of the four dhams by Hindus, Dwarka is mythologically held to be the golden city founded by Lord Krishna which was subsequently submerged under the sea. It has also been of interest from the research point of view. Marine archaeological explorations off Dwarka by the NIO have thrown up a large number of randomly scattered stone structures. Semicircular, rectangular or square in shape, the structures are found at depths ranging inter-tidal zone to 6 m. A number of stone anchors have also been unearthed, which suggest that Dwarka was once a busy port. A comparative study with surrounding sites indicates that the structures date back to somewhere between the historical and the late medieval periods. We have begun excavations in a small area, measuring 5x5 opposite Dwarkadheesh temple. This was the only open site available adjacent to the main temple. The excavations near Dwarkadheesh will be followed by similar operations at Gomti Ghat and along the sea shore. Undersea excavation, to be undertaken by the team from Indian Navy, will begin on January 7,'' said Tripathi. The site earmarked for undersea excavation is some 500 km from the shore. The excavation will be conducted at a depth of 3-15 m. This will be a time-consuming process. Initial results will dictate how much time will be requires for conclusive research,'' he added. ''The ASI plans to take up research with a different perspective, while keeping in mind earlier findings. Post-excavation, we will involve a range of experts to analyse the findings of our 20-member team,'' said Tripathi.

Courtesy: www.southasianmedia.net, January 4, 2007

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South Koreans it seems are the foreigners most eager to pick up Hindi - and they want to do it fast. The majority of students enrolled for the short-term Hindi courses at Delhi University are South Koreans. Reason? Great job prospects in India with Korean majors Samsung, LG and Hyundai. MJ Park, director, Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency, says that with 200 Korean companies already here and many more showing interest, India has emerged as the land of opportunity. "Earlier, Korea's attention was on China. But now the scope for growth is greater in India," says Park. Over 3,000 South Koreans are working and studying in India. Of the 28 foreign students enrolled in the certificate, diploma and advanced courses in Hindi, 14 are from South Korea. DU student Park Soon Ki is a graduate in global marketing and advertising from Busan. He and his friend Huo Jong Cheol, a computer scientist from Seoul, are in India studying, travelling, and job-hunting. "Many Koreans working in India speak good English, but the workers in the factory speak Hindi," says Ruchika Batra, GM (corporate communication) at Samsung. "We had a programme under which executives from Korea would spend a year in India learning the language and knowing the local culture." Koreans at LG too are busy learning Hindi. "They make a lot of effort to localise themselves," says YV Verma, director (human resources), LG.

Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com, January 4, 2007

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Researchers from the Yale University School of Medicine have uncovered a complex series of events in the brain that stimulate hunger during fasting. A study published in the January issue of Cell Metabolism found that during periods of fasting, a cascade of events in the brain makes sure you stay hungry when food is scarce. The researchers revealed that thyroid hormone in the brain is associated with increases in an "uncoupling" protein known as UCP2, which boosts the number of power-generating mitochondria in neurons that drive hunger. When mice were fasted for 24 hours, the researchers found there was an increase in the enzyme that stimulates thyroid hormone production in concert with increased UCP2 activity. The UCP2 activation resulted in a proliferation of mitochondria in the neurons, which increased the brain cells' excitability and resulted in "rebound feeding" in the mice after a period of food deprivation. The mice that lacked either UCP2 or the thyroid-stimulating enzyme ate less than normal after they were fasted. "This shows the key importance of UCP in the brain and its effect on neuronal activity," lead researcher Sabrina Diano said in a prepared statement. "It's how neurons 'learn' that food is missing, and it keeps them ready to eat when food is introduced."

Courtesy: www.forbes.com, January 3, 2007

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James Smith, a health economist at the Rand Corporation, has heard a variety of hypotheses about what it takes to live a long life - money, lack of stress, a loving family, lots of friends. But he has been a sceptic. Yes, he says, it is clear that on average some groups in every society live longer than others. The rich live longer than the poor, whites live longer than blacks in the United States. Longevity, in general, is not evenly distributed in the population. But what, he asks, is cause and what is effect? And how can they be disentangled? He is venturing, of course, into one of the prevailing mysteries of ageing, the persistent differences seen in the life spans of large groups. In every country, there is an average life span for the nation as a whole and there are average life spans for different subsets, based on race, geography, education and even churchgoing. But the questions for researchers like Dr Smith are why? And what really matters? The answers, he and others say, have been a surprise. The one social factor that researchers agree is consistently linked to longer lives in every country where it has been studied is education. It is more important than race; it obliterates any effects of income. Year after year, in study after study, says Richard Hodes, director of the National Institute on Ageing, education "keeps coming up." And, health economists say, those factors that are popularly believed to be crucial - money and health insurance, for example, pale in comparison. Dr Smith explains: "Giving people more Social Security income, or less for that matter, will not really affect people's health. It is a good thing to do for other reasons but not for health."

Health insurance, too, he says, "is vastly overrated in the policy debate." Instead, Dr Smith and others say, what may make the biggest difference is keeping young people in school. A few extra years of school is associated with extra years of life and vastly improved health decades later, in old age. It is not the only factor, of course. There is smoking, which sharply curtails life span. There is a connection between having a network of friends and family and living a long and healthy life. And there is evidence that people with more powerful jobs and, presumably, with more control over their work lives, are healthier and longer lived. But there is little dispute about the primacy of education. "If you were to ask me what affects health and longevity," says Michael Grossman, a health economist at the City University of New York, "I would put education at the top of my list." It was 1999 and a Columbia University graduate student, Adriana Lleras-Muney, was casting about for a topic for her doctoral dissertation in economics. She found an idea in a paper published in 1969. Three economists noted the correlation between education and health and gave some advice: If you want to improve health, you will get more return by investing in education than by investing in medical care. But there were at least two other possibilities. Maybe sick children did not go to school, or dropped out early because they were ill. Or maybe education was a proxy for wealth, and it was wealth that led to health. It could be that richer parents who gave their children everything, including better nutrition, better medical care and a better education, had children who, by virtue of being wealthy, lived longer.

Courtesy: www.deccan.com, January 4, 2007

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An ancient Vishnu idol has been found during excavation in an old village in Russia's Volga region, raising questions about the prevalent view on the origin of ancient Russia. The idol found in Staraya (old) Maina village dates back to VII-X century AD. Staraya Maina village in Ulyanovsk region was a highly populated city 1700 years ago, much older than Kiev, so far believed to be the mother of all Russian cities. "We may consider it incredible, but we have ground to assert that Middle-Volga region was the original land of Ancient Rus. This is a hypothesis, but a hypothesis, which requires thorough research," Reader of Ulyanovsk State University's archaeology department Dr Alexander Kozhevin told state-run television Vesti. Dr Kozhevin, who has been working in Staraya Maina for last seven years, said that every single square metre of the surroundings of the ancient town situated on the banks of Samara, a tributary of Volga, is studded with antiques. Prior to unearthing of the Vishnu idol, Dr Kozhevin has already found ancient coins, pendants, rings and fragments of weapons. He believes that today's Staraya Maina, a town of eight thousand, was ten times more populated in the ancient times. It is from here that people started migrating to the Don and Dneiper rivers around the time ancient Russy built the city of Kiev, now the capital of Ukraine. An international conference is being organised later this year to study the legacy of the ancient village, which can radically change the history of ancient Russia.

Courtesy: www.rediff.com, January 4, 2007

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Baba Ramdev has come down from the 'AIDS cure' claim to now state that yoga can increase the immunity power of an AIDS patient. He says he has evidence to prove his claim. Just a week back the Union Health Ministry served him a notice and an NGO, called People's Health Organisation, threatened to take him to the court over "claimed that he could cure AIDS", the yoga guru claimed in Bhubaneswar on Monday that he has evidence to prove his claim. Ramdev, who is currently in Bhubaneswar to conduct the weeklong Yoga Science Camp, told journalists that he has "sufficient evidence" to show that yoga can increase CD-4 count in blood of an AIDS patient. "AIDS patients having CD-4 count as low as 19 had reported with rising count to the extent of 350 to 400 as against the normal count of 500," an agency report quoted him as saying. Ramdev urged the government to come forward in assisting the success of the AIDS treatment instead of contesting his claim. Ramdev, however, said he had never claimed that the yoga could cure the AIDS. He reiterated that yoga and ayurvedic treatment can cure blood cancer, breast cancer, prostrate cancer and other chronic and genetic diseases. He said cancer patients should take wheat grass juice, neem leave juice and 'tulsi' juice along with certain other ayurvedic medicines while performing the seven 'Pranayam'. He claimed that he had several case studies to prove that cancer can be cured through the yoga and ayurvedic treatment.

Courtesy: www.moneycontrol.com, January 2, 2007

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