Jeevani — Ayurveda for Women

-by Sheela Rani Chunkath

My lament has always been that our Ayurvedic texts and books are translated badly and published indifferently. This has diminished the impact of our traditional sciences among the Western trained elite who influence popular opinion. It was a double delight for me, therefore, when I was recently presented with a book in the Ayurveda tradition, written very well and published with great care, and asked to release it.

I had, therefore, great pleasure in releasing the book called Jeevani — Ayurveda for Women authored by the well-known ayurvedic physician Dr. PLT Girija and with a foreword by TM Mukundan of Sanjeevani Ayurveda and Yoga Centre, at a function where the audience consisted of vaidyars, allopaths and other distinguished scientists.

This book is a remarkable combination of theory and practice. The language is simple and a treat to read. I am glad that an outstanding Ayurvedic vaidyar like Dr. Girija has written this book. This book is a gem. I hope very much that the book reaches that audience segment which is sceptical about our medical practices. The book is a very practical guide for healthy living. While the book is intended primarily for women, many of the tenets in the book are applicable to everyone. The section on foods to be consumed by prenatal women will indeed be useful for all mothers-to-be. Starting from what to do before conception to postnatal practices, this book is a must for all mothers and mothers-to-be.

Ayurveda and the great treatises by Sushruta and Charaka are perhaps the world's first codified texts on medicine and health . Dr. Girija says that ayurveda tells you why a certain disease occurs and also as to how diagnostics is ayurveda's strength. I have often heard patients tell Dr. Girija how good they have been with their diet. They tell her that they do not take any ghee or oil, they have reduced coconut consumption and have mild foods with a lot of curds. They further tell her that they eat a lot of vegetables as salads and drink plenty of water. I have seen Dr. Girija listen patiently to these kinds of statements which derive from blind adherence to certain modern schools of health and medicine, and then explain to them that these practices are a complete no-no in ayurveda. While a multiplicity of systems and theories of health and medicine have emerged over the several epochs of human social existence, the abandonment and neglect in contemporary India of traditional systems of medicine which constitute a rich storehouse of knowledge, both theoretical and practical, is really unfortunate.

Jeevani deals with popular misconceptions regarding diets and addresses common terms such as 'hot' and 'cold' foods. It is distressing to note that, what was common knowledge among most households and especially women, now needs to be explained in books and articles.

Women of my grandmother's generation knew what foods should be eaten and when. The concept of pathyam was commonly accepted. With the advent of modern medicine and the “Eat whatever you like, there is a medicine to fix it" attitude, families have forgotten about diets for infants, the sick, the young and the old. They have forgotten what to give their daughters when they are pregnant and what nourishment to give a new mother. Jeevani has dealt with the subject in great depth and detail.

Jeevani has also documented Tamil Nadu government's efforts to train the 10,000 or so Village Health Nurses (VHNs) in Ayurveda and Siddha and the drug kits that were distributed to them. This initiative which was taken by the present Chief Minister in her earlier tenure was a significant departure from the earlier initiatives of the health department, where the focus was always on training the field level cutting-edge staff, especially the VHNs, only in Western concepts of medicine. It was a dangerous trend as the VHNs practically wiped out our local traditions by labelling them as unscientific superstitions. "If your child has a cold, don't try any unscientific home remedies, come to the Primary Health Centre and get some medicines." the VHN would say. Often the kids would then be given strong antibiotics, setting the stage for lifelong health issues.

My congratulations to Dr. PLT Girija and her team at Sanjeevani Ayurveda Foundation for having brought out a book that we Indians can be proud of.  

--- The writer was earlier Health Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu and is currently Additional Chief Secretary and Chairman & Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation. She can be reached at Sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail. com. Earlier articles can be accessed at http://arogyamantra.blogspot.com/