by Sheela Rani Chunkath
While one can prevent most illnesses by taking preventive measures prescribed by our ayurvedic vaidyars, preventing accidents is a little more chancy. I have been quite careful, never driving at high speed, keeping the floor of my house free of clutter and computer wires, dispensing with scatter rugs and keeping the bathroom floor dry.
An uncle of mine got out of bed, stepped on a small foot rug near his bed and broke his hipbone. An acquaintance miscalculated the distance between steps, missed one step and had a hariline crack near his ankle. A good friend did not notice the speed breaker while out on a walk, fell down and had ligament tear near the thumb. I have never had an accident where I have slipped and torn a ligament etc. etc.
But last week was my turn. And what was the culprit? An absolutely flat pair of chappals with an apparently safe rubber sole. Unfortunately the rubber had become hardened with age and did not have a good grip. So I found myself flat on my back on the wet floor just outside my college bathroom. Mind you, I was not rushing or running. I just turned, the sole of my chappal acted as a lubricated pivot and there I was ignominiously sprawled on the floor with half a dozen students peering at me anxiously. So in addition to the normal precautions which one takes to avoid accidents such as holding the balustrade and being careful while taking the stairs, not rushing to answer the phone or the doorbell, keeping the walking space in the house free of clutter, being careful handling a kitchen knife while cutting vegetables etc. One needs to pay attention to two areas where most accidents seem to happen - the bathroom and the staircase. If you have old people in the home refloor the bathroom or get those slippery tiles covered. It is a pain but the consequences are far worse.
And watch those staircases. Too many people I know are missing their step and landing up with broken bones and torn ligaments. Please pay particular attention to your footwear. While I am all for style consider safety first. In spite of all precautions if someone does have an accident and has a torn ligament or sprain the two best oils to liberally use externally are Murivennai and Dhanavantaram oil. There is no need to massage the area. Just apply the oil liberally.
If you know a traditional bonesetter have him look at it and apply some herbal paste and bandage it immobilize the foot. Of course each physician will give you different advice and recommendations. You may have to follow the one you find most convenient. However, the one thing most ayurvedic practitioners will ask you to do is to take 10-15 drops of Gandha tailam, Bala tailam and Ksheerabala tailam in a little warm milk with or without sugar twice a day. These three oils are great at mending traumatised tissue and bones and will help them heal much faster.
Gandha tailam is made from processed sesame seeds mixed with herbs ranging from Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice) to Sida cordifolia (Bala) and Hemidesmus indicus (Indian sarsaparilla). Bala tailam is made from a similar number of ingredients. As the name suggests Bala (Sida cordifolia) is the main ingredient, the others include Tinospora cordifolia, Rasna (Pluchea lanceolata), Ela (cardamom) and Manjishta (Rubia cordifolia) etc.
Ksheerabala tailam (101) is a household favourite being part of our family first-aid kit. It is used for everything from light sprains to bruises and headaches. I have written about this tailam earlier. It is made from a few ingredients namely Bala (Sida cordifolia), ksheera or milk and sesame oil. It is processed for 101 days with fresh ingredients being added every day.
So whether you go in for allopathic or ayurvedic management of your trauma these three oils help heal tissues and bones. The singular lesson I have learnt is that I need to ensure that my footwear has flat and safe accident-proof rubber soles.
--- The writer is retired Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu. She can be reached at Sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail. com. Earlier articles can be accessed at http://arogyamantra.blogspot.com/