Latest news with #AyurvedicPanchakarma
The Hindu
30-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
‘Ayushman Arogya Mandirs will provide doorstep access to diagnostic tests'
As the BJP government in Delhi completes its first 100 days, Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh highlights a raft of health sector developments, most notably the upcoming launch of 33 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) under the PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM). In an interview with The Hindu, he says AAMs will provide doorstep access to health care. Excerpts: How will Ayushman Arogya Mandirs differ from Mohalla Clinics? About 80% of patients visit clinics and hospitals for minor issues, and around 20% have critical issues. With 14 routine screening tests, AAMs will provide access to diagnostic tests, including blood sugar, HIV, dengue, malaria, and syphilis along with pre- and post-natal care. Mothers will receive prenatal and postnatal care, and yoga sessions will be held twice a week. I want the public to go and see for themselves what has changed. Mohalla Clinics had four employees each. Will they be retained? Each AAM will have 6-7 staff, including medical and paramedical professionals, a pharmacist, a data entry operator, and a yoga instructor. The Chief Minister has already assured that nobody will be removed. All those who are eligible and work hard will not be rendered jobless. Apart from Ayushman Bharat and AAMs, what are the other key achievements? The number of dialysis machines has doubled to 300. Previously, people waited days for a dialysis appointment. That is no longer the case. Additionally, each hospital now has its own dedicated Medical Superintendent, replacing the earlier system where one oversaw five. We are addressing hospital shortages. How much of the staff shortage problem has been addressed? When I took charge, there was a 21% staff shortage. The dossier for doctors and nurses is out. That is now down to 7–8%, and will be addressed completely within 1–2 months. What are your plans for the city's health care in the next few months? Stress is very common among residents of Delhi. We are planning to set up integrated stress management centres combining Ayurvedic Panchakarma with allopathy within hospitals. We will also revamp the infrastructure so patients won't need to wait in queues. Appointments will be streamlined, and medicine shortages will be eliminated at the Arogya Mandirs.
South China Morning Post
17-04-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Detox dos and don'ts: spring fads often promise instant results, but away from the juice cleanses, science shows that the body needs a healthy diet, exercise and sleep in today's highly toxic world
As spring's first blooms stretch towards the sun, a familiar word begins to flutter through the wellness lexicon: detox. Once merely synonymous with purity and rejuvenation, detoxing has entered the realm of juice bars and influencers in the modern age – promising miraculous transformations wrapped in the glow of green smoothies and turmeric-laced elixirs. But before trading an almond-milk latte for a week of liquefied kale, it's worth peeling back the shiny labels to uncover what's behind the detox hype. Plexus Restore. Photo: Handout The idea of a reset is inherently appealing, especially during transitional times like spring. But beneath the wellness buzz lies a simple truth: the body is not a fixer-upper in desperate need of a deep clean. Dr Christina Rahm, founder of DRC (Deep-Rooted Causes) Ventures, explains that the human body is a finely tuned machine equipped with its own detoxification system, from the liver, kidneys and entire digestive system, to the skin and lungs. 'These organs work tirelessly to process toxins and eliminate them,' she notes. Modern lifestyles – with their processed foods, environmental pollutants and chronic stress – can sometimes overwhelm these systems. Advertisement Every day, our bodies are bombarded by toxins. Our environment is rife with sources of exposure, from depleted soil and toxic municipal water, to pharmaceuticals, alcohol and processed foods. 'Layer in chronic stress, cellular dehydration, excessive blue light and EMF [electromagnetic field] exposure, sleep deprivation, lack of time in nature and sedentary lifestyles, and it's no wonder our detox pathways are overwhelmed,' says Christy Nault, creator of the Hormone Glow Up programme for women, and a self-styled root-cause health practitioner. Supporting the body's natural elimination systems isn't about bypassing or replacing them, she adds: 'It's about working in partnership with them.' Bath Brew Detox Green Tea Eucalyptus. Photo: Handout The liver – the star of the show – breaks down toxins and ushers them out with remarkable efficiency. The kidneys meanwhile act as filtration system, removing waste products from the blood and flushing them out in urine. This refined system operates around the clock, requiring nothing beyond balanced nutrition, hydration and perhaps a bit less stress. Still, as Nault notes, we are living in 'the most toxic era in human history, inundated daily with pesticides, microplastics, heavy metals, synthetic fragrances, indoor mould, flame retardants, PFAS [perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances], VOCs [volatile organic compounds] and over 2,000 new unregulated chemicals introduced into our environment each year'. This reality, she argues, makes supporting the body's natural systems more important than ever. Kusmi Detox Tea. Photo: Handout Detoxification isn't a new concept: it's deeply rooted in ancient traditions that viewed cleansing as an act of balance, from Ayurvedic Panchakarma treatments from India, to the sweat lodges of Native American tribes. 'Detox was seen as a sacred act of balance between body, mind and spirit. As the modern era unfolded, detox practices became increasingly clinical, losing much of their spiritual and emotional significance,' Nault points out. Yet the fantasy of a quick fix remains irresistible. Enter the juice cleanse, that beacon of wellness virtuosity. Touted as a pathway to weight loss and inner 'purity', if not done properly it may leave the body starved of essential nutrients, and the mind fixated on its next solid meal. 'Detox without drainage is a recipe for disaster. Detox is the process of mobilising toxins inside the body, but drainage is what gets those toxins out. If you begin a detox protocol without ensuring that drainage pathways are open, you risk making yourself more toxic, not less,' Nault warns. Sure, a cleanse might trim a few pounds of water weight, but those pounds will return once solid foods are reintroduced. Worse, these cleanses often lack proteins and healthy fats, risking nutrient imbalances and muscle loss.
