From the Chennai desk of Reiki Master, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Homeopath and Naturopath Dr. (Mrs.) Vasantha Krishnaswamy, ND (Dr. Vasantha Krishnaswamy, Shiromani Awardee is a renowned Alternative Medicine Consultant with 22 years of expertise in over 20 different therapies, is one of IBAM’s 500 top holistic practitioners and is also the guiding light of Indian Holistic Health Association):

Contrary to a lot of hype on Reiki, shrouded in a mystic halo of its definition than in its purported orb of divine light, it is simply a very useful Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. This simple definition comes from my Reiki Master Mr. William Rand of the International Center for Reiki Training. He must know well, because he has over 30 years of Reiki experience.

The Reiki technique was developed in Japan in 1920 by Dr. Mikao Usui. Even today the traditional form of Reiki is called Usui Reiki in honor of his name. Dr. Usui is said to have obtained the Reiki symbol (see inset) during his 21 day fast atop Mt. Koriyama in Japan. Along with it he is supposed to have received other symbols that are currently used in Reiki initiation. Dr. Usui taught this technique to two others –  Dr. Chujiro Hayashi and Kan`ichi Taketomi. Hawayo Takata (a student of Dr. Hayashi), brought Reiki to USA in 1937, from when it has gradually gained in popularity.

Reiki requires special initiation for anyone wishing to be a practitioner. Consider this example. If you wished to receive a particular FM/AM station on your radio, you would use the tuner knob to adjust until you receive a strong signal. You would also try to have a clean and stretched antenna for better reception. The same applies to our body as well. A physically, mentally and spiritually clean body is an excellent receptor of the healing signals. But in order to receive it strongly a procedure called attunement is required at the time of initiation. Usually, only a Reiki Master is qualified to provide the initiation.

After a student becomes a full-fledged Reiki practitioner, they can call themselves as a healer (it does take a lot of practical healing experience before one becomes a master). A Reiki healer is qualified to treat clients who may require healing energy in the form of Reiki. During what is termed a Reiki session, a fully clothed client is either seated or made to lie on a bed, and the practitioner’s hands are placed near or lightly touching various parts of the body including areas around the head, shoulders, stomach, legs, and feet. Most patients report feelings of relaxation, and patients often fall asleep during a session. Sessions can last from ten minutes to more than an hour.

Reiki programs are being offered in many hospitals these days. The popularity of Reiki in hospitals has been largely driven by requests from patients and by nurses and doctors who have experienced its value. According to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, more than 1.2 million adults—0.5 percent of the U.S. general adult population—had used an energy healing therapy, such as Reiki, in the previous year. The key benefits they reported are – reduced stress, decrease in the amount of pain medication required, improved sleep and appetite, and accelerated healing process. Reiki has been reported to reduce many of the unwanted side effects of radiation and drugs, including chemotherapy. I have personally received Reiki healing from my students on many occasions such as in a dentist’s office, when ill, or emotionally unwell.

I hope this Reiki appetizer has excited you enough to seek me for training courses and further details about Reiki and healing sessions. In the words of William Rand, let us pray together “Guide me and heal me so that I might be of greater service to others.”

Hello, my name is Dilipan. I am Dr. Vasantha Krishnaswamy’s elder son. I have been nurturing the desire to post an article on the maverick health crusader Dr. Patch Adams. For those who are not familiar with the name, maybe the hollywood film by the same name may ring a bell. This film starred the award winning actor Robin Williams in the lead role as Patch. For the Indians however, either Munnabhai MBBS or Vasool Raja MBBS might refresh their memory of an irreverent ruffian character, posing as a medical doctor only to end up becoming one. But the real Dr. Patch Adams is far removed from any of the conjured up images of him on any silver screen.

Patch Adams was born Hunter Doherty “Patch” Adams on May 28, 1945, in Washington, D.C. He is an American physician, social activist, clown and author. He founded the Gesundheit! Institute in 1971. Each year he organizes a group of volunteers from around the world to travel to over 70 countries dressed as clowns in an effort to bring humor to orphans, patients, and other people. Adams is currently based in Urbana, Illinois. In collaboration with the institute, he promotes an alternative health care model, not funded by insurance policies.

Adams had a difficult childhood. His father, an officer in the United States Army, had fought in Korea, and died while stationed in Germany when Adams was still a teenager. After his father’s death, Adams returned to the United States with his mother and brother, for whom his love and respect still shines through his words. Adams has stated that, upon his return, he encountered institutional injustice which made him a target for bullies at school. As a result, Adams was unhappy and became actively suicidal. After being hospitalized three times in one year for wanting to end his life, he decided “you don’t kill yourself, stupid; you make revolution.”

Adams completed his pre-med at the George Washington University, and began his medical school without an undergraduate degree. He went on to earn his Doctor of Medicine degree at Virginia Commonwealth University (Medical College of Virginia or MCV) in 1971. Convinced about the synergistic connection between environment and wellness, he believes the health of an individual cannot be separated from the health of the family, community, and the world. While working in an adolescent clinic at MCV, in his final year of med school, he met Linda Edquist. After graduation, Linda, Patch and his other friends together founded the Gesundheit! Institute, that ran as a free community hospital for 12 years.

Even at 68 he actively travels around the world, probably the only single real Doctor Without Borders, meeting and healing people, delivering lectures and gathering support and funding for his institute and its programs. He is a caustic critic of the decaying capitalism and with a reassured wisdom of a sage talks of the advent of the age of end of war and love as a universal healer. He treats his patients with what conventional practice would term as “unconventional medicine” – FUN, LOVE, RESPECT, FRIENDSHIP and HUMANITY. External medications and hospice care also play a subsidiary, useful role in his world view of what it means to be a DOCTOR.

From the Chennai desk of Reiki Master, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Homeopath and Naturopath Dr. (Mrs.) Vasantha Krishnaswamy, ND (Dr. Vasantha Krishnaswamy, Shiromani Awardee is a renowned Alternative Medicine Consultant with 22 years of expertise in over 20 different therapies, is one of IBAM’s 500 top holistic practitioners and is also the guiding light of Indian Holistic Health Association):

Pregnancy is an exciting, eagerly awaited event that is also laborious and worrisome to many, especially to first time mothers. No wonder, the process that leads up to the delivery of a child into its strange world is aptly called undergoing the labor pain. Often times, as if in order to empathize with his wife, the husband also willingly undergoes the pain she gives him in the last few hours before the delivery. I suppose there would be many fathers out there agreeing wholeheartedly with me, based on their own personal experience at labor time. This is because of huge hormonal swings in the mother’s body that also acts on her brain causing confusion, irritation, consternation and indecision. This lasts until the baby is safely delivered. Now that the baby is in the arms of the mother, we retrace our steps to the first day this intelligent mom decided to provide her baby the essential nutrients required to be born hale and hearty. Congratulations, and welcome to Motherhood!

Nutrition is essential to the human body, more so to prenatal women. Not one, but two lives are dependent on the right balance of nutrition. Often, it is misunderstood that it is a time of indulgence in the food varieties that her tongue demands. The truth behind that thinking is, the body’s intelligence drives her taste buds to demand that which is suitable to balance her nutrition in the body. It is also driven by the growing fetus, whose demands also grow by the hour. If the food habits are carefully regulated, this very indulgence could do a world of good to the mother and her baby.

Nutrients are normally understood at a 2-D level by most families. But in ancient India, the wisdom of the sages ensured the baby got body food, mind food and soul food in due measure every day. The fanciful charts below will provide a clue on what would be good body foods. But mind food is provided by the mother developing in herself a positive, cheerful and exuberant disposition. By taking a healthy walk in fresh air or doing yoga, in pleasing sights and sound and the nurturing love of her husband, relatives and friends. The soul food, on the other hand, requires the mother to believe in the power and love of God, meditate constantly on Him, hear mantras and pray as often as she can. Since a soul is being infused into a being endowed already with a sound body and mind, it is essential that the baby gets all the tactical advantages like a Commando to tackle the daily life in this world.

Even in a world far advanced in nursing and pregnancy care, babies are still being delivered by experienced mid wives everywhere. Two clichéd scenarios in India are a mother-in-law enticing her dark skinned daughter-in-law to drink milk mixed with Kungumappoo or Kesar (Saffron) herb so the child would be born with a fair skin, and the unbroken family tradition of administering Marundu (to the lactating mother) and Gorochanai (Cow Bezoar) to the baby which results in clearing any remnant mucous in the vocal passage and enabling a resonant and captivating voice capable of high pitch.

Some helpful charts for an expectant mother on nutrition during her maternity (hover the mouse on image 2 view larger):

Almond oil

Avocado Oil

Castor Oil

Coconut Oil

Flaxseed oil

Mustard Oil

Neem Oil

Olive Oil

Palm Oil

Rice Bran oil

Sage oil

Safflower oil

Sesame/Gingelly oil

Sunflower oil

Walnut Oil

Wheatgerm oil

From the Chennai desk of Reiki Master, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Homeopath and Naturopath Dr. (Mrs.) Vasantha Krishnaswamy, ND (Dr. Vasantha Krishnaswamy, Shiromani Awardee is a renowned Alternative Medicine Consultant with 22 years of expertise in over 20 different therapies, is one of IBAM’s 500 top holistic practitioners and is also the guiding light of Indian Holistic Health Association):

It is my privilege and pleasure to announce the success of the Certificate Course in Basic and Advanced (Masters) Clinical Hypnotherapy. The classes were conducted on two successive weekends, August 3/4 and again on August 10/11, at the behest of  Indian Holistic Health Association (IHHA). My able student, Master Clinical Hypnotherapist and Holistic Consultant Dr. Kabilan Chanakya assisted me in making this course a stupendous success. Five committed students attended a very intense session that comprised of the following subjects covered during the two weekends:

• August 3 (Basic) – Clinical Hypnotherapy: Introduction, History, Theory and Practice, Difference between Hypnotherapy and Hypnosis
• August 4 (Basic) – Hypnotherapy Theory: How to write scripts/affirmations, Attitude/Aptitude of Hypnotherapist, How to conduct a session, Types of Inductions
• August 10 (Masters) – Hypnotherapy client interview forms and techniques, More inductions like instant inductions, my son Mukund’s  birthday celebration
• August 11 (Masters) – Chakra Meditation, Pranayama & Asana Techniques, Concentration and Guided Hypnotic Meditation, Certification
• August 12 (Masters) – Bach Flower Therapy: Theory and Practice, its use in hypnotherapy

The five students were from disparate backgrounds – Mr. V. Ranganathan, a Certified NLP/EFT expert, Mr. Sampath Naidu, a holistic healer and AGM/Head of Govt. food quality lab, Mr. Jagan a businessman and integrative therapist, Mrs. Amuda Prabhu Ramkumar, a psychotherapist and Ms. Kavitha, a holistic healer and an IAS Officer.

After mutual introductions and a welcome speech by my son Mukundan, Dr. Kabilan Chanakya addressed the five eager and enthusiastic students providing a birds eye view of Clinical Hypnotherapy. Looking back three weeks, I was a trifle nervous because it has been a while since I took classes in USA/India and I had aged a bit since then. Also, I am still trying my best to get over an irreparable personal loss in 2011. Hypnotherapy, the loving encouragement of my family and students, and my ability to get back to conducting classes like I did before, has helped hasten my self-healing.

It has been a long road for me the past 22 years, pursuing this passion of mine with the singular purpose of educating and equipping people with the tools that can assure them vibrant and radiant health. Which is why I wear a quizzical look whenever someone tries to remind me that this is my new profession. For now, I am contented to train some of the best talents, who would hold aloft the IHHA banner and whose outreach would add immense value in raising the health awareness of our society. Which once again reminds me about the profession I loved earlier from which I had to retire, but didn’t wish to really:  Senior Announcer, All India Radio/Akashvani.

Now you can relate to why I started this post with an announcement!

இந்த அண்டவெளியில் எல்லாமே கால ஒழுங்கிலேயே இயங்குகின்றன. அவ்வாறே நம் உடலும் இயங்குகின்று. காலம் தவறினால் காலன் நெருங்கிடுவான் என்பார் நம் முன்னோர்.

நமது உடல், ஒவ்வொரு உடல் பாகத்திற்கென தனித்தனியே கடிகாரத்தின் அலாரத்தைப் போன்று உடற்கடிகாரம் முன்பதிவு செய்து கொண்டு சுழன்று கொண்டிருக்கிறது. ஒவ்வொரு உறுப்புக்கும் அதன் பணியைச் செய்து முடிக்க இரண்டு மணிநேரம் ஒதுக்கியுள்ளது. இரண்டு மணி நேரம் முடிந்ததும் மீண்டும் அலாரத்தை அடுத்த உறுப்புக்கு மாற்றி விடுகிறது.

விடியற்காலை 3.00 மணிமுதல் 5.00 மணிவரை நுரையீரலின் நேரம். இந்த நேரத்தில்சுவாசப் பயிற்சி செய்து காற்றின் மூலம் வரும் பிராண சக்தியை உடலுக்குள் அதிகமாகச் சேகரித்தால்ஆயுள் நீடிக்கும். தியானம் செய்யவும் ஏற்ற நேரம் இது.

ஆஸ்துமா நோயாளிகள் இந்த நேரத்தில் மிகவும் சிரமப்படுவார்கள். விடியற்காலை 5.00 மணிமுதல் 7.00 மணிவரை பெருங்குடலின் நேரம். காலைக்கடன்களை இந்த நேரத்துக்குள் முடித்தே தீர வேண்டும் மலச்சிக்கல் உள்ளவர்கள் இந்த நேரத்தில் எழுந்து கழிவறைக்குச் செல்லும் பழக்கத்தை ஏற்படுத்திக் கொண்டால் நாளடைவில் மலச்சிக்கல் தீரும். உயிரணுக்களின் எண்ணிக்கை மிகவும் அதிகமாக உள்ள நேரமும் கூட இதுவே.

காலை 7.00 மணி முதல் 9.00 மணிவரை வயிற்றின் நேரம். இந்த நேரத்தில் கல்லைத்தின்றாலும் வயிறு அரைத்துவிடும். காலை உணவை பேரரசன் போல் உண்ணவேண்டும் என்று சொல்வார்கள். இந்த நேரத்தில் சாப்பிடுவதுதான் நன்குசெரிமானமாகி உடலில் ஒட்டும்.

காலை 9.00 மணிமுதல் 11.00 மணி வரை மண்ணீரலின் நேரம். காலையில் உண்ட உணவை மண்ணீரல் செரித்து ஊட்டச் சத்தாகவும் இரத்தமாகவும் மாற்றுகிற நேரம் இது. இந்த நேரத்தில் பச்சைத் தண்ணீர்கூடக் குடிக்கக்கூடாது. மண்ணீரலின்செரிமானசக்தி பாதிக்கப்படும். நீரழிவு நோயாளிகளுக்கு மோசமான நேரம் இது.

முற்பகல் 11.00 மணிமுதல் பிற்பகல் 1.00 மணி வரை இதயத்தின் நேரம். இந்தநேரத்தில் அதிகமாகப் பேசுதல், அதிகமாகக் கோபப்படுதல், அதிகமாகப் படபடத்தல்கூடாது இதயம் பாதிக்கப்படும். இதய நோயாளிகள் மிகமிக எச்சரிக்கையாக இருக்கவேண்டிய நேரம்.

பிற்பகல் 1.00 மணிமுதல் 3.00 மணிவரை சிறுகுடலின் நேரம் இந்த நேரத்தில் மிதமாக மதிய உணவை உட்கொண்டு சற்றே ஓய்வெடுப்பது நல்லது.

பிற்பகல் 3.00 மணி முதல் மாலை 5.00 மணிவரை சிறுநீர்ப்பையின் நேரம். நீர்க்கழிவுகளை வெளியேற்ற சிறந்த நேரம்.

மாலை 5.00 மணி முதல் 7.00 மணி வரை சிறுநீரகங்களின் நேரம். பகல் நேரபரபரப்பிலிருந்து விடுபட்டு அமைதி பெற, எதிர்காலத்தைப் பற்றி சிந்திக்க, தியானம்செய்ய, வழிபாடுகள் செய்ய சிறந்த நேரம்.

இரவு 7.00 மணி முதல் 9.00 மணி வரை,பெரிகார்டியத்தின் நேரம். பெரிகார்டியம் என்பது இதயத்தைச் சுற்றி இருக்கும் ஒரு ஜவ்வு இதயத்தின் Shock absorber இரவு உணவுக்கு உகந்த நேரம் இது.

இரவு 9.00 மணி முதல் 11.00 மணி வரை, டிரிப்பிள் கீட்டர் என்பது ஒரு உறுப்பல்ல, உச்சந்தலை முதல் அடி வயிறு வரை உள்ள மூன்று பகுதிகளை இணைக்கும்பாதை. இந்த நேரத்தில் உறங்கச் செல்வது நல்லது.

இரவு 11.00 மணி முதல் 1.00 மணி வரை பித்தப்பை இயங்கும் நேரம். இந்த நேரத்தில் தூங்காது விழித்திருந்தால் பித்தப்பை இயக்க குறைபாடு ஏற்படும்.

இரவு 1.00 மணி முதல் விடியற்காலை 3.00 மணி வரை கல்லீரலின் நேரம். இந்த நேரத்தில் நீங்கள் உட்காந்திருக்கவோ விழித்திருக்கவோ கூடாது கட்டாயம்படுத்திருக்க வேண்டும் உடல் முழுவதும் ஓடும் ரத்தத்தை கல்லீரல் தன்னிடத்தே வரவழைத்து சுத்திகரிக்கும் நேரம் இது. இந்த பணியை நீங்கள் பாதித்தால் மறுநாள்முழுவதும் சுறுசுறுப்பில்லாமல் அவதிப்படுவீர்கள்.

Brain is an instrument that goes on disrepair among Indians every 5 years, and needs to be revitalized. The following combination of foods help our brain function well enough to cooperate for further training. This type of nutritious food is typically out of reach for an average Indian wage earner. But of course, for such folks like me, Keppai Koozh (Ragi Porridge) and Keerai (Spinach) varieties step in to do the role.

• Omega-3 Fats – Safflower, Sunflower, Flax seed, Sage, Olive, Walnut and Wheatgerm oils 
• Antioxidants    – Berries, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrots, Garlic, Onion, Grapes, Grains like Brown   Rice, Barley, Rye, Oats and Wheat, Spinach, Tea (regular/herbal like Green/Ginkoba), Tomatoes
• Tyrosine Rich  – Dairy and Soy
• Hydration        – Water, Fresh fruit and vegetable juices, Electrolyte Salts
• Vitamins & Minerals – B Complex, C, Iron, Selenium, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc
• Fibrous Varieties – Dried Fruits like Apricots, Dates, Plums, Prunes and Raisins, Veggies, Beans & Lentils, Nuts & Seeds, Fruits and Grains

Other than the foods above, cognition improvement supplements have flooded the market in the last two decades. Nootropics such as Picamilon, Piracetam and other Racetam group, Phenibut and other GABA enhancing supplements have caught the fancy of those who can afford them. Some of these supplements are very effective for short term results such as memory enhancement for exams and interview, and few have actually helped Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients lead a better quality life.

It is also imperative to be very careful about head injuries. They are never to be taken lightly. Overcoming and even avoiding stressful situations is essential as cognitive abilities get easily impaired under severe stress and anxiety. A final tip is to play brain games and solve brain teasers and puzzles. Reading a lot of books opens the mind to ideas and possibilities. Our Rishis and Kings nurtured Paatashaalas where special Veda training such as Ghanam recitation were taught for memory improvement. Indians were once so learned, they neither required democracy nor corrupt politicians to regulate their daily lives. Training the brain is as important as training any other muscle in the body. As the witty saying goes, a well trained mind can very well mind a train. Below is a brain teaser for some extra fun (click image for website):

From the Chennai desk of Reiki Master, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Homeopath and Naturopath Dr. (Mrs.) Vasantha Krishnaswamy, ND (Dr. Vasantha Krishnaswamy, Shiromani Awardee is a renowned alternative medicine specialist with expertise in over 20 different therapies, is one of the 500 IBAM world-wide practitioners and is the guiding light of Indian Holistic Health Association, Chennai, India):

All hypnosis is actually self hypnosis – Anonymous
Man is made by his beliefs, as he believes so he is – Srimad Bhagavad Gita

Hypnosis simply put is, “out of our map of the world into someone else’s map of the world”, so that we perceive things from their perspective to ours. The law of healing states that every living thing, from the tiniest plant to the grossest animal, repairs, replenishes, renews and heals its structures, or tends towards healing, even where death is inevitable.

Very few people get to do in life what they really love – something they are really good at. The greatest thing you could ever do is to show another human being how to use his/her power and energy to live the fullest life possible, to achieve their highest potential and to teach another to improve. By using the power of one’s mind, one can make fortunes, achieve excellence, overcome psychological and physical problems and disabilities, get rid of addictions and undesirable habits, and create the life they have always dreamed of. To put it simply, the benefits of hypnotherapy are about a wholesome effect on the mind, body and spirit.

The term Hypnosis which originates from the Greek word Hypnos is the personification of sleep (roman equivalent being Somnus). It actually means a state that resembles sleep, but is induced by a person whose suggestions are readily accepted by a conscious subject, that actively chooses based on morals and ethics. Hypnosis is neither stage hypnosis nor mind control mechanism. Hypnotherapy, on the other hand, means healing through hypnosis. It makes a person wholesome and sound, freeing them from bad habits and behavior. Because hypnotherapy accesses the subconscious mind to effect a permanent change, it can bring about remarkable changes in a short time as a single session, that traditional psychotherapy takes years to do. Thus, hypnotherapy is a miraculous cure for many ailments.

Clinical Hypnotherapy, Guided Imagery and Subjective Communication are various tools and techniques from the same swiss army knife of Hypnotic healing. Clinical Hypnotherapy is guided relaxation, intense concentration and focused attention to achieve a heightened state of awareness that is sometimes called a trance. Guided imagery is based on the concept that your body and mind are connected. Using all of your senses, your body seems to respond as though what you are imagining is real. For example, let us assume a client has psoriasis problem. The hypnotherapist then creates an imagery to heal the problem and asks the client to imagine a big lake full of ice water where an immersion devoid of clothes takes place. The client is then guided to get out of the lake slowly. As the client comes out, he/she is surprised to see being clad in golden clothing all over a smooth body and healed from psoriasis completely.  This exercise demonstrates how your body can respond to what you are imagining. Subjective Communication is nothing but hypno-meditation to influence the subconscious mind to infuse the targeted change.

As John Wesley stated, “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.”

Click the photo below for an article on Dr. Vasantha Krishnaswamy in the Indian Express newspaper: