Our next term of Radical Wellness starts this Sunday. In wake of the current global pandemic, we have chose the theme for this term to be

“Rebalancing your Immune System with Yoga and Meditation”

Inflammation is the basis of all disease!

While inflammation is protective in the short term, if it is allowed to continue unabated, it starts to have many detrimental effects on the body.

This program is for you if you:

• Have chronic medical conditions like Diabetes, Fatty Liver, High Blood Pressure, weight problems or inflammation and wish to gain better control of your health.
• Have ongoing gut issues like IBS, Reflux (Heartburn) or a weak metabolism.
• Feel mostly weak and tired and are keen to boost your vitality and energy levels.
• Are a busy professional and are keen to ​​boost productivity​ and efficiency​ by improving your ​focus​ and ​gain clarity​​ about your purpose.

Yoga

As many longtime yogis can attest, asana practice provides a gentle, natural means of supporting the immune system on a day-to-day basis—, no matter how hectic your schedule might be. Yoga helps lower stress hormones that compromise the immune system, while also conditioning the lungs and respiratory tract, stimulating the lymphatic system to oust toxins from the body, and bringing oxygenated blood to the various organs to ensure their optimal function.

New research published in the ​Journal of Behavioral Medicine ​suggests that yoga can be a helpful way to boost your immune system and decrease inflammation in the body.

Psychological ​stress​ can impact many systems in the body, including weakening the immune system and increasing chronic inflammation. Inflammation is a natural part of the immune response and in the short term can be helpful to heal wounds, injuries, and infections, but chronic inflammation can do more harm than good. Researchers found an overall pattern that yoga reduces pro-inflammatory markers, with the strongest evidence for the reduction of a cytokine called IL-1beta.

References
Falkenberg RI, Eising C, & Peters ML. (2018) Yoga and immune system functioning: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. J Behav Med. 2018 Feb 10. doi: 10.1007/s10865-018-9914-y.

Meditation

Mindfulness is an intrinsic and modifiable capacity of the human mind. As a state and process of consciousness, it is most commonly defined as “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment”.

Meditation is a tool that allows us to develop this present moment awareness, thereby calming down the anxiety that comes by trying to control the future and the guilt that brews when we dwell on the past. This is what help calm down the stress response and it’s “wear and tear” on the immune system.

Several ​studies​ h​ave highlighted the benefits of meditation on the immune system including ​Increased B Cell Antibody Production (Humoral Immunity) and T Cell Protection. In one ​Study​ done on individuals who had active HIV infection, a period of just 30minutes of mindful meditation daily led to a ​higher count of CD-4 cells, a cell that manages the communication of the immune system by sending signals to other cells telling them to attack infections.

Of course, meditation won’t cure disease on its own, and the best strategy for beating illnesses like COVID-19 is to prevent getting it in the first place by practicing isolation, social distancing, and rigorous handwashing. But if you do become sick with coronavirus or the flu, meditation can greatly strengthen your immune system’s response.

Dr Arun Dhir
Surgeon, Health & Wellness Advocate.
Author of “Happy Gut, Healthy Weight” and “Create a New You Health Journal“

He is an engaging speaker and has spoken on many public forums. Dr Arun runs his own You Tube channel, where he shares insights in the area of mind-body and gut connection and how this translates into our health and wellbeing.

Disclaimer​: Radical wellness program focuses on recalibrating and balancing the inner environment. Some clients may need to continue to take help of prescription medications for extended periods of time, depending on the severity of their medical condition. Our intention is to integrate the Radical Wellness program with any ongoing medical treatment that our patrons may require, under the supervision of their medical practitioners. The program is an integrative approach rather than an exclusive approach, that is based on safe, professional and an evidence based approach to health and wellness. We urge our patrons to exercise caution and not suspend, discontinue or alter any medical treatment without the recommendation of their medical practitioners. Dr Arun Dhir, his associates, team members and partners will not be liable for any harm, injury or loss arising out of this.