Common winter health problems in India include cold and cough, flu, joint pain, dry skin, psoriasis, dry eczema etc.
Ayurveda says that winter imbalances the vata and kapha doshas. We must have strong immunity and balanced doshas and need to keep warm to avoid seasonal illnesses.
Here are some easy tips according to Ayurveda that you can follow:
- Replace normal drinking water with warm water throughout the day to enhance digestion and back up your immunity from seasonal diseases.
- Ayurveda says that in winter your diet must include ghee, warm soups and seasonal fruits like amla and pomegranate.
- Include food like dairy products, jaggery and mishri to pacify the dominant vata dosha.
- Keep track of your meals, avoid skipping meals and have a sufficient amount of food.
- Use spices like dry ginger powder along with honey. This will help keep your body warm and keep vata-kapha doshas in balance.
- It is advisable to apply warm sesame oil to the whole body and for the scalp.
- Massage your body with a paste made from triphala powder, chandan and sesame oil. It helps with exfoliation and maintains the skin oil balance as well, helping to keep the body warm and reducing skin dryness.
- Wear cozy winter clothes, especially on your chest, head and feet. A dry sauna can be used to keep the body warm and strong during the winter.
- Sunbathe daily in the morning for natural warmth and vitamin D.
- Do light exercises like walking and yoga like surya namaskar (sun salutation) for warmth and energy.
The dry winter and mist-covered season or foggy season are two types of winters and are very similar in nature with very few but important differences. All the above tips are almost similar and must be followed in both dry and foggy winters with a few considerations in mind, like using a warm diet and lifestyle more in foggy winters and avoiding excess warmth in dry winters or including oil or fat in dry winters to keep your immunity at optimum and keeping vata and kapha doshas in balance. This will keep you healthy and away from seasonal diseases during winters.
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