When you look behind the curtains….
Our generation has always been facing this age old dilemma.
We are taught to devour knowledge, appreciate reason and worship science. We are encouraged to follow the path to higher understanding from the beginning and till end of time (literally). To not to leave one stone unturned.
At the same time, we are asked to leave all our important life decisions to the planets above, find another way when a cat is running around in search of food and above all, all we have to do to get a child is to come around a tree for two months and tie a cradle to its branches. (Of course, the other thing too ;p)
Both schools of thought do not believe in each other. Parallel lines that never intersect. But what if I told you that they were one and the same — One viewed from ignorance and other from reason, and that there actually is a scientific base for seemingly blind beliefs?
Feast and fast
A moment on the lips, forever on the hips!! –Amy green
Junky protein clearance. Cells that cause aging effect destroyed. (Body and beauty fat obliterated!). Stimulation of growth hormones. Bonus points for improving your chances against the worst form of mutation: Cancer. Seemingly impossible tasks achieved through one simple process. Seems too good to be true? Read on.
Autophagy: auto (self), phagin (to eat)- to eat oneself.
Yoshinori Onsumi won the Nobel prize in physiology or medicine for researching the methods of autophagy. The process of destruction is as important as the process of creation. Nutrient deprivation tricks your body into thinking that it is under siege. Glucagon level increases. Body’s old broken down cell machinery is destroyed continuously and is converted into useful energy. A small amount of food is sufficient to stop the chain reaction. Since the extra cells are destroyed the chances of getting affected by cancer decreases.
Fasting, which had always been a part of our culture is the greatest stimulant for autophagy. We just never bothered to look behind the curtains.
Turns out, all you had to do to stay reasonably healthy is to NOT eat!
Three rounds a day, and a child is on the way!
Some people around the peepal tree hoping for some new people.
Infertility is not a body condition but a matter of pride. Most common cause of infertility is due to inflammation of genetilia. Ozone therapy is one of the means to an end. It stimulates the production of immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM) in the blood and facilitates the easy passage of sperm through the fallopian tubes. And guess which tree produces the maximum amount of ozone?
The peepal trees’ air excreta strengthens the uterus. It is also one among the very few trees that produces oxygen all through the day (24*7) by a process called Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM). That is the origin of the myth/science. Married women are asked to go around the tree early in the morning for 2 months to increase their chances of bearing a child. It also comes with a disclaimer.
“Arasanai nambhi purushanai vidathey”
a proverb which roughly translates to
“Don’t leave the whole job to the peepal tree…you need your husband too”.
A valuable advice indeed!
Fault in our Mars
When a couple gets married, opposing Rhesus(Rh) factors in blood type could cause adverse effects during pregnancy. The husband and the wife is Rh+ve and Rh-ve respectively, there are high chances that the baby is Rh+ve. During the delivery, the blood of the mother and the baby intermingle, Rh-ve recognises Rh+ve blood cells as foreign and begin generating anti bodies to destroy them. This effect is even more drastic during the second pregnancy, as the antibodies are generated when the baby is in the womb, since the mother is already “Rh sensitised”. The baby could have jaundice or other blood related problems at birth.
Our ancestors (so did Professor Trelawney ;) ) identified that certain positions of Mars (symbolic representation of blood) represents the presence of Rh-ve blood type. And that, if two Rh-ves’ marry, there are no complications during the pregnancy. Thus the myth/science came into existence. It was given a name too — Chevvai Dhosam @ Mangal Dosha.
Why so serious, Rh-ves? Now let’s put a smile on that face. Don’t worry about your limited options. Modern science has reinstated the free reign. All the cures and preventive measures that are needed has been discovered. Once again, all is fair in love and war. The world order has been restored.
We have just scratched the surface. Only some of the mysteries have been unveiled. But one thing is for sure. There is no denying the fact that our ancestors were astronomers, philosophers and scientists as much as we are, maybe even more so.
Petyr Baelish was right after all.
But one big mystery is yet to be solved. How did time turn scientific theories of our ancestors into myths that are laughed at? At what point did our ancestors decide that it was best to pass on ignorance than knowledge? Its funny when you consider the fact that, somehow, Kamasutra managed to survive the rampage of time and the Vedas didn’t. We definitely seem to have our priorities right!
Are we moving forward with science or are we just retracing the history?
Only time will tell.
- An article by Anurika Umasudan
