I lived with multiple undiagnosed physical and...

Mind-body connections refer to how our thoughts, feelings, beliefs and attitudes can positively or negatively affect our body functions. Each thought can set off a cascade of cellular reactions within our nervous system that influence the molecular pathways in our body. Scientific research can now prove that mind-body interventions can also be used to help augment conventional medical therapies.  The neuroscience of wellness and the undeniable connections between the mind and body have long been neglected in modern medicine. Below is a representation of how I would look at wellness .

If you are a woman you will learn one thing that you are supposed to be desirable. It is a strange concept to grow up with. Before young girls are taught about health, they are taught to be pretty. It begins at birth, consciously or sub-consciously. It happens as if it is meant to be. The color of the skin is seen and approved. As if it is a measure to greatness. The “Gori ladki,” is a treasure. The “Kaali ladki” might be a burden to her parents as her skin is not desirable. It is a lie that we love black. We detest it. Little girls are not taught about healthy skin. They are asked to scrub their skins with “Besan,” it makes the skin fairer. Mothers are supposed to be apologetic about their daughter’s skin. They often dismiss the dark skin as “She plays in the Sun.” So, the Sun God has taken the blame for years. I went to meet someone for lunch the other day. She asked me, “Are you tanned?” I said, “No, this is my natural color.” She used her fairness app, while she clicked a few selfies. This is the level of confidence that young girls in this country begin their journey to womanhood. We are supposed to be desirable. It begins with our skin.

If you are like 86% of the American workforce, you have a sedentary desk job that involves you sitting for a several hours a day. Add your long commute, bad eating habits and stressful all-nighters to the mix, and you could be an easy target for chronic diseases. There are three millennia of evidence from Ancient India and the Western civilizations that highlight the detrimental effects of physical inactivity.  The Ayurvedic texts written by Susruta from 600 BC state that inactivity can lead to accumulation of bad energy in the body that can result in diseases. A quote from Hippocrates rings true - “If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health”.  Bringing together the wealth of knowledge from the past with scientific knowledge of the present can help us make informed decisions about our health.