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My Story of Transformation
Syed Abbas – In 2003, I started to lose strength in my muscles. It took doctors 18 months to diagnose me with an autoimmune muscle wasting disease called LGMD (Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy). I was told it was a progressive disease with no way to stop the degeneration. I became weaker as my muscles continued to slowly break down. Mentally, too, I was in a bad state. I was unable to play with my kids, my family life was severally effected. I became scared of any sort of movement as I invariably fell flat while walking or even standing. I was prescribed several medications for anxiety, depression, chronic constipation, skin disorders and chronic pain. Many a times, I would just lock myself in the bathroom and cry for hours in helplessness.
My depression and disillusionment worsened over time. I started getting excruciatingly painful bouts of hip-bursitis and had to routinely opt for the steroid based injections. Eventually, they too stopped working. Needless to say, I completely lost all hope of living a normal life.
Then a very dear friend of mine recommended that I try learning a breathing technique called 'Sudarshan Kriya'. What followed was surreal but true. After practicing the Sudarshan Kriya breathing technique for about 40 days, my years of stress, anxiety and depression simply went away. The rhythmic breathing gave me immense amount of energy. The best part, I no longer needed anxiety and depression pills and my dependency on stimulants such as coffee simply vanished.
I began to think more clearly. and took the bold step of taking charge of my own health by enrolling for a year-long holistic nutrition program. Based on what I learned, I adopted a Whole Foods Plant Based diet, and underwent lots of cleansing through juicing and smoothies among other things. Very soon, I saw my pains and aches begin to disappear, my balance improved, and frequency of falling down become less and less. Within a year, I stopped taking all medications. It has been six years now that I have been medication free! My condition has improved significantly and even though I still have LGMD, I consider myself the luckiest person on the planet. I am able to walk and do many of the daily chores that I once thought were impossible. I can even play with my son! In the last four years, I have completed three 5K walks as a proof that true health lies in adopting a holistic lifestyle. This has allowed me to find a deeper meaning to life.
Now, my passion is to help others maintain, improve and restore their health. As a health coach, I encourage people to make the necessary changes to their and their loved one's diet and lifestyle before they are diagnosed with some form of sickness. It is much easier to prevent an illness than to recover from one.
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Creamy Pumpkin Soup
Nature gives different fruits and vegetables every season and that is for a reason. So with winter on, treat yourself to all of nature's fibrous goodies that she shares with us.
With a chill in the air, warm yourself with this comforting creamy pumpkin soup.
Ingredients:
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250 gm red pumpkin, with skin (keep seeds for garnish)
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1 large onion, thinly sliced
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Salt to taste
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1 1/2 cups medium thick coconut milk
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Black pepper to taste
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Water
Method:
Chop the red pumpkin into large chunks. DO NOT PEEL the pumpkin. Thinly slice the onion. Sauté the onions with a pinch of salt in a wok. Add the red pumpkin chunks. Add just a little water for the vegetables to cook without browning. Cover and leave to cook until the onions and pumpkin are soft. You can add lemon grass or kaffir lime leaves at this point if required. Blend the vegetable mixture into a smooth paste, retaining the water released from the cooking, if any. DO NOT STRAIN. Pour the blended mixture back into cooking vessel to heat.
Just before serving, remove the soup from the heat and add the coconut milk. Do not allow the soup to boil once you have added the coconut milk. Pour as much milk as required, depending on the desired creaminess and thickness of the soup. Add crushed black pepper.
Garnish with parsley or roasted pumpkin seeds. Marinate the pumpkin seeds in lime juice and salt, and then bake in the oven until seeds are crisp and toasted. Sprinkle as garnish to the soup.
This creamy soup is delicious served either hot or at room temperature. Can also be served chilled.
Serves 3-4
Pause to Ponder
FACEBOOK SUPPORT GROUP
If you love Facebook, then join us to be supported on your plant based journey. Since 1 January, 2016, we have been offering three possibilities
1. SHARAN India This is SHARAN's main Facebook page which you can like and follow for getting useful daily updates and news from the plant based health world. You will also get news about the latest SHARAN events, see testimonials, and more.
2. SHARAN's Vegan Support Group This is an open support group to know more about vegan/plant-based lifestyle. Here you can ask questions and share inspiring stories, tips, recipes, etc.
3. SHARAN's Plant Powered Health This is the new group only for the past attendees of SHARAN's events: seminars, cooking classes, retreats or longer programs.
All our doctors and presenters will be here to answer your questions and give you tips. If you have attended our events join this group to be a part of our family.
Please like the main SHARAN page and join the group(s) applicable to you.
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Decoding our Bodies
Each of us can become our own best doctors. Our body constantly guides us through our instincts. We just need to tune in and listen.
Here are a few learnings from Dr Nandita gained from her experience as a patient and as a doctor.
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1. The body is always working to heal
Sometimes it's not easy. But we have to trust in the healing power and work at the level of the cause. There is always a reason for disease and we must identify it and actively remove it in order to heal. This could be wrong nutrition, psychological reasons, or even physical reasons such as lack of sleep or lack of exercise.
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2. Symptoms are just messages from the body
We can understand our body’s progress by listening to the symptoms. As we improve, the symptoms reduce. We should not be in a hurry to remove the symptoms, but rather appreciate them as guides of our progress.
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3. Medicines only remove symptoms
Medicines only remove symptoms, and therefore medicines can never cure. Only the body can heal. This does not mean that medicines are never required, they can be helpful, but they usually have their own side effects too. Therefore our goal should always be to reduce medicines or avoid them.
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4. Nutrients are spare parts for healing
What you put in is what you get out. Always put the highest quality nutrients in your body to get the very best results.
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5. Your body will guide you
Your body will guide you on how to heal, but you have to listen and trust like an obedient servant. The body knows better how to heal you than any doctor. When the body tells us to rest, we must obey. When the body says, “Don't eat, I'm not hungry”, it's not wise to stuff something in.
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6. We have to eat and live the way Nature designed for us to eat and live
Today too many people are living contrary to nature. Sleeping late, eating unnatural foods, working long hours. Urban living can be hard on the body.
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7. Chemicals are toxic to health
Chemicals are a load on the liver, kidney and other parts of the body. The liver breaks down chemicals and poisons that enter our body and the kidney excretes them. It is always wise to minimise the chemical load. Today we unknowingly apply chemicals in the form of creams, perfumes, dyes etc, and we ingest chemicals in non organic and ready-made and processed foods. Medicines, too, are chemicals.
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8. The body can heal only one thing at a time
Healing requires time. The body has many different functions, and it cannot do too many at the same time. Healing can stop when we are too busy or stressed when the body is diverted and has to excrete medicines or chemicals. Whenever we are sick, the body automatically asks for rest. It rarely asks for food unless it needs nutrients to heal. It's not wise to divert the body towards digestion or any other work when it is trying to heal. We have to learn to eat only when hungry.
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9. Healing occurs best during rest
Healing occurs best during rest. Even if there is an injury, the body may ask for rest. It's always best to obey the body to get the quickest results. It’s never wise to take a tablet and keep going.
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10. Disease is a path to personal growth
If we follow the body's path to healing we will be forced to change our lifestyle, our way of looking at things. We will always be learning. Most people that have undergone a severe illness have learned a lot from their condition.
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11. You can’t solve a problem from the same level of thinking that it was created
Healing requires change. We need to be willing to make that change.
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