Oil Bath - A Prophylaxis of a Healthy Living

Everybody, either children or working persons or even elders run daily from sunrise to sunset and sleep a bit with the mind set of next day's run. To run even faster, people change their way of living and lead a sedentary lifestyle. In turn, Disease catch up their lives and start running behind medications earlier than before.

On daily routine life, if our people able to follow few practices, we can able to prevent diseases. One such practices are taking Oil bath at your home, which is prophylaxis against diseases.

Taking an oil bath helps you to lead a healthy life for longer and gives many health benefits, says the Siddha system of medicine. It is also recommended in Ayurveda.

Benefits of oil bath:

1. Strengthens five motor organs of our body.
2. Protects body against illness.
3. Promotes hair growth
4. Improves voice tone and skin tone of our body.
5. Relieves headache.
6. Regulates hormones.
7. Improves vision.
8. Improves blood circulation and body immunity.
9. Rejuvenates body by regulating temperature and detoxification.
10. Improves sleep and reduce Stress

Oil bath - procedure:

On applying oil on your body, first instill three drops of oil in each ear, two drops in each nostril, one drop on both the eyes and apply all over your body from head to toe with a little massage. Make sure you don't produce heat while rubbing.

Leave for ten to twenty minutes and take a lukewarm water bath.

Importance of instilling oil in ears, nostrils, and eyes:

• Oil on both the eyes - relieves ear disorders.
• Oil in both the ears - relieves cephalic (head) related ailments.
• Oil massage on foot - relieves eye diseases.
• Oil massage on head - relieves all ailments of the body.

Time for taking oil bath:

Morning oil bath i.e., within three hours from sunrise is ideal for taking oil bath.

Variation of days for genders:

Weekly twice oil bath is recommended. Women are advised to take on Tuesday and Friday whereas Wednesday and Saturday for men.

Oil to be used:

• Sesame Oil (cold pressed gingelly oil) is highly beneficial.
• Cows ghee (suitable for all age groups)
• Certain medicated oils are recommended.

Dos and Donts on the day of the oil bath:

• Use only lukewarm water for bathing.
• Strictly avoid sleeping during day time on the day of the oil bath.
• Avoid Non vegetarian foods, eat easily digestible foods.
• Avoid sun exposure.
• Avoid sexual practice.

Caution:

Dont take oil bath on rainy seasons which further lowers body temperature.

Those who are affected by any Kabha diseases or chronic illness, please consult your siddha physician before taking an oil bath. Yet, taking oil bath using Certain medicated oils or Thailams helps you to relieve from particular diseases.

After oil bath, one will feel tired and sleepy because of healthy corrections made in our unhealthy body. But strictly avoid sleeping on the day of the oil bath. From the next day, the body will be refreshed.

Doing yoga, meditation and other health practices will be fruitful if oil bath is regularized.

Conclusion:

Some will think, can we able to do oil bath before running for office? before we stuck in traffic? But, In this highly busy world, we spend lots of money and lots of time in various unhealthy issues. If we can do that, even knowing about its health hazards, cant we do oil bath?

We can regularize oil bath in our routine life if we care for ourselves and can enjoy its health benefits.

One of the beautiful creations in the world is human. Beautiful soul in the world is you. So, think about it and take very good care of your body by doing simple things before you run for your life because a healthy body can run faster in a race!

-Dr.Shanthini Rajasekar, siddha physician