Damaged Kidney repair through Yoga

Asha’ Story

by

Kamini Bobde

Asha and her family from Chennai, who are my distant relatives,  approached me Aug 2014 for resolving failing kidney problem.

It was painful to see young, pretty Asha, barely past her twenties, with a two year old daughter, worried and concerned for herself, her girl and her family.

The doctors in the USA, where Asha is settled, had told her that her right kidney was affected by Iga Nephropathy, a disease  of the kidney which happens when an anti-body, immunoglobulin, lodges itself in the kidney and affects the kidney's ability to process waste, water and electrolytes. It sometimes peaks under certain circumstances, like pregnancy. 
This is what happened to Asha. She may have been having kidney problem since long, but it was realised when it peaked post-pregnancy.

She said the doctors in US had said there is very little chance of cure, warned her of steady deterioration of her kidney, with management of the problem with medicines being the only option.

She talked about her medical condition even as her daughter pranced around us, and with wistful eyes asked if Yoga could help. She said she had headaches everyday, low energy , frequent passing of blood in her urine and traces of protean in her urine tests.

 I had no prior experience of administering Yoga for a kidney damage but decided to give it a shot.

For 5 days, we did two sessions everyday, morning and evening. I gave her a package of asanas, pranayama and something from Prana Vidya for focusing pranic energy to her damaged kidney.

It is to Asha’s credit that she followed the regime for the full five months that she was in India.

Just before she left for the USA, she did her check up. Her pre-and-post Yoga medical reports are reproduced below.  

A significant positive development was no traces of protein was found in her urine test.  The passing of blood in her urine almost stopped. These were clear indications that her kidney was getting better. Simultaneously, her symptomatic problems like headaches, low energy levels also showed marked improvement.

When I last spoke to her a week back, she said she was doing her yoga as and when she found time and since she was feeling good she had not gone for any check up since her return to the USA.

Pre-Yoga Tests (6 pages): Tests done on 7/9/2013 at Somerville, New Jersey, USA.

Post Yoga Tests: (Chennai reports)

PID NO: 33029558

Age:30.00 Years Sex:FEMALE

30/10/2014 04:18 PM

Reference:Dr.VIJAYA KUMAR

CCollected On:

HAEMATOLOGY: Test Description

Erythrocytes:

R B C Count (WB/Automated Counter) Haemoglobin (WB/Automated Counter) Hematocrit (WB/Automated Counter) MCV (WB/Automated Counter)

MCH (WB/Automated Counter) MCHC (WB/Automated Counter) RDW (WB/Automated Counter)

Leucocytes :

Total WBC Count (WB/Automated Counter) Polymorphs (WB/Automated Counter) Lymphocytes (WB/Automated Counter) Eosinophils (WB/Automated Counter) Monocytes (WB/Automated Counter) Basophils (WB/Automated Counter)

* Differential count is based on 10000 cells

P la tel ets:

Platelet count (WB/Automated Counter) Mean Platelet Volume (WB/Automated)

Observed value

4.76 14.1 41.7 88 29.5 33.7 14.2

10,800 56 30 4

9 1

317 8.50

Registered On:

Reported On:

Biological Reference Interval

3.8 - 4.8 mill/cmm. 12-15gm% 36-46% 83-101fl 27-32pg

31.5 - 34.5 % 11.6 - 14.0 %

4000 - 10000/cmm 40-80% 20-40% 1-6%

2-10% 0-2%

150 - 410 thou/cmm 6 - 11cum

Tests done on Automated Five Part cell counter. All abnormal results are reviewed and confirmed microscopically

3-11-4 ARIHANT MAJESTIC TOWERS

1435004 17

KO YE MBEDU

30/10/2014 06:53 AM

Tel No: 9841619357

30/10/2014 06:53 AM

PID NO: 33029558

Age:30.00 Years Sex:FEMALE

30/10/2014 04:18 PM

Reference:Dr.VIJAYA KUMAR

RRegistered On:

Reported On:

Peripheral Smear Study (Microscopic) :

RRBCs :

Parasites :

WBCs :

Immature cells :

Platelets :

.

Normocytic and normochromic in appearance.

No malarial parasites or haemoparasites are seen.

Increased in number with normal distribution.

No immature cells or atypical cells are seen.

Adequate in number with normal morphological appearance.

Tel No: 9841619357

30/10/2014 06:53 AM

PID NO: 33029558

Age:30.00 Years Sex:FEMALE

30/10/2014 04:18 PM

Reference:Dr.VIJAYA KUMAR

TTest Description

Immuno Assay : Free T3 (Serum/CMIA) Free T4 (Serum/CMIA) T S H (Serum/CMIA)

Biochemist ry

HbA1c (WB/Ion-Exchange HPLC)

Estimated Average Glucose (Calculation)

Observed value

4.50 1.24 4.43

5.0

97

Registered On:

Reported On:

Biological Reference Interval

1.71 - 3.70 pg/ml 0.89 - 1.76 ng/dl 0.35 - 5.50 μIU/ml

4 - 6 % Non-Diabetic 6 - 7 % Excellent control 7 - 8 % fair to good control 8 - 10 % Unsatisfactory control Above 10 % poor control

mg/dl

8.5 - 10.1 mg/dl

Desirable : < 200 mg/dl Borderline High : 200 - 239 mg/dl High : > 240 mg/dl

Normal : < 150 mg/dl Border line : 150 - 199 mg/dl High : 200 - 499 mg/dl Very high : > 500 mg/dl

False high or low HbA1c values can be due to presence of Hemoglobin variants.

CCalcium (Serum/Arsenazo III)

Lipids

Total Cholesterol (Serum/CHOD-PAP)

Triglycerides (Serum/Enzymatic/GPO)

9.6

260

95

Collected On:

Values may vary due to intake of alcohol, diet which is high in carbohydrates, red meat,dairy products, exercise and medications such as Diuretics,steroids etc. Elevation to be considered only if repeated values are high.

Tel No: 9841619357

30/10/2014 06:53 AM

PID NO: 33029558

Age:30.00 Years Sex:FEMALE

30/10/2014 04:18 PM

Reference:Dr.VIJAYA KUMAR

CCollected On:

Test Description Lipids : HDL Cholesterol-Direct (Serum/Enzymatic)

LDL Cholesterol-Direct (Serum/Enzymatic)

VLDL Cholesterol (serum/Calculation) CHOL/HDL RATIO (Serum/Calculation)

URINE

Colour Protein (Protein Error Principle)

Observed value 61

171

19 4.3

PALE YELLOW ABSENT

End of Report

Page 4 of 4

Registered On:

Reported On:

Biological Reference Interval

Low HDL : < 40 mg/dl High HDL : => 60 mg/dl, Optimal condition

Normal : < 130 mg/dl Optimal for people at risk : < 100 mg/dl Borderline High : 130 - 159 mg/dl High : 160 - 189 mg/dl Very High : => 190 mg/dl

< 30 mg/dl

Normal Low risk Average risk Moderate risk : 7.1 - 11.0 High risk             : > 11

Straw, Pale to Dark yellow Absent <= 10mg/dl

Cancer & Yoga: My experience

An amazing experience of remission through Yoga
by
Kamini Bobde

Ram when he came to do Yoga

My brother Ram, had suffered cancer of the Lymph node in 2003. He had gone through chemotherapy but side the effects kept bothering him years after the cancer treatment.

Two major fall out of the chemo treatment were fall in the blood platelet count and diabetes. Because of this he had low energy levels, frequent headaches and loss of body mass.

Ram knew I was having good results with yoga with my students for a whole range of health issues. He called up and said he was keen to try Yoga to correct the imbalances in his body. We decided to give it a shot.

He flew down to Bombay from Chennai sometime in last week of Aug 2013. For a week we did morning & evening sessions. Ram along with my two other brothers, Thyagarajan & Lakshman, has been national level Badminton champion. So Ram caught on well the important parameters to keep in mind while doing Yoga and how the practice of Yoga was distinct from other fitness oriented exercises.

I visited Chennai twice more that year to check on his progress and fine tune his practice.

Here is feedback from Ram on the changes he experienced and reproduced below are also the changes that were recorded in his medical check-up before and after the Yoga practice.

First signs of improvement manifested in higher energy levels and no recurring headaches. The most heartening change was weight gain and muscle build up in the body. When he started the practice his weight fluctuated between 67 &  68 kg. In about a months time, he weight was 71kgs. Since then he has not looked back. Now, his energy levels are so high that it is a kind of a joke in the family.

Ram's victory over  cancer is also his general jovial and positive dispensation in life. Thus even when he took up Yoga, he took it up with confidence and a positive attitude.

This is what Ram has to say about his experience and below are 6 set of medical reports before and after Yoga from April 2013 to Dec. 2014.

"As one can see from medical reports below that in Jan 8, 2014, my platelet came down to 2900 low and 2600 and 3100 etc. At this point of time I started feeling very low and used to get head aches in the morning. I used to feel tired and sleepy the whole day.

The symptoms were similar to that of chemotherapy. I did realise that I was sort of sinking. 

At this juncture I had to do something drastic to bring my count to normal so as to live as a healthy person.This is when I thought of learning yoga from my sister.

I have not looked back since then. When the count was low my weight used to fluctuate between 67 kg to 68kg.

But after yoga it bounced back to 70 kg and above. Max being 71 kg.

Apart from these changes the major and fantastic change was in my physical parameters.   All the muscles in the arms and legs came back.

When the count was low, I was still playing Shuttle badminton but could not hit the shuttle from my lobby to the opponent's lobby. But now after the count has come to normal and muscles build-up, I am able to hit the shuttle very well. Badminton has always been my barometer to gaze my strength and physical condition.

Other unique advantages I observe after yoga is :

1.     my lungs are extremely clear.

2.     my digestion has improved tremendously.

3.     generally eating out in hotels used to give me stomach upsets, but no longer.

4.     At present my platelets are still below normal, but not very low, I continue doing yoga, giving positive messages and auto-suggestion to my mind and body to bring the platelets to normal.

5.This challenge we will face together has a guru and disciple"

The Medical reports from April 2013 to Dec. 2014.

 

yogabhakti: What is Yoga?

yogabhakti: What is Yoga?: A short concept note for the uninitiated by Kamini Bobde   Yoga is an ancient wisdom which has come to us from the God’s themselv...

What is Yoga?

A short concept note for the uninitiated
by
Kamini Bobde

 Yoga is an ancient wisdom which has come to us from the God’s themselves as a knowledge given by Lord Shiva in answer to Parvati’s question on how to find liberation from the cycle of birth & death.  It has a whole history and heritage of Rishis, sages, sadhus and Sants who over the ages have preserved & contributed to this ancient experience-based knowledge right up to Patanjali and more recently Swami Satyananda Saraswati who has given to the world Yoga Nidra and Shankprakshalan.

Yoga, as any practitioner will experience, works on multi-dimensional levels of  your body. It is not something that will only tone up your muscles while  neglecting the other life sustaining organs like heart, brain etc. It works not only on the physical aspect but also on your mental, emotional and finally- spiritual state.

A person may be suffering from High BP may be short tempered and thus affecting his family life. As a Yoga Teacher you will be able to help him in not only managing his BP problem but without any re-course to psycho-analysis or any mental, intellectual sparring, help him alter his temperament through Yoga.

Yoga we can say works on the gross, subtle & causal. At the gross level it works on the heart, the digestive system, the endocrinal system, the hormonal glands as also the central nervous system. At the subtle level it works on the energy centres, the neural pathways, the vital life force, called prana. At the causal level it helps break free of ego, conflict, and the prison of one’s own limitations.

The corner-stone of Yoga is awareness. If you practice Yoga and do not emphasize on awareness then you are merely doing physical exercise not asanas, pranayama or Yoga. Yoga is not an ego-boosting indulgence of doing difficult postures to win the admiration and exclamations of the uninitiated. If you are looking to Yoga to contort your body in awe-inspiring poses, then you might as well go and join a circus and become a rubber doll.

 Normally, the body uses you. The sense organs lead you to over-eating, comforts, indulgences. The body uses you and the senses lead the mind. In Yoga, you use the body and the mind leads the senses. The idea is to free yourself of the body so as to experience beyond that which is known only through the senses. So, don’t get stuck with the pride of doing difficult asanas. The asanas are only to relieve you of your bodily discomforts, maladies, illnesses, etc so that you may be able to finally sit for hours in meditation to reach the ultimate goal of Yoga….your union with the Supreme.

Raja Yoga, also called the Royal Path of yoga, is ideally suited for people living, working, within the confines of the world. You need not give up anything or retire to the mountains to follow the path of Raja Yoga.

A daily therapeutic practice of Yoga involves limbering up asanas to begin with, then stretching, bending the spine laterally, forward, backward, twisting. This is to strengthen the spine and also clean up the central nervous system. Then there are other asanas which tone up the hormonal system, the endocrinal system, the digestive system.

Asanas, thus work on a multi-dimensional level on the body and get it into a good state, removing all blockages, maladies so that prana, the subtle life force can freely move in the whole body. Prana, is distinct from your breath. ( See Pranam to Prana... in this blog for more on Prana.) 

This is then followed up with pranayama which works on the subtle systems, like neural pathways & psychic centres of the body.

As one perfects the asanas, pranayama, you then introduce, subtler practices of Dharana ( Concentration) and Dhyana ( Meditation). This finally leading to Samadhi.

This is the progression in which Yoga works on you. 

Yoga is union. Further, it is Viyoga, that is separation. It is separation of energy from matter for the ultimate union of the self with the Supreme.

Hari Om!!