Awe, hope, joy, excitement, anticipation, resolve—I don’t have words to describe how I feel about Complete Wellbeing’s fifth birthday. Five years ago, Complete Wellbeing was born out of an intense desire to highlight the importance of the hidden inter-dependence of the various dimensions of an individual. It was an uphill task and, as expected, we met many a naysayer. So-called “experts” discouraged us in many ways—all attempting to convince us that such a magazine will never work.

Yet here we are, pleased to bring to you the 61st issue—with conviction greater than ever—that Complete Wellbeing is an idea whose time has come. Over the past five years we have perceived the success of the idea in numerous ways. We have been thrilled, time and again, by our readers’ articulation of their love and admiration. We have been flattered by the appearance of some clones in the market. [Didn’t someone say that imitation is the best form of flattery?] And we have smiled, whenever we have noticed how many people and companies now emphasise the need for going beyond the traditional understanding of mere “health”.

One thing we have never forgotten and never will: The support we received —and continue to receive—from our stakeholders. Readers, advertisers, institutional clients, suppliers, and printers—we express our heartfelt appreciation to you for believing in our cause.

To celebrate five years of spreading wellbeing, we have put together a unique, first-of-its-kind game-based cover story: 100 snakes and ladders of your life. We chose snakes and ladders as the theme for its universality. Also, it made for a wonderful way to remind you of which thoughts/actions of your life hurt you [snakes] and which serve you [ladders]. The scoring is for fun. But it’s also a great way to conduct a self-audit of your current wellbeing index. I invite you to play the full game—alone, or with a loved one—and write back to me about your experience.

As we step into our 6th year, we renew our commitment to bring you the very best wisdom for your complete wellbeing.

The post November 2011 issue – Snakes and Ladders of your life appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

But that’s not all, Munnar also has lots of other things to offer—the Neelakurunji flower [the flower that lights up its forests once in 12 years], the Nilgiri Tahr [a rare breed of mountain goat that is found only in Munnar] and the Anamudi [the highest peak in South India].

Munnar derives its name from the Tamil words munu [three] and aaru [river]. The town is situated at the confluence of Mudrapuzha, Nallathani and Kundala rivers. It is located near the Tamil Nadu border and is close to both Coimbatore and Kochi, making it a preferred weekend spot for those residing there. But its beauty lures people from far and beyond—it’s also a popular destination of foreign tourists coming to India. It used to be the favourite summer resort of the English, when the British ruled India. And why not? The town and its surroundings vary in height from 1700m – 2700m above sea level and offer stunning views of hills and valleys. It has a salubrious climate round the year, which makes it a pleasurable place to spend your vacation. Even in summer, the temperature varies from 8 degrees – 16 degrees Celsius.

In summer, the sudden showers turn its tea gardens into magical carpets and bestow an ethereal look to the landscape. No wonder many good resorts have cropped up in the area. A four or five night stay in these resorts can give you everything from recreational activities and tours to ayurvedic massages and treks—a total rejuvenation package. We booked ourselves into a resort near a tea garden. And as far as the eye could see, there was mist and miles of tea gardens. The main town is a little congested though.

So, if you want to live amidst nature, go a little farther to Chinnakanal. The pristine beauty of the hill station comes alive with mountains around and valleys below decorated with lakes and tea gardens. And it is in this place that most of the holiday homes, guest houses and hotels are set up.

There are lots of sights to see and explore in Munnar. Tours are arranged by the resorts. However, one can also hire a cab from outside. We hired one for four days and soaked in the scenes of Munnar at leisure. On the first day, we went around Munnar. We saw the Gap and Lockhart view points.

Here, you get tender coconuts, roasted corn, fresh carrots, cucumbers and hats. On the way, you can see the varied hues of green and grasslands. Streams flowing in between hill crevices greet you from time to time. During monsoon, they become full water falls, with frothy white water gushing down in force. Lakkom and Periyakanal are two falls worth visiting.

The Mattupetty Lake is a major crowd puller. Located 13km from Munnar, at a height of 1700m above sea level, it has a boating station where you can get pedal, motor or speed boats. As you cross the lake in a boat, you’ll pass thick eucalyptus plantations, pines and a variety of trees, cattle grazing on even land, the lush Shola forest and the dam. There are numerous lakeside shops that sell honey, home-made chocolates, shawls, caps and Kerala handicraft.

The Echo Point, a few kilometres from the dam, also offers panoramic views along with horse rides. The flower garden, on the way back, is a treasure house where you’ll find rare flowers like the Mother of Thousands along with common ones like the rose. Red, white, yellow and violet flowers in different sizes are displayed in hanging pots and steps, there is also a great variety of plants, ferns and cacti in every shade of green. It’s an eclectic mixture of beautiful creations of nature.

On the second day, we headed to the Eravikulam National Park, 15km from Munnar. High up on Rajamalai [King of hills], this national park, spread out on 97sq km, is home to the rare Nilgiri Tahr, a variety of butterflies, birds and trees. The car goes up to a certain point, after which you have to board a bus that takes you to the start of the National Park. From there, you hike your way up. It is a steep climb that took us the better part of an hour. But once we reached there [though panting], we were well rewarded with a close view of the Nilgiri Tahrs that roam around the forest freely unmindful of the curious onlookers.

Nilgiri Tahr is a mountain goat that resembles both a goat and a deer. As you climb up the forested hill, you will find Tahrs on stone cliffs walking or sitting perched behind a bush. Sometimes they come down and walk across the road searching for food. Herbivores, they feed on leaves and shrubs. Tourists get excited spotting these rare animals that are declared endangered and wait to focus their camera lenses on the Tahrs for the perfect picture.

As you trek the hill, you will also find wild shrubs, tall trees, the shoal grasslands and peaks that make the National Park an ideal place to explore and shoot pictures. After a hard trek and climb down, you can drop in at the restaurant for cool drinks and a hot cup of instant noodles. On your way back, the driver stops the bus to point at the Anamudi, the highest peak in Southern India.

A tea factory is usually the last stop on the day trip. The guide takes you around the factory after offering you a stimulating cup of CTC [curled, torn and crushed] tea. The tour begins with a visit to the storing area, where you get to see how the curling, tearing and crushing of tea leaves is done before drying and packing them. You can buy the tea you like at a discounted rate at the sales outlet attached to the factory. You will also be shown a short film on tea making process that usually sums up the tour.

For us, each day in Munnar sprung a fresh surprise. On the third day of our tour, we visited Kolukkumalai, the highest tea gardens and factory. Kolukkumalai is in Tamil Nadu, near the Kerala border. It is an hour’s drive through narrow tricky roads. The journey shakes you up, but the surrounding exotic scenery compensates for the rough uphill drive. Miles of tea gardens, semi-circular hills tapering down in steps with bordered roads and designer patches—as if an artist has created a masterpiece out of the nature around. And when you reach the top, you feel like you are in heaven—it’s a mesmerising sight to see the mist slowly enveloping the surrounding hills and homes. A visit to the oldest tea factory enlightens you on the natural method of cultivating tea.

We reserved the last day for the spice garden tour. This time, we travelled down instead of up, through cardamom orchards, eucalyptus groves and streams. We stopped to walk to the Anayirangal dam and view the beautiful lake from above. Unending tea gardens were around us this time too. One can never get tired of shooting pictures of the scenic gardens and the roads cutting through the estates. The hues and shapes of the tea gardens astound you with their variety.

Our driver stopped near a spice shop. From here, a guide gave us a tour of the five-acre spice garden. We walked through the cardamom orchards that occupied more than half of the sprawling spice garden. Our guide explained how long it took for them to ripen before they are plucked and dried. We passed by turmeric, ginger, coconut, black pepper, cloves, banyan, Neelakurunji, rudraksh, bamboo and many more trees and our guide once again explained the life and nature of the trees and their products. A few guests even climbed up a tree-top view point to get photographed. We left with a wonderful aroma of the spices in our minds. We also bought some spices from the shop before bidding goodbye to our guide.

Our trip had come to an end and it was time to leave. As we left the resort right after sunrise, the morning mists were still over the hills. The sun’s rays had covered the surroundings to provide a completely different picture. I captured a few in my camera. The curving roads through the tea gardens this time led us out

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How important is sleep? We spend a third of our lives sleeping. Yet, how many of us even think about the all-important link between sleep, health, and wellbeing? Till recently, we knew nothing about the eight hours we spend in “active” sleep each night — when our entire immune system is revitalised, hormones are balanced, brain patterns fluctuate, and our body is given the opportunity to repair and heal itself. Sleep disorders, according to experts, may be linked to everything from Chronic Fatigue Dysfunction Syndrome [CFIDS] – a debilitating illness where the individual feels “bone tired” – headaches, muscle and memory problems, and depression, to even early death.

In fact, if you sleep less than six hours a night, you have a 70 per cent chance of early mortality. What’s more, since the body is literally starved of oxygen, in certain sleep disorders — heart disease and asthma — we should evaluate them as part of routine medical treatment.

The good news is there has been exciting progress in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders. You no longer have to haul your overnight bag to a clinic where you lie down in a laboratory with wires and electrodes taped to your entire body, and spend the night being videotaped and monitored.

Yes, millions of people worldwide report that they have some kind of sleep difficulty – from trouble falling asleep at night to waking too early. The interesting fact is – even though sleep disorders can take many different forms, they usually fall into a couple of common categories.

Watch the block

The two most common sleep disorders are –

• Insomnia [when you can’t fall asleep]
• Sleep adjustment disorder [when you can’t synchronise your sleep to your work schedule].

Insomnia is terribly common, and can persist for months, and even years, leaving the person fatigued and depressed. Physicians may prescribe sleeping pills. These pills and sedatives deeply alter your sleep cycle, and actually shorten the amount of time spent in deep sleep. We should remember that it is during deep sleep that the body releases immune-boosting substances, while it gets detoxified and repaired. An occasional sleeping pill may be the answer for sporadic insomnia, but after years of dependence on sleeping pills, health can be subtly, but seriously damaged.

To diagnose and treat insomnia, I first isolate the underlying causes of the disorder in my practice. Some common causes are medications, stress, chronic fatigue, allergies, dietary problems, and hormone imbalances. Caffeine and alcohol can also be the culprits, since they are both potent nervous system stimulators. In other words, they can interfere with sleep. You should also watch out for vitamins, which, at times, act as stimulants, and certain herbs.

Did you know that your morning cup of coffee might be keeping you awake at night? Caffeine can disturb sleep up to twenty hours after consumption. Alcohol can be even more powerful disrupter of sleep. Some insomniacs complain that a few drinks put them to sleep, but that hours later they are wide awake. This is because alcohol relaxes the nervous system only temporarily. When consumed, it is metabolised; it causes a strong rebound effect, a few hours later. The solution? Don’t use alcohol to fall asleep. Your diet may also contribute to your lack of sleep. Food allergies, for example, sometimes lead to excessive histamine production in the body, leading to a strange combination of fatigue, anxiety, and poor sleep.

Sleep apnoea: Danger signals

Sleep apnoea causes people to literally stop breathing in their sleep. It also robs their heart, brain and lungs of precious oxygen. The sleeper stops breathing as many as 200 times a night, waking for an instant when his/her oxygen-starved brain rings the alarm bell. The problem is that most people don’t have an idea that they are being deprived of restful sleep.

The most common symptom of sleep apnoea is snoring. Typically, it is the spouse – or, someone else – that notices the other person’s nosey bugle.

Sleep apnoea affects many people. It can cause prolonged daytime fatigue, sudden death from night-time heart problems, including headaches, depression, memory loss, and severe mood swings. In addition, many people who suffer from sleep apnoea tend to be overweight.

Diet too can be a contributing factor to sleep apnoea. Carbohydrates, for instance, worsen apnoea since they produce carbon dioxide when metabolised. This increases the amount of air expelled. This, in turn, increases the amount of air breathed in. The outcome is snoring, especially after a large meal.

Herbal help

Insomnia can be treated through a combined approach. For example, supplements such as L-phenylalanine, and herbs such as chamomile, valerian and Passiflora incarnata [passion flower], are known to relax the nervous system. These, along with a proper diet and relaxation, which I prescribe, for other underlying causes – such as mental anguish and stress – can all be part of a customised treatment plan for insomnia.

Travellers and people who work night shifts often experience sleep adjustment disorders. If you are one of those folks, your sleep clock may be off the block. But, don’t despair. Science now has a solution for you. When daylight disappears, the brain secretes a chemical substance called melatonin. Recent studies have shown that people who take melatonin pills, during daylight hours, experience a shift in their internal sleep clock, and are able to sleep restfully. However, before you rush to your nearest store to get your magic lullaby, be aware that there have been incidents of dizziness due to improper dosages. This can be a problem, especially in the elderly.

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