With India’s death toll climbing to 20, Mumbai has announced a one week closure of all schools, colleges and coaching classes. To quell the public’s growing anxiety, vegetarian spiritual and humanitarian teacher Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has called upon fellow citizens to take refuge in the ancient medical system of Ayurveda and meditation to support the immune system.

Ayurveda encourages the consumption of calming and strengthening foods, which are primarily plant-based.
Ayurveda discourages intake of meat and alcohol, which reduce stamina and cause dullness.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar stated, “If we can integrate these practices in our daily lives along with the simple Ayurvedic remedies, we can quite easily counter swine flu.”

In modern medicine, for patients wishing to boost their immune system, physicians also recommend eating less meat and dairy and consuming more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, which are naturally rich in antioxidants and nutrients.

The swine flu pandemic that is now in its fifth month has afflicted 221,829  people worldwide in 168 countries and territories. However,these are just the officially recorded cases and hardly reflecting the complete picture.
Of this given total, 1,906 people have succumbed to the virus and swine flu cases continue to rise across the globe in countries such as Iran, Hong Kong, Myanmar and Âu Lạc (Vietnam) with 1,275 confirmed cases, as well as New Zealand which has counted 3,021 afflicted citizens.

Meanwhile, Queensland, Australia reported her first fatality of an otherwise healthy individual. Death rates in Brazil also increased significantly from 132 last week to 192 this week, becoming the country with the third highest number of lost lives after the US and Argentina.

French Education Minister Luc Chatel announced that the country is prepared to close schools, saying, “In case of a complete pandemic we are ready to close all of the schools in France.” Our sincere thanks, Your Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, for encouraging spiritual and healthful practices, which also maintain the immune system’s strength.

Our prayers go to those who have been affected seriously to overcome in safety. May all people consider the sensible holistic approach of a gentler, purer lifestyle to protect themselves and their families.
Reference
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