Health Is Wealth

'Aakchoo! Mummy,I don't feel good.'

It is funny how 1 simple sentence,with 5 simple words, has so much potential to terrorize one entire family to bits. All because of that one eventful month 2 years ago.

It was August 2012. The month when we celebrate India's Independence Day. The month in which St. Xavier's College organizes its Inter-Collegiate Festival 'Malhar'. The month my little sister had been waiting eagerly for 6 months now. She had just taken admission there that very academic year and was exploding with excitement at having an opportunity to showcase her talent in Dancing, Singing, Photography, Debate and what not. You know, the usual teenage excitement at going to a top notch college and having a gala time at the mega-popular youth festival.

Until, 1 fine day, we heard her going 'Aakchoo'. No big deal, just pop in some herbal tea and maybe a couple D-cold and it will be all fine. The next day, Fever joined the list, albeit mildly. No issues, it is monsoon season after all. Pop in a couple Crocin and it will be okay. Body pain made an appearance on the 3rd day. Hmm,maybe something is wrong after all. So there was that mandatory trip to the family doctor. A couple of impressive looking tablets, syrups and we came home satisfied, nothing more than one of those pesky monsoon infections.

Except that it was not. Fever kept rising, so did mom's, dad's and my blood pressure. 2 more days and finally she herself decided to go to the nearest hospital for a detailed check-up. Final diagnosis? Typhoid! Course of action-Immediate hospitalization for at least 3 days and then bed rest for at least a week!

What? How is that possible? We eat healthy, we are vegetarians, we eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, we are not supposed to get so sick!

Well, it happened,as such things tend to happen. And so the circus began.

Wake up, run to hospital, do household work, make special (read-boiled, spice-less, taste-less) food especially for 'the patient', feed her, come home, call up her friends to make sure she did not miss any important test, go meet them in case there are some important notes to be taken. And who exactly was involved in doing all this? Of course, The Entire Family!

When the child of the house gets sick,it affects the psychology of every member of the family and shakes the very roots of the home. Going to office, doing regular work, watching TV-nothing seems possible as the mind is always engaged in debating with oneself over futile questions like-how did this happen? what can we do to avoid this in future? what could we have done? how long does she have to suffer? And of course the doctors do not make it easier by ordering a 100 tests one after the other making everyone even more anxious! The whole atmosphere is tense and almost on the verge of a mental breakdown!

It is in such situations that one realizes the important role Health plays in our lives. Something we all take for granted. We all know that 'Health is Wealth' but very few of us actually realize its importance till we are hit by the presence of a gaping hole in our hearts by the absence of someone we all love so much! Missing a child's innocent smile, their incessant questions, their sense of wonder, their curiosity-it is hard to come up with anything that could hurt one so much!

That is why my family has made Dabur Chyawanprash our resident doctor. We know first hand how important it is that we take care of our immunity. Eating fruits, vegetables, drinking water, sleeping properly and such good lifestyle tips are well and good but to be Truly Healthy from within, the immune system has to be as strong as cast iron. And Chyawanprash is a time tested formula, a blessing we have gotten from our ancestors.

Of course,it does not mean we are now perfect beings. We sometimes do gorge on junk food. Sometimes we do take the risk of eating roadside chaats. Sometimes we also do 'Aakchoo' :D But we always remember the Golden Mantra-Health is Wealth!