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GLOBETROTTINGSEVENTH ISSUE - FALL 1999SPONSORED BY TYCO INTERNATIONAL, LTD "THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE DEVOTION TO MOTION WORLD TOUR" DESTINATION -- INDIA ( Volume 2 of 3)
We hope you will enjoy the path we have chosen!! D2M TRIVIA QUESTION #1(World Trivia) COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE To truly understand the art of Ayurveda, the
teachings of Dr. Chopra, and the Arya Vaidya Chikitsalayam &
Research Institute in Coimbatore, India (which we will detail more
shortly) one needs to be informed of its basic foundation.
In the brochure provided by the Coimbatore-based facility it
states, “Ayurveda gives a graphic account of how the living body is
only a microcosm of the macrocosm that is Nature and all elements that
exist in the latter are related in the living body.
This close interaction with Nature forms the basis for the
indigenous thought process and in Ayurveda too, this is the foundation
on which all the theories, principles, and classifications are built.”
According to the basic foundation of Ayurveda, three doshas, or
body types must be balanced to maintain good health.
The three doshas are called, Vata, Pitta and Kapha and are found
in each and every human being. Considering
each individual has his or her own uniqueness, the degree of each dosha
differs. When one visits an
Ayurvedic doctor, the patient is tested to determine what dosha he or
she is and if there is an imbalance, what is recommended to correct the
situation and restore health. For
example, when I visited the Chopra Center, I was informed by an
Ayurvedic doctor that I had a “Pitta imbalance.”
Since different characteristics correspond to each of the three
doshas, I was certain of the so-called “diagnosis.”
A Pitta imbalance basically means that my body carries an
abundance of heat and is in need of some cooling.
Ayurveda aims at rectifying a situation such as this by adjusting
one’s diet to include more foods that focus on cooling the system (no
spices of course), applying specific oils that cool during massages, and
educating the patient so that he or she can maintain a healthy lifestyle
and avoid creating another imbalance.
There are very few people who are tri-dosha, meaning a balance of
the three body types. The
environment, foods, skin products, etc. all contribute to one’s body
type so it is imperative that one be conscious to decisions he or she
makes when one’s health is concerned.
A first-class organization which I mentioned before, The Arya
Vaidya Chikitsalayam & Research Institute, was established in 1959
and has certainly witnessed the benefits of Ayurveda.
They have a number of specialized treatments that were developed
centuries ago by physicians of Kerala, located in south India.
The “Kerala Treatment” has taken some of the techniques used
in historic Ayurveda and has expanded its benefits.
These treatments have been documented as bringing much relief to
patients with chronic diseases that include paralysis resulting from
strokes, rheumatoid arthritis, insomnia, migraine headaches, and various
other skeletal and muscular diseases.
An average stay in this hospital-like setting is 35 days with a
gradual indoctrination to the treatments for the initial week and a
gradual weaning off the treatments in the final week.
One of the most challenging aspects of the program is the list of
restrictions one must observe to fully benefit from the treatments.
Here are just some of them: do not read or write, do not watch
television, do not think too deeply, do not shave, do not exercise
(except walking), and do not talk in excess.
Now I know many of you are saying to yourselves that you could
never follow all those rules. No
one is holding a gun to your head when you are at the facility, but I
find it very interesting how an enormous amount of fear was generated
inside of me when I was informed of these guidelines.
Why is it that I can not go 35 days without the things I just
mentioned? Are these
activities sustaining me to the point where they have almost become
addictions in my life. This
realization coupled with the strong support of the staff at this
hospital has sparked such an interest in Ayurveda that I, myself, have
committed to the 35 day program in May of 2000.
Wish me luck! If you are looking for more of a Westernized
approach to Ayurveda, we suggest you visit the Kairali Ayurvedic Health
Resort in Kerala. It is a
vacationer’s paradise, filled with a beautiful tropical setting on 50
acres of lush greenery. During
your vacation you can explore the world of Ayurveda and be pampered
royally. The resort prides
itself on being a getaway where one can “return to nature.”
There are only 30 exclusive villas, so one can enjoy a peaceful,
relaxing setting and benefit from some Ayurvedic treatments as well. We would like to take this opportunity to
express our gratitude to our friends at the Chopra Center, in particular
Dr. Deepak Chopra and Jude Johnson, who have both very extremely helpful
in helping us coordinate our journey and understanding the basics of
Ayurveda. In addition, we salute our extended family at the Ayurvedic
Trust and the hospital in Coimbatore for their warmth, hospitality, and
education in helping us further our research in Ayurveda.
Dr. Ramkumar and Dr. Indulal, we thank you and look forward to
seeing you both in May 2000. Finally,
we extend our sincere gratitude to Ms. Gita Ramesh at the Kairali
Ayurvedic Health Resort for sponsoring us during our visit to Kerala. NOTE: If you or anyone in your circle of friends are connected with any healer or complementary/alternative medical practitioner around the world who you would like us to research or visit, please E-mail us at chesney12@comcast.net D2M TRIVIA QUESTION #2 ACCESSIBILITY... BASED ON ABILITY Airlines---We met with local and
international airlines to further increase their awareness of caring for
the disabled passenger. We
are going to share with you our personal experiences with the two local
airlines in India. Before
beginning, we would like to emphasize that changes are being made within
both companies. Please
don’t let our experiences deter you from flying within India.
We’d like to commend both Indian Airlines and Jet Airways for
initiating dialogue with us, and being totally open to our suggestions.
It is to be noted that Jet Airways is a 3 year old company,
whereas Indian Airlines has been in existence much longer. It is more challenging to re-structure an older organization
than a newer one. With this is mind, please read on. Our stories demonstrate just what we mean.
Our experience flying with Jet Airways, a newly formed airline
carrier, was hassle free. The
staff was very knowledgeable, accommodating and most importantly,
listened to the customer. They
stowed the wheelchair safely in the holding area of the plane, and
treated it with care. We
would like to extend thanks to Mr. Ravindra Moharir, reservations
manager of Jet Airways who waived the extra baggage charges on all Jet
Airways flights. The extra weight is due to the length of our travel as well as
medical supplies which Scott requires. The other major airline, India Airlines, was a
different story. We flew
this airline on three occasions within India, and two of these times, it
was not a smooth journey. Our
first flight on this airline, from New Delhi was an adventure in itself. We did the normal check-in procedures, informed anyone and
everyone that Scott would need assistance boarding the plane “because
he cannot walk,” and were assured not to worry about it “we will
take care of it, we do this all the time.”
So, up until we hand in our boarding cards, we made sure that
the front line and the ground staff was informed of Scott’s
needs. However, as we had
to ascend a flight of stairs to board the plane, the men pushing
Scott’s wheelchair said, “OK sir, this is as far as we can take you,
get up and board the
plane.” We started
laughing, Scott said, “I wish it was that easy, you have to carry my
up there, I cannot walk!!” The
crew seemed totally perplexed as to what to do next.
For about 15 minutes, they scratched their heads, had a private
sidebar, and finally decided that they would use their own wheelchair, a
1930s model clunker, to carry him into the plane.
The supervisor wanted me to board the plane and leave Scott to
them, when I declined, the gentleman became insulted and said “don’t
you trust me Madame?” Personally,
I didn’t, it seemed like a three ring circus to me, but I said “
sir, if it was your wife here, would you leave her?”
He understood, and the rest of the flight was unremarkable.
However, the plane had a layover for 30 minutes and all luggage
had to be taken off the plane for security purposes.
Boy do I wish I had a video camera.
Despite our caution that the chair was fragile, out of the
window, I saw the workers toss the chair in and out of the plane.
When we finally reached our destination, Scott asked that the
chair be brought to the bottom of the stairs, and not to baggage, but
the crew said, not to worry, we’ll bring it safely to the baggage,
from a separate passage. The complete opposite of what they said happened.
The chair was thrown on the conveyor belt with the rest of the
bags, sideways with the top wheel turning.
However, no one from the crew was there to speak to, fortunately,
the chair was not damaged this time. Wait til you hear about our second flight with
Indian Airlines. As
we checked in to receive our boarding pass, I asked the woman at the
desk to please assign us to the first seat, because “my husband cannot
walk.” She said that she
could not do that. I knew from previous experience that the reason she
would not do this is because the first row is for the “VIPs,” and in
India, if you have the cash, you can buy your way to the top.
I mentioned to her again that it was impossible for even their
“aisle-chair” to fit any further than the first row, but she became
angry and took it as a personal insult, and began to throw a tantrum. The only reason I mentioned this is because
when Scott and I had a meeting with their representative earlier on in
the week, he also mentioned that the accessible seats are actually given
to the VIPs. I was ready to
wop this lady upside her head, but I didn’t, so Scott and I went to
customer service, who informed us that the first row, behind first
class, is actually meant for the disabled passenger, but unfortunately,
all those seats had already been given to the VIPs.
(Note: if we hadn’t spent 45 minutes trying to “talk” the
the lady at the counter, we may have been allotted those seats).
Finally, Scott and his wheelchair are carried up the flight of
stairs to the plane, and we had to ask the persons sitting in Row 8 (the
VIP) to move to Row 9, because the chair was too large to go any
further. We believe this is
the responsibility of the airline to change seats for the disabled, not
that of the passengers, who feel guilty for sitting in their assigned
seat and moving because the disabled passenger is stuck. We must mention that despite these personal
experiences with Indian Airlines, we did meet with one of their
managers, Mr. Sandeep Kumar, who
explained the practical reality behind the theoretical accessibility
plan. India Airlines did make concessions for us to travel with
extra weight on all their flights, and for that we are thankful.
At the time of this writing, we have traveled on Indian Airlines,
a third time, and the procedure was very smooth.
Proper seating was assigned, follow through with the front line
and crew was efficient. We
believe communication is the key. It
is very easy to allow the tempers to flair, especially in 100 degree
temperature with certain unreceptive employees.
However, the best thing to do is go the customer service desk and
talk to a reasonable individual. As part of our protocol for addressing airline
issues regarding the disabled, we have been disseminating information
provided by Catherine Stengel and Jane Cox of Continental Airlines,
D2M’s official airline sponsor. Continental
has been a leader in their commitment to making travel stress-free for
the disabled. We thank
Continental for supporting our journey by assisting us to further
educate people about the needs of the disabled traveler.
They have also provided us with toy airplanes to donate to
children in the slums of India. To truly appreciate the work that
Continental has put forth in this area, please check out their website: www.continental.com,
and visit their “passengers with special needs” section.
As always, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to Catherine and
Jane in corporate communication, for their sensitivity, insight, and
assistance. ON A LIGHTER NOTE YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY?? NEXT ISSUE!! D2M TRIVIA ANSWERS Trivia Answer # 1 - More than a third of US
pop. Over age 50 (US Census Bureau) Trivia Answer # 2 - Believe it or not, one
billion people worldwide tune into watch “Baywatch” every week. Thank you for listening and we’ll visit you
again in two weeks! Scott & Pratiksha Chesney |
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