Beyond Medicine: Durga Raheja, Luke Coutinho seek to advance art of self-healing

Presented by Raheja and curated by holistic lifestyle coach Coutinho, the initiative aims to educate people about the power of lifestyle change.

By ET Bureau | Apr 23, 2019, 08.32 AM IST

From left: Anupama Chopra, Shalini Jatia, Tahira Kashyap, C Pallavi Rao, Raunak Badjate and Luke Coutinho.

Beyond Medicine is an initiative that emphasises on the importance of emotional and psychological wellness on overall health and wellbeing. Started by the Sheila Gopal Raheja Foundation to celebrate the milestone birth anniversaries of its founders, Gopal and Sheila Raheja, the initiative is the brainchild of Durga Raheja, a trustee of the foundation, and is curated by holistic lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho.

Beyond Medicine is based on the tenets of integrating, educating and celebrating — it seeks to integrate various sections of society across age, economic and geographical boundaries; educate individuals about making the right lifestyle choices, and celebrate the vibrancy of life.

With big names in attendance, the initiative was flagged off on April 19 at an auditorium in Bandra. Moderated by Anupama Chopra, it was also an important knowledge-sharing experience for 700 students of the Sheila Gopal Raheja Institute of Hotel Management, and the business management school. The next day witnessed a Wellness Carnival, with free lessons in art, dance, music, yoga, meditation, seasonal food menu and health consultation for over 150 people. The event was attended by more than 3,000 Mumbaikars.

Right Nutrition, Mindful Eating: Key To Healthier, Happier You

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The road to a happier you is right nutrition and mindful eating as well as staying away from too much of caffeine and sugar, suggests Rueben Ghosh, Co-Founder and Culinary Director at Yumlane and Kashmiri Barkakati, food expert at Momspresso. Here's how to do it right.

Empowering choices
“We were inspired by the philosophy of ‘lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu’, which loosely translates to global well-being,” Raheja said about the initiative. Raheja said she decided to collaborate with Coutinho after she came across his ideas and practices of using food as medicine.

Beyond Medicine seeks to advance the art of self-healing. In addition to nutrition and exercise, it focuses on other tools such as quality sleep, healing emotional issues, reducing stress, prayer and faith, among other things, to achieve its goal of wholesome wellness.

Coutinho said, “Our goal is disease prevention. We believe that if we teach people the basics of a wholesome lifestyle, they can safeguard themselves against most cancers and lifestyle diseases. Individuals that learn from Beyond Medicine can then share this information with their friends and families and, through them, with society in general.”

The focus of the initiative is communal wellness. And as the first step in this direction, Raheja and Coutinho have a nutritional plan in place for children admitted in a leading cancer hospital.

Make Notes, Eat Healthy & Exercise Daily: 7 Ways To Fight Depression

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Stress and frustration can lead to depression, further affecting mental health.

While it is imperative to consult with a medical professional if symptoms of depression are noticed, certain modification in one's lifestyle can help in combatting mild depression. However, moderate to severe depression requires the treatment with medications.

Nevertheless lifestyle changes do help in recovering as well as preventing the condition and future episodes.

Dr Pallavi Aravind Joshi, Consultant Psychiatrist of Columbia Asia Hospital Whitefield (Bengaluru) shares 7 tips to combat depression.