In the year 1994 entire nation went crazy over Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit Nene’s romance in their super-hit movie Hum Aapke Hain Kaun…! when one of them did their romantic cue “uhu uhu” and the other reacted to it. Oh what a beautiful on screen couple they made…!

Come December end of the year 2019 and the romantic “uhu uhu” turned into the most dreaded noise one could hear around oneself. If Hum Aapke Hain Kaun was to be produced now, with Prem’s (Salman Khan) every “Uhu-Uhu” Nisha (Madhuriji) would be singing “Didi tere dewarse bachana” instead of referring to him as “deewana”.

In the first week of March 2020 Indian Government made it mandatory for the mobile phone service providers to start each call with a “uhu-uhu” (coughing sound) followed by a message about Corona virus. The purpose was to spread awareness of the pandemic and even though the intention behind it is understandable, it didn’t make it any less annoying.

Initially it felt like a constant reminder of what we have landed ourselves into which gradually turned into a routine adaptation, just like wearing a mask in normal course of life has turned into an acceptable part of the dress code before stepping out of the house.

Adaptation is the way of survival, the way of life and that’s what we all have eventually done. Now the rounds to the markets have gone back to being a usual routine, morning evening walks are common, as far as we follow the precautionary measures in the usual course of life we will be considerably safe, at least that’s what we have convinced ourselves in our minds !

August is about to come to an end and September brings around a change of season in the Northern part of India. It’s also a time when allergies are on a high. People who are prone to allergies and breathing problems need to be more careful and mindful in following the precautions to avoid unnecessary tension and worry in the existing phase of ongoing pandemic.

Listing the five important things to continue as a part of routine to maintain a healthy lifestyle during this part of the year ( Please note these are general lifestyle adaptation and not an advisory on coronavirus) :-

STEAM INHALATION :- Inhalation of steam not only reduces the inflammation of the mucus membranes due to cold and sinusitis, it also reduces the irritation caused by bronchitis and most importantly it provides an antiseptic action on the respiratory tract. Being mindful to not overdo anything though steam inhalation’s can be helpful during change of season if done for a short duration of 10-15 minutes twice a day. Hot water gargling with some salt also relieves the irritation in throat.

IMMUNITY BOOSTER KADHA IS A MUST :- With corona-virus the hot water decoction (Kadha) has became a part of our routine as advised to be taken twice a day as per the guidelines issued by Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) Government of India.

According to a 2018 study published in the Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, herbal teas like the kadha are a rich source of natural bio active compounds or antioxidants like carotenoids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, terpenoids, polyacetylenes, coumarins and many others.

Improving the antioxidant status of the body is a well-known way to reduce the risk of all types of diseases, because all of these antioxidants improve the antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti allergic, anti-thrombotic and vasodilatory actions of the immune system.

You may choose to take any kadha available in the market by AYUSH or Baba Ramdev however one important aspect to follow and remember is that adding sugar for sweetening the kadha is a big no-no. You must always use jaggery or honey if sweetening it is desired.

SOCIAL DISTANCING NORM MUST BE STRICTLY FOLLOWED :- Seasonal allergies are the first symptoms to take place during this part of the year thus increasing a person’s vulnerability to infections. The nasal inflammation brought on by seasonal allergies allows viruses to set up camp in your nose. The Yale School of Medicine has discovered that when the temperature reduces from 37 to 33 degrees celsius, the change can dampen immune response thereby allowing the viruses to replicate more. The social distancing imposed due to corona-virus can prove to be very helpful in reducing the number of patients infected by regular flu and common cold as well. Common cold can be described as an ‘upper respiratory tract infection’ caused by different types of viruses. It is transmitted by virus-infected airborne droplets. With the change of seasons, people tend to develop mucus and so the ones with usual complaints of seasonal cold and cough need to be more mindful about their general immunity during this time of the year.

LOAD YOURSELF WITH THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF MULTIVITAMINS AND MINERALS :- While sticking to the natural sources of having a balanced diet and right kind of food to obtain necessary vitamins and minerals seems to be the best thing to do there is no harm is taking a supplement of vitamin C, zinc, vitamin D, B-complex, omega-3 and iron for keeping the overall immunity of our body intact during the change of season. (Needless to say, only after a proper consultation with and a prescription from the doctor.)

DO NOT PANIC :- Most important thing to remember, especially during this challenging time of Pandemic is that just in case one does catch a cold or cough despite of taking all the necessary precautions then the right thing to do is to immediately contact a doctor and follow the given instructions and advise without panicking or jumping to conclusions. Being positive in thoughts and quick in taking the necessary medical actions in complete compliance of the doctor’s advice is the most suitable and appropriate method to combat with and come out of any illness.

I think this corona virus pandemic has forced upon us some much needed and required personal hygiene dos and donts, responsibility for social cleanliness and behavioral changes for good ! Thankfully Modiji had started promoting and implementing Mahatma Gandhiji’s ideology of Swach Bharat way before we landed in this unpredictable situation of pandemic. Like every coin has two sides and every day has a morning and night so might this phase of pandemic bring around a cleaner, more conscious and responsible ‘Bharat Desh’ as the positive side of its existence….!

Until we bid goodbye to corona stay healthy, stay fit, stay positive and remember ” Har chamakti cheez ka matlab sona nahi hota aur har sardi, khaasi, bukhaar ka matlab corona nahi hota..! ” ( Everything that shines and glitters is not necessarily gold and sometimes when one sneezes and coughs it might just be a common cold.) Don’t presume, don’t panic and jump to conclusions, reach out to a doctor if need be, and most importantly keeping away from rumors, follow the Government guidelines issued from time to time and stay safe.