Swasthya: Indian Knowledge System for Health, Nutrition and Well-Being

Description

This book presents a comprehensive educational framework for understanding Swasthya through Indian Knowledge System perspectives on health, nutrition, and well-being. It argues that health should not be understood only as the absence of disease, but as a continuous state of balance, discipline, self-regulation, vitality, mental clarity, emotional resilience, social responsibility, and harmony with nature.

The book introduces Swasthya Rakshanam, or preservation of health, as a central principle of Indian preventive healthcare. It explains how Indian traditions emphasise prevention before treatment through daily routine, seasonal adaptation, food discipline, Yoga, breath regulation, mental balance, community support, traditional remedies, and health literacy. The discussion connects classical ideas with contemporary concerns such as lifestyle diseases, stress, poor nutrition, school health needs, public health education, digital overload, and community well-being.

The book follows a conceptual, educational, synthesis-based, and knowledge-interpretive approach. It uses terms such as Swasthya, Dinacharya, Ritucharya, Prakriti, Dosha, Agni, Ojas, Ahara, Sadvritta, Rasayana, Pranayama, and related concepts in simplified educational language. It bridges Indian Knowledge System perspectives with modern health education, preventive healthcare, public health, psychology, nutrition, community health, and school health education.

The book is intended for students, teachers, teacher educators, researchers, health educators, wellness professionals, community workers, school leaders, parents, and general readers. It may also serve as a reference for courses related to health education, value education, Yoga education, school health programmes, community health, life skills, holistic education, and Indian Knowledge Systems.

The book is intended for educational, informational, academic, cultural, and health-literacy purposes only. It does not provide medical diagnosis, treatment, clinical prescription, therapeutic advice, emergency care guidance, or a substitute for consultation with qualified health professionals.