"This is not the fabricated story. She is a Mumbai patient, turning 72 next month. With many patients, author has understood that women differ a lot from men. More about it at some other time."

Time to fulfill the commitment made in message no. 4029 has come. The intelligence, emotional, temperamental differences between two sexes very much matters in Ayurvedic practice. In yesterdays post on Mental disorders, we saw how a lady's health is more dictated by family as well as her male doctor.

Before reading further, members with science/research mind set may go through an interesting and concurrent review appearing at:

http://articles.health.msn.com/id/100108044

Five important paragraphs from this study are brought here to bring out how East and West thinking differed and West is now slowly coming to meet East:

"We've practiced medicine as though only a woman's breasts, uterus and ovaries made her unique--and as though her heart, brain and every other part of her body were identical to those of a man," says Marianne J. Legato, M.D., a cardiologist at Columbia University who spearheads the new push on gender differences. Legato notes that women live longer but break down more.

"In 15-20% more gray matter, made up of the bodies of nerve cells and their connecting dendrites, is where the brain's heavy lifting is done. The female brain is more densely packed with neurons and dendrites, providing concentrated processing power--and more thought-linking capability."

The larger male cranium is filled with more white matter and cerebrospinal fluid. "That fluid is probably helpful," says Gur, director of the Brain Behavior Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania. "It cushions the brain, and men are more likely to get their heads banged about."

"Men focus first on minute detail, and operate most easily with a certain detachment. They construct rules-based analyses of the natural world, inanimate objects and events. In the coinage of Cambridge University psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen, Ph.D., they systemize." [This systemization urge has produced several modern methods of diagnosis and surgical procedures in medicine.]

The article also talks about why women are more affected by depression and also discusses the increasing number of divorces. In this respect, so far, East differs.

Now authors thoughts, based on observations of Indian culture alone. There are differences when compared with the conclusions of western researchers. Other members may freely express their views, even if they differ.

The girls learn physical maneuvers such as sitting, talking earlier than boys. Two sexes have significant difference between their prakruti and physical prakruti. While a woman can be compared to silk cloth, man to jute cloth. Woman is "prakruti" according to Indian philosophy. The differences in the body chemistry and minds are two poles apart. According to Indian customs, cremation requires burning the body. The last to resist burning to ashes are pelvic bones in case of women, while similar bones in men are shoulder bones. Hence the name "prakruti" or "kshetra" for women, while "Purush" for men, meaning warrior principle, accomplishment-achievement ambition in men. Many psychiatrists and students of various branches of social sciences have struggled throughout their lifetimes to study these differences.

Throughout the world we see that older men marry women lesser than their age. Every community tries to preserve this tradition keeping in mind healthy progeny. If both understand the sexual differences and psychological differences, they can come nearer to each other's mind, understand better and love better. There are important differences in their views on sex, love and marriage. An unmarried girl, may not think anything but husband, but she wants everything else after marriage. For a happy marriage she has to sacrifice her virginity, sexual satisfaction etc but to obtain the sex, the men have to marry. While woman wants to obtain love through sex, the man wants to reach sex through love. Success of marriage can not rest on sex alone. Where friendship, true love, sacrifice and satisfaction is added, the marriage can become success. Even if there are physical and psychological differences, both can meet midway. Throughout the world, researches are going on these aspects. To keep the equilibrium of the society, the harmony between men and women must be preserved.

When there is a marathon race, 90% men are ahead of women, as women have more fat and 10% lesser Hemoglobin, thus less oxygen also. While men want to win women heart, the women heart is smaller, they breath 43% slower. If both receive training simultaneously, women experience fatigue earlier. In case of muscle strain or ligament sprain, men regain health more rapidly due to testosterone.

Two sexes differ maximum in Majja kosha. The cells which join left and right parts of brain are more in women. While men brain can store more info, woman brain is more wise in using the info. While men like to plan the spatial jobs requiring coordination between several people, women like to work more with languages, books on social sciences etc. They have better cognitive abilities. Cross-words etc are their favorite pastimes. With added age, men brain cells become less effective due to stroke, dementia etc, while women receive 20% more blood supply to the brain after menopause. This protects them from stroke, and even if stroke visits them, they recover faster. In post-menopausal –phase, women tend to get busy with social, religious, or looking after grand children duties. Men can't adjust to this phase of life and become more unhappy. While loss of husband is compensated by giving more attention to family members by women, but men find it difficult to adjust to life without wife. See how creator has taken care of us, even if mother dies, grandma can look after the child. While men want diversity, women are possessive. Women are better warriors. Full chapter in a book written by a woman author in 1630-1640 span mentions this. Rani Laxmibai, Rani Chennama of Kittur in India history have amply proven this. In recent times, Ma Jijabai, the mother of Shivaji indoctrinated Shivaji to fight against Muslims, even when Shivaji's father was in the service of Muslim kings. Role played by several mothers in freedom fighters life is well documented in books. Women want approach through heart, affection, warmth and emotional support. All over the world, women have only one problem. Devotion to family, satisfying all requirements of family makes them maximum happy or also maximum unhappy. Strength, achievements and "Purushatva" ego can make men only "tough" in contrast. While women face the tough (may be financial) situation with bold approach, men have a tendency to resign or run away. Women lighten their mental/emotional burden by talking to other women, while men do not communicate their problems to friends. Women can smile and shed tears next moment, often in the same conversation.

Due to their hormone dependence, the emotional nature of women changes with phases of their life; however, due to nature of suppressing emotions, men suffer more under similar circumstances. Men become more frightened with the tension, depression, CAD, stroke, but women face same situation boldly. While women survive loneliness in old age, while men break down. While women are stronger by mind, men are stronger by body. These differences arise from hereditary factors and by proper understanding, the valley between their ego can be bridged.

Let us see how they fare in health. Men can earn higher income, run after materialism better, but can't match women in the field of health preservation. While diseases such as stroke, cancer, diabetes CAD progress much fast in men and take them to graveyard rapidly. But women face these diseases better. They obtain control of disease by self control. They are able to observe food discipline of Ayurveda better. Due to chemical sea around us, men between 18 and 35 should meet their healer once in two years for check up. Between 35 and 50 years, yearly check up should be done. This period causes rapid onset of diabetes, hypertension, prostate, heart diseases. With the healer, women tend to discuss their all problems, irrespective of whether he is man or woman. And if doctor listens to them with attention, they believe he is good. This itself may act as 10% medicine. If doctor remembers at least few of their problems and shows interest in the status, patient is cured further. Men are often not communicative and they tend to support the "allopathic" view of health. "Some how or other, stop my pain and let me join my job or business quickly. Removing the disease from root we will see later. "

When women act as healer, the difference between the sexes can be understood by comparing the following attached post with the post on Mental problems by this author posted yesterday.

Dr Bhate