Former IAS officer Sunil Gulati lost 4 kg in 45 days working with Dr. Priti Nanda Sibal, who combined allopathic medicine with Ayurvedic principles, infrared sauna, and diet counseling. His knee pain improved without imaging, and he increased his daily steps to 10,000. Gulati defines health as lifelong self-reliance.
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See, I did my PhD on long-term care of elderly recently from IIT Delhi. So to me and to a normal person, being healthy means to be absolutely self-reliant till the last day of your life, to be on your own, not bedridden, to do all the chores yourself. That, that was the meaning of life, of being healthy in life.
Right. So how's your weight connected to your health?
Yes, so if you are overweight, then generally what happens is you become lethargic. So there are a lot of things which you would love to do but you are not able to do. You are not— there are opportunities knocking in around you, but you don't attend to them. So you miss out on life. So being healthy means whatever the world or the while throws at you, at least you should be able to acknowledge it and respond to it.
So how was your weight affecting you personally?
See, I was in the IAS for 37 years, so it was a desk job. So somewhere or the other, and I was a late sitter. I tried to put my 100% in whatever I did. So I, I did gain some weight. I almost touched 90 kg, which was definitely too much for my health. So I've been trying different ways, like I came down from 3 meals a day to 2 meals a day. Then I started having fruit bowl in the day, in the morning. So then I was taking some Tablets also, like, you know, which they say to help to reduce weight.
So did they help you?
Morphen tablet I was taking. They were helping only to the extent that weight was not increasing, but it was not going down. So it remained an issue.
So how did Dr. Preeti help you out with your case?
One is that she is very good to counsel and very nicely she explains the things. And I have been practicing Ayurveda all my life, so she's an allopath who also believes in Ayurveda, which is a very big thing. Normally the allopaths don't believe in Ayurveda, so she acknowledges that path also. That is one good thing. And then when she told that this is possible, then I said, why not try it? And I have lost around 4 kgs weight in last about 45 days. Definitely it is— the direction is there. So if we keep moving in that direction, I think it will make a difference. And when I walk now, I walk slightly faster, you know, I can feel even within the house, even when I go for a walk. So I'm making sure I do my 10,000 steps every day, but I'm also finding I can walk slightly faster. The gait is better. And my left knee was causing some problem, and I was thinking it will become a major problem. And people were saying you get a scan done, MRI done and all, but it has become all right on its own. It has made a difference, definitely.
Wonderful. What all therapies have you undergone with Dr. Preeti?
They do that sauna, infrared sauna and infrared treatment is the deal. So that's what, and there's a diet plan which you have to adhere to. So I'm following all that.
Do you like the therapies that are provided?
Yes, definitely.
What are the last few words you would like to tell about Dr. Preeti, how she has helped you, and how she can help other people like you who have been facing issues with their weight?
See, basically, weight is definitely an issue, but apart from weight, the way you look at the world also matters. So fortunately, she works on both the sides. So it is not just the inches, it's the way you think about the world, what you can do with yourself. So that whole mindset she tries to address, and I think that's a very positive way of working with people. You know, it's not just taking a pill and getting out with becoming normal. Those pill magics are there in the market, but that doesn't change the way you think, the way you look at the world. That very positive way of looking at the world which Dr. Preeti talks, that definitely can help anyone. But then you have to put— once you are motivated to put your bit into it, then it makes a difference. And when you look at it, you feel that yes, We can put our bit into it and it becomes a joint effort which ultimately can take you somewhere. That's the good thing about it.
So when we started off, you said that health means something which can last as long as your lifetime. So do you think you're on that path right now?
Yes, definitely, definitely. I wish everybody good health. And good health would mean that you'll be on your own till you're alive.
And Dr. Preeti has helped you out with the same, finding out that path?
Yes, certainly. Dr. Preeti has helped me move forward in that direction. And I'm trying to set up a home for the elderly who are released from hospital. So medical assistance center I'm trying to set up, and I would like to definitely love to associate her in that also, because this is a mindset which we have to give to everybody. It is— it's not just a one-time thing. People have to start thinking differently. They have to think that they are responsible for their health, and with a little bit of assistance, you catch that path and then you start moving on.
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Thank you very much, Dr. Gulati.
