Five Ways to Improve Health
Agni or digestive power is an unknown concept in the West yet it is central to how disease occurs in Ayurveda How agni is described metaphorically is like a campfire It it's strong it burns wood to fine dust but if not the wood burns to charred debris The agni not being up to par will leave undigested unprocessed food that the energy science calls which Ama is the beginning of the disease process according to Ayurveda So we can see how agni is so important in the disease process...a fact that is completely unknown in the West
Agni becomes abnormal when it is either too hot or too cold It seems strange that agni can be too hot but it metaphorically is like a hot pot on the stove but the water or agni in the pot is ice cold....so the agni acts hot but functionally it is not effective
Clinically it looks like this....very strong appetite but once in the gut the digestion is not up to par and leaves charred undigested remains or ama So when our appetite is too strong it doesn't mean good things
How to Get Agni Healthy Again
1 Use Green Composite Protein Recipe....write if you would like to know how to do it
2 Snacking ruins digestive power....so dont do it
3 Avoid incompatible food combinations ...fruit with other food etc
4 Use homemade yogurt as a probiotic and pappadam as a prebiotic
5 Don't overeat....noon meal biggest meal of the day....should be 2 handfuls
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Energy Science Cookbook
Can it be that the current dietary recommendations by our nutritional gurus are actually making us sicker? I believe this is the case.
If our current system of nutritional recommendations is so hot, why do we see people such as Oprah struggling with weight control along with millions of others?
Time to re-evaluate, eh? There is no question that our molecular prowess has given us important information but the molecular scheme is outmoded for our biological understanding in the 21st century.
Can inappropriate and indiscriminate supplements make us sick? You bet.
So what's a confused and bewildered consumer supposed to do? Try an energy science approach to not only nutrition but to healing. Now that's empowerment.
Here's a list that should be part of a nutritional system. Notice I said system, I didnt say molecules.
Get this Ayurvedic Cookbook....you won't be disappointed http://goo.gl/wiP0qO
In the book you'll find great guidance on how to begin eating healthy from an energy science perspective
Establish a balanced healthy digestive fire
Monitor bowel function and establish healthy patterns
Avoiding incompatible food combinations
Establish healthy rituals around nutrition
This is an energy science approach to nutrition. It requires a paradigm shift from our molecular matter science approach. As has been said, "How's it workin' for ya?", perhaps provides some impetus.
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Nasya Therapy and Movement of Kapha
In the energy science of Ayurveda there are two principal ways to treat disease....palliative(shaman) and detoxification(shodan) When you change your nutrition to a energetically constitutionally appropriate nutritional format(ahara) and avoid incompatible food combinations you are doing shaman therapy When you follow guidelines such as the dinacharya(vihara) you're practicing shaman therapy These therapies in general do not deal with the guna(qualities) imbalance and the resultant accumulation of ama/amavisha(toxins) but rather palliate or pacify the existing imbalance and not make the physiology worse Shaman work stabilizes the existing imbalance with associated ama/amavsha
Shodan Work and Nasya and Movement of Kapha
In contrast shodan therapies remove excess guna(quality) and ama/amavisha There are 5 therapies(panchakarma) that produce physiologic detoxification....one of them is nasya or the placement of herbally loaded oil into the sinus area
Naysa is best done in association with neti and kapalabhati...both of these latter actions help dry the sinuses of excess Kapha energy(mucous) so that the herbal oils can effectively treat the predominantly Kapha anatomical area But the beauty of nasya therapy is that it moves all three doshas(energy patterns) and ama/amavisha from the area of the sinuses Since these therapies induce shifts in the sinuses and create negative pressure in the sinues, the systemic physiology is treated which makes nasya an incredible tool for daily cleansing
Nasya is quite simple As above you should have completed neti and kapalabhati The head is tilted back(lay on the bed with the head over the side of the bed) and 5 drops are placed according to the accompanying diagram(elements of space, air, fire, water, and earth are collections of guna(qualities)that make up the doshas of Vata, PItta, and Kapha When neti and nasya are done we are treating the elements as well as the doshas of VPK) Stay in the position for 5 minutes and then feel the effects of nasya
The herbs in the oil are delivered not only to the nasal passages and sinuses but also to the brainstem by way of the cribiform plate which holds the olfactory nerves(first cranial nerves from the brainstem) So this is profound therapy at a number of different levels because nasya in the end treats the brain and the way we think bringing balance to our thoughts, feelings, and emotions
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The Energetic Truth About Food Allergies
Energetically food allergies or sensitivities are a result of poor digestion This is difficult to understand from a molecular approach to dis-ease since the current health care model sees molecules and our reactions to them as the problem in allergies Find the offending molecule, avoid the molecule, and the problem is solved
This is frustrating to patients seeking to understand food allergies and how to treat it because the offending molecule can be difficult to figure out And it sometimes leads a real difficulty in choosing foods thinking that perhaps the symptoms are related to their "food allergies" so they are fearful of eating anything Often times elimination diets are used to try to sort it out but usually come up with equivocal solutions
The Dis-ease Origin Is the Same
With a different way of seeing the mindbody from an energy science viewpoint rather than the currently used matter science discipline it becomes clear that food allergies are interrelated with IC Why is this so?
Dis-ease or lack of harmony in the mindbody begins in the gastrointestinal tract(GIT) and when there is too much of the hot quality it leaves the GIT to be eliminated through the urinary tract The GIT is not healthy enough to deal with the excess hot quality
Food allergies that occur in the GIT leads to distress as well but the energy science explanation is due to lack of digestive strength The same lack of digestive strength leads to two seemingly different forms of dis-ease
Lack of Digestive Strength
Digestive strength from a matter or molecular science approach is not enough digestive enzymes to do the job Because of this toxic debris builds up much like a cold campfire has unprocessed charred remains Acute symptoms occur after eating such as:
Poor appetite Coated tongue Nausea Bloating
Belching with smell of previously eaten food
Weakness and fatigue Foul gas or flatus; bad-smelling feces Unhappiness Constipation or diarrhea
Abdominal pain and/or distention Bad breath Bad taste in the mouth Restlessness
Heaviness after food
Congestion Excessive sleep
These signs and symptoms represent poor digestive strength but as you can see could be interpreted as "food allergy"
Then chronic signs and symptoms may occur over years of poor digestion strength:
Tissue emaciation Malabsorption Emotional eating Food cravings Food allergies
Insomnia Poor visual perception Poor circulation Abnormal color and complexion
Lack of luster(skin rashes)
Fear Grief, sadness, and depression Confusion Apathy, repulsion Shortened life span
Aggressiveness
Indecisiveness and lack of discrimination Lack of intelligence(loss of clarity) Impatience
Improper direction and inappropriate goals
Isn't it interesting that fear, confusion, apathy, aggressiveness occur in this list of chronic symptoms? The reason for this is that there is a mindbody connection What happens in the mind happens in the body What happens in the body happens in the mind
From an energy science view mind and body are intimately spliced You cannot separate them Mind is in every cell of the body So we see that if the GIT is effected with dis-ease or disharmony then it will register in the mind and these psychological manifestations will be apparent
3 Things to Do to Improve Digestive Strength
As I have said in previous blogs eating according to your mindbody energy makeup is the most important thing along with avoiding poor food combinations But here are some other general things you can do as well
1 Use a green composite protein recipe
2 Use of cooling spices such as cumin coriander fennel seed mint cardamon tumeric and fresh basil and avoidance of other heating spices These will aid in digestion
3 Use a probiotic and make fresh homemade yogurt...dilute 80% water with 20% yogurt to make a probiotic drink Drink after the noon meal
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Healing with Multiple Ways: An Energy Science Approach
In the energy science world of healing it's not just one thing that you do that brings about healing but rather a multiplicity of therapies done over a period of time that leads to results
Foundational Work
Healing is just like building a structure....it begins with a good foundation
1 Doing a Day in Balance...this means going to bed early and getting up early, eating your biggest meal at noon, and having some set routines in the morning such as scraping the tongue, kevala(oil pulling), white sesame seeds, pranayama(specifically kapalabhati), neti pot use
2 At the very least eating a nutritional format appropriate for you energy constitutional makeup
3 Avoiding incompatible food combinations
4 Meditation helps calm the mindbody to do this work Otherwise the mind will be fretful, anxious, fearful, and will throw in the towel early on
Beyond Foundational Work
The above work sets the stage for more advanced work We need to set the mindbody up for success in the process of releasing imbalanced qualities, ama(unprocessed undigested food that clogs the channels), and toxic ama called amavisha The latter is particularly toxic because when released it is hot and can produce lots of various problems(eg skin rashes and conditions, sensed excess heat, diarrhea or change in bowel pattern)
When the bowel is prepared properly with appropriate nutrition and therapies are added then the mindbody will be able to tolerate the toxic download without a detox crisis Having said that, even with the best laid plans, detox crisis can occur but that can be managed What are basic advanced therapies?
1 Green composite protein recipe sets the stage for healing the GIT(gastrointestinal tract)
2 Use of nasya which is supportive of the process, clears mental ama and amavisha, and directly effects positive mental changes
3 Use of transdermal creams applied to marmani(acupuncture points without the needles)
4 Use of herbal memory nectars Similar to herbal tinctures that have alcohol, nectars do not They bypass the digestive process and by their energetics create favorable physiologic effects for healing
5 Continual improvement of the disturbed GIT with various teas(eg CCF or CF teas)
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Sources of Unexplained Fever
Have you ever felt hot after eating and wondered why?
It won't be possible to figure it out from a matter science medical approach but the understanding is clear from a energy science point of view
When overeating occurs(defined as consuming more than 2 handfuls at a meal) the energy patterns of Vata, Pitta, Kapha, or combinations of them enter the bloodstream and push stagnant energy along with them And there will always be some congestion when overeating occurs no matter which energy pattern is involved
From a molecular point of view stagnant energy is lymph or chyle that sludges in the lymphatics of the gut
The digestive fire(collective term for all the enzymes in the GI tract) becomes ramped up due to the overeating challenge and it also becomes disseminated into the blood as well resulting in fever and an internal feeling of heat This can also result in mental events such as anger and impatience
The timing of the fever is related to which energy pattern gets shoved into the blood stream Kapha soon after eating; Pitta about two hours after eating; Vata four hours after eating Which energy pattern is pushed into the bloodstream is based on the types of foods consumed in the overeating event For example if a lot of sweet, sour, and salty tastes are consumed, Pitta and Kapha symptoms will predominate
Kapha symptoms of overeating are congestion, runny nose, cold and cough
Pitta symptoms result in high fever, temporal headache, nausea, irritability, photophobia, and diarrhea
With the Vata energy pattern entering the blood stream, shivering, body ache, insomnia, and anxiety can occur These can leave a residual flu like syndrome that can last a few days
Have you ever overeaten? Have you recognized any of the above symptoms? Do you remember what produced the overeating?
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