Acid Indigestion: 8 Ways to Deal With It
As part of many chronic disease processes acid indigestion can be manifested as hyperacidity syndrome(HAS) or gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD) This is because from an energy science point of view the hot quality(Pitta energy pattern) is a major contributor to the imbalance that creates many chronic diseases...the burning on urination, vaginal burning are related to this quality
The Spectrum of Disease
All physiologic disease shows up as an array of symptoms from not so bad to terrible Patients with occasional heartburn can then begin to have it all the time This makes it eligible for the disease label of HAS If it progresses to a sour taste in the mouth or a burning in the chest then it advances to GERD And if GERD progresses then it can become the disease label of Barrett's esophagitis
But notice that in all these advancing disease labels one thing remains constant The hot quality So in the end these disease labels are related to the increasing intensity of this quality But wait there's more from an energy science perspective The Pitta energy pattern displays the hot quality when out of balance in its functional seat, the liver So when Pitta and its qualities show up you can bet that is underlying liver toxicity even though the owner doesn't know it
So again from an energy science point of view the liver imbalances due to Pitta must be addressed if a patient is having problems with GERD
Reducing the heat
There are a number of ways to go beyond Prelief which like all its molecular relatives( such as over the counter Prevacid and various expensive pharmaceuticals) represent pharma bandaids From an energy science treatment perspective the alternatives not only provide relief but done properly with other allied therapies become permanent solutions, not bandaids
Wouldn't you rather have something that is sustainable long term instead of relying on a pharmacological bandaid? Here are some basic energy science treatments that can bring about control of this Pitta energy pattern of transformation
Avipattikar This herb combination is an excellent way to get control of raging hot Pitta in the stomach reducing the hot quality
Aloe vera gel or juice This herb is not only cooling to the small bowel therefore reduces the Pitta energy pattern but because it is effective for Pitta disorders in general it is a good liver protectant This makes it a valuable herb overall in treating Pitta disorders From an energy point of view aloe is special because it falls into a special group of herbs called rasayana This means it is a tissue rejuvenative and restorative of bodily tissues There are no Western pharma that can make that claim Using the gel is preferable but the juice is a good second choice Aloe Farms or George's are good brands because they don't have carrageenan to their products
Ghee In the Ayurvedic classics ghee assumes a significant therapeutic role in the management of high Pitta conditions such as HAS and GERD
Donate a unit of blood It is known that high Pitta conditons store a lot of that hot quality in the blood which is why removing a small amount of blood can be therapeutic
Psyllium husk Using this herb may sound strange as it is used as a laxative but 1t at bedtime mixed with fresh yogurt or with warm water will absorb Pitta in the small intestine and stop the colonic wall irritation
Nutritional format and incompatible food combinations We can take all the herbs in the world but if we continue to take into our bodies the same imbalancing qualities then no gains will be made It's like 2steps forward and 3 steps back If there is HAS or GERD then no doubt the person is a strong Pitta and these conditions would be the ways that they might go out of balance One should follow a Pitta pacifying diet At the very least one should follow the PK or PV formats at foodsheal.com Coconut is an excellent cooling food and using unsweetened flakes is excellent to introduce into cooking
Kefir milk When Pitta is out of control and the hot quality is raging, the microbiome or the gut flora becomes affected Since the gut flora is an important aspect of agni it's important to replenish and support this vital aspect to our health Kefir does this by providing new healthy bacteria to our gut microbiome population You can get it in the stores or make it yourself by finding some Kefir granules from someone willing to share
Shatavari is a wonderful herb to reduce Pitta and like aloe vera it has far reaching physiologic consequences due to its rasayana effect Rasayanas are a special group of herbs that have strengthening physiologic effects over other herbs and are used particularly after cleansing therapies used in panchakarma
Kama dudha moti bhasma and abhrak bhasma are basically calcium salts that act as coenzymes in metabolic processes and can be effective when Pitta is high
Like all energy work it is subtle and the healing shifts occur slowly over months but the good thing is that they are sustainable long lasting effects
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Getting Angry at Disease
The energy science of Ayurveda tells us that all of Nature including ourselves are composed of vibrational frequencies or qualities These qualities are arranged into energy patterns of Vata Pitta and Kapha The Pitta energy pattern is one of transformation Anything that happens in the mindbody that requires transformation is under the guise of this energy pattern of Pitta For example, enzymes that transform a piece of broccoli into heart, brain, and lung cells are expressions of the Pitta energy pattern As you're reading this your Pitta is transforming this information and changing you in a subtle way, hopefully for the better
It's a common clinical observation that when hospitalized patients start becoming ornery that they are ready to be discharged from the hospital because they have enough energy to carry on their healing at home When people get angry, upset, irritated, or impatient they're experiencing the Pitta energy pattern Often the reason why these emotions come up is because there is too much of the vibrational frequencies of Pitta in the physiology, usually the hot quality
But we can use this energy pattern of Pitta to energize us to get off point zero and take action for healing problems in our physiologies Adding this heat to our mental framework can push us in the direction of transformation Here are 9 suggestions that we can think of...and perhaps more....to help us move to transforming our problem of the IC bladder pain syndrome into health
9 Steps to Transforming Mental Lethargy
1 Decide for yourself that a new way of doing things(energy science approach) is worth a try
2 Get angry "Im fed up with this and can't take any more of this nonsense in my life" Engage your Pitta energy to get transformative about doing something about your imbalance
3 Be ready to do the work over time to make a difference Realize that there's no quick fix Nutrition is a piece of the healing puzzle Watching out for incompatible food combinations is part of the healing puzzle It's not just one thing that produces the results you're looking for in energy science work...it's a culmination of a multiplicity of things that brings about healing of IC because all the self directed work that you is synergistic in producing a result
4 Use breath techniques to energize the physiology and improve motivation The Kapha energy pattern keeps us stuck in ruts so using breath techniques to reduce this energy pattern can be beneficial
5 Use the neti pot technique to reduce the Kapha energy pattern as in the above
6 Use nasya oil to help shift mental patterns of behavior
7 Get support to help you move along in this direction The hardest thing that people undertake in their lives is changing lifestyle behaviors that don't help them in their quest to better health Having someone to support you in making these changes can be helpful It is best not to use a friend but someone who is more at a distance so that they can be rigorous in helping change patterns of behavior
8 Avoiding distractions which often take our attention away from the healing task at hand There are so many things in our lives vying for our attention Sales at department stores, the new entries on Facebook, responding to emails The more we can reduce these distractions the more we can pay attention to the work at hand
9 Use your imagination and creativity as to how to do transformative work For example, asking yourself what you can do to motivate yourself to do healing work can lead you into areas you hadn't thought of before
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Chronic Pain Syndrome Solutions
Mast cells are part of the immune system and are found throughout the body particularly in areas of inflammatory reaction It has been found that those with chronic pain syndromes may have a common pathway through excess mast cell production The reason that this becomes important is that the mast cell produces many irritating molecules that may mediate the pain complex that is present
Why Do Mast Cells Concentrate in the Bladder Wall?
There is a functional relationship between mast cell production and the autonomic nervous system which is the part of the nervous system that causes the bladder to function If the nervous system becomes hyperexcitable or extra nervous then this will in and of stimulate mast cell arousal This begins the cascade of molecular events that leads to the release of NGF, TNF, histamines, endokrines, and other modulating molecules that cause irritability
So the next question is "Why does the nervous system become irritable in the first place?" This becomes a problem from the matter science point of view because the model cannot hold the space to allow an answer But the energy science model can explain the origin of the nervous system behavior based on the qualities that emanate from the colon and come to reside in the nerves, both somatic and autonomic
This becomes a big deal as it gets to the heart of the origin of pain in general
3 Ways to Influence Mast Cell Production by Affecting the Pelvic Nerve Complex
In the energy science of Ayurveda there is a dictum that there is no pain without the Vata energy pattern So it's not surprising that all pain syndromes have Vata involvement energetically mediated molecularly through the nervous system
1 Basti downregulates mast cell production by changing nerve plexus irritation This is a time honored way to deal with Vata imbalance which disturbs nervous tissue There are many forms of basti both internal and external Internal basti is done by placing herbal decoctions with oil, usually sesame, into the lower rectum by enema bag Many people with pain have been poked and jabbed by instruments or tubes going into different places Why would a comfortable placement of a tube into the lower rectum through the anus be such a big deal? So self applied enemas can be a major step toward controlling the imbalance in an aggravated nervous system and in so doing influence mast cell production and the symptoms of fatigue, cognitive disruption, sleep disorders, mood disorders, and general malaise
2 PeaPure or palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is actually a glial cell modulator(nervous system immune cells) that impacts mast cell formation through its interaction with NGF Its mode of action is more than likely by affecting the nervous system which induces the mast cells to begin with Due to the work of Nobel Price Laureate Rita Levi Montalcini who was the first to identify PEA as a mast cell inhibitor in 1993 Based on her work PEA has been extensively used as a analgesic and anti-inflammatory compound since the last decade, especially in the countries were PEA is available, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands It's available as a nutraceutical in 400mg tablets
3 LDN(Low Dose Naltrexone) has been shown to be effective in forms of chronic pain syndrome It is a novel anti-inflammatory agent in the central nervous system, via action on microglial cells and may represent one of the first glial cell modulators to be used for the management of chronic pain disorders As a daily oral therapy, LDN is inexpensive and well-tolerated
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Healing and Synergy
"Ok give me the one thing that's going to clear this problem that I have" typically goes the refrain going through our minds as we try to figure it what to do
Heart synergy
And while we have been programmed to believe that it's that one pill, the one operation, the one piece of advice that's going to turn the corner, it's really not that way It may be that in an acute situation such as appendicitis that the immediate action of removing the appendix fixes the problem But even in that clinical scenario there is the need for doing things after the operation to fully recover In the management of chronic diseases this process of needing to do more than one thing in order to evoke a healing response becomes even more apparent Energetically the heart serves as the unifying field that brings all these various activities together
The Energy Science Approach to Healing
In order to evoke a change toward real healing the mindbody needs to know that we're serious about wanting to turn things around for us and move in a different direction Toward balance in this situation This means that there needs to be not only consistency in our actions but also a willingness to pile on the energetic effects produced by our actions
For example we might feel a tad bit better by introducing nutritional changes that bring about more physiologic balance Bringing about more balance to the physiology occurs when we stop adding to our imbalances For example, if we happen to have a Pitta Kapha energy constitutional make up then nuts are not a good choice for us because they carry the vibrational frequencies of heavy, slow, oily, static, and cloudy When we stop introducing these qualities of nuts into our physiology then the mindbody begins to shed those qualities that we were consistently putting into our mindbody
So we stop adding to the imbalance that is creating our ill health That's a good thing...changing our nutrition so we don't continue to keep ourselves sick A step toward healing has been made But there's another layer What about incompatible food combinations? Well, by avoiding them we begin improving our agni That's a good thing Another step has been taken
But then we can add another layer What about restructuring our day to a favorable time for the mindbody to do certain things...like getting up early to exercise, eating our biggest meal of the day at around noon, going to bed early to take advantage of the night time detoxification duties that the mindbody naturally does if we don't interfere with them So another layer has been added to the complex process of energy healing And we should point out that this healing has not cost anything....only just changing the way we do things
Synergistic Healing
So from an energy science point of view, real healing requires our participation and this layering effect There are a multiplicity of things to be done to bring physiologic balance and release excess vibrational frequencies that don't serve us well
This layering phenomenon is actually promoting synergy It's not just one thing but the multiplicity of things that are done that bring about the desired effect Each lifestyle behavior pattern that we add supports and makes stronger the previous pattern that we just put into place That is, these changes that we make feed on one another creating a grand foundation on which to support the healing of the condition that doesn't serve us anymore
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4 Principles in Energy Science Cooking
As we have discussed in the managment of any dis-ease nutrition is foundational to having success to acheiving health longterm But in the energy science of Ayurveda nutrition is more than just what foods are selected for your unique mindbody energy constitutional makeup Even though foods are integral to success because they bring about balance to the physiology and prevent imbalances from occurring there is more to nutrition than foods Where to eat, when to eat, how to eat, why we eat all add to the "what to eat"
As we discussed we have talked about always making a deal with ourselves to sit whenever we eat This simply allows us to improve the chances of agni doing a good job in digesting whatever we're eating Eating our biggest meal of the day at noon is foundational to successful nutrition Why we eat uncovers that aspect of nutrition about emotional eating as well as overeating
But what about "how to eat"? This covers the aspects of bringing attention to eating of food but also how we prepare foods
The Uniqueness of Energy Science Cooking
One of the objections that I have heard about the energy science approach to nutrition is that you have to be Indian in order to do an Ayurvedic nutritional format While this is complete and utter nonsense people buy into such false writing because they don't know any better And they believe the people that are protecting the matter science approach to nutrition by misrepresenting the energy science
1 Truth be told the nutritional formats that are at foodsheal.com can be integrated into anybody's way of eating because the change in foods chosen means that you simply find substitutes for foods that are aggravating for folks with the IC bladder pain syndrome If there are problem foods such as nightshades for Pitta Vata then find vegetable substitutes Another example of this substitution is using sunflower instead of peanut butter
2 One of the basic tenets of energy science nutrition is to cook food in order to predigest There is a lot of rhetoric about this from the raw food or macrobiotic community but it makes intuitive sense to break down the cellulose of vegetables in order to aid the agni of the mindbody particularly if it's struggling Another time that raw food comes up is in blenderized veggie drinks In this situation the mechanical breakdown of the veggies may predigest but again the lack of heat applied may make this food preparation technique substandard
3 The use of ghee in cooking cannot be overemphasized in the management of the IC bladder pain syndrome because often the Pitta energy pattern is involved and the best way to pacify Pitta is by the liberal use of ghee due to its liquid and oily qualities But there is good matter science data as to why one would want to use ghee which enhances agni It is completely made up of small chain hydrogenated fatty acids(most common butyric acid) which does not have to be digested and moves through all the tissues within twenty four hours This has important ramifications in the detoxification process of panchakarma(PK)
4 Spices have volatile organic compounds(VOC) which when activated facilitates digestion, absorption, and assimilation of foods Spices are integral to healthy cooking because they augment agni They are best activated during food preparation by placing them in ghee and heating to activate the VOC Once activated they can then be added to other ingredients of the recipe If you have a heavy aroma in the kitchen when activating VOC it means that you have overheated and overcooked the spices
So there you have it A way to prepare foods so that your mindbody can get the most out of it because you have enhanced your agni in the process of preparation
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Energetically Protecting the Mindbody
Biologically the mindbody simultaneously coexists as both an energy field or a matter(molecular) field If I put on my energy field glasses I see the mindbody as an energy field and I speak about it in terms of Vata, Pitta, or Kapha In so thinking about the mindbody as both energy and matter there obviously should be a transparency about what we are discussing If I speak about the molecular aspects of the mindbody I should be able to find its equivalency in the energy field model This is true for the GAG(GlycosoAminoGlycan) layer molecular concept and the Kapha energy pattern
Kapha is energy of stability in the physiology It keeps our mindbodies strong and well put together physically It's psychologically grounding for us and is also responsible for our immune system working properly since it is the immune system You can think of Kapha as a protective energy that keeps the mindbody strong Any large structural molecule such as chondroitin(joints), cholesterol, or immunoglobulins are molecular expressions of the Kapha energy pattern
In inflammatory diseaes such as Alzheimer's, GERD, or coranary artery disease one of the hypotheses in its molecular cause is the protective GAG layer is in some way becomes damaged and loses its integrity This layer which is produced by the underlying epithelial cells is thought to be a protective mucous layer and so by what we have just said this would be a Kapha like protection from invasive bacteria but also from the acidic characteristics of the urine itself
Every tubular lining(aka mucosa) that has a connection to the outside world has a GAG layer For example the lining of the respiratory system has its associated protective GAG layer which traps foreign materials so they don't interfere with respiratory function The GI tract and reproductive tracts has GAG layers as well
GAG Layer Repair
There are many reasons why GAG layers get damaged but one of them is inflammation In energy science terminology that means that Pitta is being increased due to blocking by Kapha and in the matter science it means that acidity breaks down tissue Knowing this there are energy science ways to help prevent the GAG layer from being broken down or getting repaired if broken down
Aloe vera There's a reason why aloe as a herb works wonders in inflammatory conditions It molecularly provides mannose which is an often biologically unavailable essential glucosaccharide This provides the building blocks for the mindbody to rebuild the protective Kapha GAG layer Energetically aloe reduces Pitta heat and pacifies overactive mobile quality of Vata
Reducing Vata and Pitta in nutritional formats It follows from our conversation that if having increased inflammatory Pitta molecules around then preventing them from entry into the mindbody would be good therapy The same holds true for Vata molecules that produce movement in the physiology
Reducing Vata and Pitta in incompatible food combinations(IFC) In general IFC's are inflammatory and increase Pitta so avoiding these is Pitta pacifying
Herbs that reduce Pitta Both acacia and psyllium absorb Pitta from the small intestine so in small volumes these herbs are valuable in the management of the IC bladder pain syndrome
Herbs that reduce Vata Vata is composed of space and air When you pass gas from the rectum you're passing Vata energy Since Vata is air if it's increased in the mindbody physiology it can increase Pitta Think about fanning a fire with pushing air across the fire that you're trying to get going Vata herbs like ashwagandha, bala, and vidari are good at reducing Vata
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