The Role Of The Ayurvedic Professional
The Role Of The Ayurvedic Professional
To some degree, we all are in need of healing. Similarly, to some degree - we all suffer. That said, the living and breathing science of Ayurveda acknowledges that the human body has an incredible ability to heal. Of course, there are times when healing is not possible. Of importance, the science of Ayurveda evolved from the contemplative minds of ancient seers for the intention to heal all of humanity. For thousands of years, these teachings were passed down from teacher to disciple. Fortunately, Ayurveda remains alive today and is more relevant now than ever before. Ultimately, Ayurveda helps to facilitate the inborn intelligence of the body so that the body may heal itself and once again become whole; i.e. wholesome & holy.
“Be Realistic; plan for a miracle.” - Osho
Ayurvedic Professionals
Miracles occur all the time. In fact, all of life is a miracle. When the body and mind are aligned in accordance to the power of nature, healing occurs spontaneously. The role of the Ayurvedic professional is to help guide you on your journey of life and to help lay the foundation for healthy living. More importantly, the role of a qualified Ayurvedic professional is to help bring you more in tune with nature by following a daily routine [“dinacharya”] which is essential for establishing health, vitality, and the overall sense of wellbeing. For example, a proper morning routine can help generate the sense of peace which can then be carried throughout your day even despite the disarray of modern living. Likewise, it’s important to assess any imbalances in consideration to your natural constitution before initiating a daily routine; hence the importance of a qualified Ayurvedic professional.
What To Expect During An Ayurvedic Consultation
The Ayurvedic Consultation
The initial consultation involves a thorough examination allowing the consultant to identify key symptoms and potential causes of imbalance and to eventually determine suitable food and lifestyle recommendations.
Observation [Darshan]:
An Ayurvedic practitioner is able to evaluate the state of health simply by looking at the patient and observing his/her movements, body contour, color of the skin and eyes, facial lines and ridges, shape of the nose, and various other features of the lips, hair, and nails.
Touch [Sparsha]:
The practitioner then employs touch, including palpation called sparshanam in Ayurveda, auscultation, which implies listening for sounds of the internal organs (shrvanaa), and percussion or tapping (akotana). There is also special attention on evaluating the patient’s pulse, tongue, nails, and speech. Laboratory testing may also be included under this category.
Questions [Prashna]:
The practitioner will then ask the patient about presenting signs and symptoms, as well as the duration of discomfort as well as any other associations related to the disease progression. The practitioner will also inquire further into the overall lifestyle of the patient.
Pulse.
Taking the pulse is a way to determine one’s constitution and current state of real-time imbalances. The Ayurvedic consultant feels for the strength of vata, pitta, and kapha in the pulse. The practitioner looks for the overall qualities of the pulse.
– vata is felt under the index finger with dry, light, and cold qualities
– pitta in the middle finger with hot, sharp, and bounding qualities
– kapha under the ring finger with slow, soft, and steady qualities
Tongue.
When examining the tongue, the consultant looks at the color and shape of the tongue while checking the presence of scallops on the sides of the tongue, any excessive movement, the presence of coating and/or cracking of the tongue, etc.
Coating on the tongue often indicates the presence of “ama”, or poorly digested food, still present in the digestive system. The location [i.e. anterior 1/3, middle 1/3, posterior 1/3] and color of the coating on the tongue provides information on the type and location of ama within the digestive system; i.e. stomach, small intestine, colon.
Simple Tips To Improve Digestion
Ayurvedic Remedies To Improve Digestion
Size, Shape, & Color
Generally, a thin, pointed tongue is more prevalent in vata dosha. Pitta often has more redness to the tongue and kapha generally has a large, round-tipped tongue. Scalloped edges on the sides of the tongue (teeth impressions) may indicate possible malabsorption or malnutrition.
Tongue Self-Assessment
First thing in the morning stick out your tongue and consider performing an Ayurvedic self-assessment. Question whether there is coating on the tongue and, if so – what color is the coating? Generally, white is an indication of kapha imbalance in the digestive system, yellow or green implies pitta imbalance, and brown being a vata imbalance. It‘s important to remove this coating every morning by gently scraping from the back to the front of the tongue, three to five times. By gently scraping the tongue this helps to stimulate the digestive system and help to remove digestive waste.
Feces.
Although uncomfortable to discuss, discussing characteristics of stool and one’s bowel movements reveals important information about digestive health. Generally, we should eliminate every morning often upon waking or even within one hour of waking. Ideally, the bowel movement should have no strain nor discomfort and be the consistency of a banana.
– constipation likely indicates the dry qualities of vata.
– loose stools likely indicates the oily nature of pitta
– sticky and sludgy stools may indicate the heavy qualities of kapha.
Simple Recommendation
To help stimulate and cleanse the digestive system, begin the day by sipping warm water with lemon.
To Learn The Benefits Of Sipping Hot Water & Preventing ‘Metabolic Syndrome’
Urine.
The color, volume, and frequency of urine can also indicate whether one is properly hydrated.
– scanty urine may reveal the presence of dry qualities of vata dosha
– hot and increased odor of urine may reveal the presence of pitta dosha
– cloudy urine may indicate excess kapha dosha
– pain or discomfort could indicate a more complicated concern
Ayurvedic management may include, but is not limited to: dietary changes, exercise program [i.e. yoga], lifestyle changes, herbs, and stress prevention [i.e. meditation]. The personalized strategy aims to help simplify, harmonize and energize one’s life in order to regain balance – in essence, reduce stress, balance weight, support moods, crave healthier foods, promote immunity, calm the mind, and enjoy more vitality.
Disclaimer:
This is strictly for educational purpose only. Always first discuss with your primary care physician before considering any new health regimen. Healthy Ayurveda acts as a third party healthcare advocate by providing education centered around basic principles of healthy living. Our sole purpose is to help provide greater awareness about the ancient science of Ayurveda and does not take any responsibility regarding recommendations provided by Ayurvedic professionals.
Gut Health & "Ama" [Toxins]
Gut Health & "Ama"
Over the course of a lifetime, we ingest roughly 50 tons of nutrients and our ability to properly digest these nutrients determines to a large extent the state of our health. “Ama” is a concept of Ayurveda which can be best understood as the accumulation of toxic metabolic by-products at various levels of physiology. More simply, ama is the by-product of poor digestion and according to the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda - ama is the root cause of nearly all diseases.
Ayurveda states that proper diet and optimal digestion are the major pillars of good health. Similarly, optimal function of the GI tract requires proper mucosal integrity and a balanced microbial ecosystem in the gut. In essence, “gut health” relies on “good bacteria”. Any compromise to the mucosal integrity and/or disturbances in the bacterial flora in the gut may give rise to what’s often considered “leaky gut syndrome” - the epitome of ama. Ultimately, the absorption of poorly digested food material [“ama”] along with toxins from the environment blocks the physiological channels at various levels and therefore undeniably becomes the root cause of disease.
Top 7 Foods For Healing Leaky Gut - By Dr. Josh Axe
The top 7 foods to get rid of leaky gut for good are:
1. Bone Broth
2. Kefir or fermented yogurt
3. Fermented vegetables
4. Coconut oil
5. Wild caught fish like Salmon
6. Flax seeds
7. Steamed vegetables or vegetables in the crockpot
[broccoli, cauliflower, celery carrots, cabbage or squash are all great]
Digestion - At Various Levels:
At The Level Of Gross Digestion
Poorly digested food in the GI tract creates a thick and slimy substance which then lines the walls of the bowels and impedes the absorption and assimilation of nutrients; i.e. malabsorption.
At The Level Of Cellular Digestion
Metabolic process of cellular digestion [i.e. oxidation] along with external impurities [“gara visha”; exogenous toxins] such as pesticides and pollution can create physiological by-products which are damaging to the cell. For example, free radicals [“ama visha”; reactive ama] and the accumulation of toxic metabolic by-products are known to be the cause of aging and disease and collectively may be referred to as “ama” from a cellular perspective.
Rasayana - Nature’s Greatest Antioxidant!!
According to Ayurveda, Amalaki is considered one of the most nourishing and rejuvenating herbs. Amalaki is a strong natural antioxidant containing high levels of vitamin C and acts as a powerful immune strengthener. Amalaki is one of the best sources of natural vitamin C and contains 20 times more vitamin C than an orange.
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At The Level Of Mental Digestion
Similarly, unprocessed thoughts, feelings, and emotions can also become “mental ama” which may then crystallize and manifest as stress in various physiological expressions; i.e. depression, hypertension, etc.
Stress Free Emotions
For natural resistance to emotional stress and fatigue; promotes emotional balance, positive feelings, and feelings of fulfillment.
Worry Free
Calms the mind and emotions; supports clarity of mind and deeper sleep; natural support for everyday stress and tension.
Blissful Joy
To help uplift the emotions; helps balance emotional ups and downs; alleviates sadness and feelings of frustration.
Management Of Ama
According to Ayurveda, the management of “ama” first begins with identifying the cause. Often the treatment of “ama” is simply adjusting to a proper diet and lifestyle suitable to one’s needs. For example, “ama pachana” - which is the ‘burning off’ of ama and can often be done by the use of certain spices and herbs - with supervision of a qualified Ayurvedic Professional.
Spice Selections To Improve Digestion
Ready-to-use spice mixtures satisfy the six ayurvedic tastes considered essential for balance.
"Prevention Is Better Than Cure."
Although simple, these principles if followed routinely are often enough to help improve digestion and overall health. It’s often the simple things that are most effective and oddly enough - most overlooked. That said, let’s quickly take a look at the basics.
Avoid the following common causes of “ama”
– overeating and consuming cold substances
– irregular eating habits
– overconsumption of raw food
– eating heavy and fried food
– incompatible food combining
– eating with extreme emotions [i.e. anxiety, stress]
– sleeping before food is properly digested
Trikatu – The Digestive Herbal Formula
Another great consideration is Trikatu - a formula combination of equal parts ginger, black pepper and pippali. The name trikatu means three peppers or the three pungents. It is a wonderful herb with strong digestive properties.
The Ultimate Detox - Panchakarma
The word “Panchakarma” comes from the classical Ayurvedic texts and literally means ‘five actions’. These five actions of panchakarma are a broad class of therapy used to help remove impurities [“ama”] from the body.
Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any disease. If you have any serious acute or chronic health concern, please consult a trained health professional who can fully assess your needs and address them effectively. If you are seeking the medical advice of a trained ayurvedic expert, call or e-mail us for the number of a physician in your area. Check with your doctor before taking herbs or using essential oils when pregnant or nursing.