Tinnitus or Ringing in the Ears – How Can MI Ayurveda Clinic Chennai, Help You Overcome This Exasperating Condition? | Best Ayurveda Hospital in Chennai

Tinnitus or Ringing in the Ears – How Can MI Ayurveda Clinic Chennai, Help You Overcome This Exasperating Condition?

Those who have heard about tinnitus are well aware of how challenging this condition is, often completely derailing regular routines of daily living. In most cases you often hear the calming words that you need to somehow learn to accept this condition and make it a part of your life. Now, that’s much easier said than done, especially when the condition is severe. Imagine having to listen to a constant sound, not necessarily ringing, that only you can hear. What if that sound is always present, at all times, at varying intensities? Yes, tinnitus, or Karnanada, as we address the condition in Ayurveda, needs immediate attention and lifestyle-driven Ayurveda-based care to help you manage the difficult complications of this condition. But before we go to the solution at Ayurveda Clinic Chennai, let’s find out a little more about tinnitus.

What is tinnitus?

Tinnitus refers to a constant sound a person perceives often, intermittently, after specific stimuli, or all the time. It varies from a ringing and a whistle to the sound of waves. The intensity of the sound can vary, from being faint and manageable to being unbearably loud. None of these sounds emanate from the person’s environment. They are generated from within the body; hence no one else can hear these sounds. It can affect one or both ears and can completely destroy activities of regular living, with chances of the person even becoming depressed from a feeling of complete helplessness

Why does it occur?

Many reasons have been attributed as the triggers of tinnitus, but Ayurveda approaches this condition differently. But first let’s look at the common triggers/

Something as simple as excessive wax in the ears can lead to tinnitus. Similarly, loud noises or other infections that damage the hair cells or tiny nerves in your inner ear can cause tinnitus. Some medications such as even aspirin are known to trigger tinnitus. Serious underlying conditions such as tumors or cardiovascular conditions also have tinnitus as one of its symptoms. However, presence of tinnitus is not a diagnosis of any of these conditions.

Ayurveda has a completely different take on tinnitus. An imbalance of vata roga is often the root cause of this condition. Ayurveda considers tinnitus as an indicator of a critical internal imbalance associated with the brain. Hence stress is often considered an important trigger for tinnitus. This stress could be caused by improper sleep-wake cycles, excessive use of mobile phones, laptops, and other devices that generate harmful radiations, excessive physical or mental pressure, improper dietary habits, sudden traumatic events, unmonitored harmful exercise routines, and unmonitored intake of medications. All these factors cause an imbalance of vata roga, which manifests in the form of tinnitus. Pitta and kapha roga imbalances can also cause tinnitus but the intensity of the sound varies in these cases.

Managing tinnitus

You definitely require the support of an expert Ayurveda doctor or our doctor at MI Ayurveda Clinic Chennai to manage tinnitus effectively. It requires patience and the determination to change your entire lifestyle, from diet to exercise. I have listed below some of the common approaches that help you manage the condition.

Diet

Always ensure that your food is warm. Completely avoid cold water, chilled food, bitter preparations, and dry food. Add butter to your food, and avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. All the factors that exacerbate vata roga should be eliminated from your diet. Ensure that you follow a strict diet routine of eating on time and spacing out your meals sensibly.

Ayurveda procedures that can help

Karnapooranam: This simple procedure involves introducing medicated Ayurveda oils, or even garlic or sesame oil , into the ears and holding the oil in the ears for about 10 minutes. While its primary effect is to cleanse the ear, this procedure also helps relieve stress and regain the vata balance.

Nasya: The ear, nose, and throat are connected integrally. Hence the calming effect of nasya with medicated herbal formulations in warm sesame oil can help in restoring vata balance. Both these procedures can be performed at home, with the advice of an expert Ayurveda doctor.

Gargling: The throat is the third critical element that completes the triad that needs attention in case of tinnitus. Gargling with medicated herbal formulations known to serve as nerve tonics can be quite beneficial when repeated consistently.

Abhyangam: Of course, massaging the head and feet with medicated Ayurveda formulations can stimulate blood circulation, rejuvenate your body, and calm your mind. Interestingly many points on the feet have a direct beneficial effect on the ears.

Lifestyle changes

Include procedures such as simple scalp massages, nasya, and karnapooranam into your routine, with the strict guidance of your Ayurveda doctor. Limit your exposure to loud noise such as those from head phones and reduce the time you spend in front of your laptop, mobile phones, and other such devices. Practice medication, focusing on the total silence around you as you meditate. Avoid exposure to cold and adopt more warm elements in your life, from warm water to warm clothes and warm temperature setting. Explain your condition to your family members and other people close to you, so they can help you manage the condition effectively. As much as possible reduce stress and find ways of calming your mind and body.

Contact me at MI Ayurveda Clinic Chennai for any further questions you may have about tinnitus. You can connect with me at http://www.miayurveda.org/ or call me at +91-9444615161.

Ensuring Bone Health with Ayurvedic Nutrition: Orthopedic Treatment Ayurveda

Bones form the core of our body, giving every human their basic shape and size. But that’s not all! Bones have many critical roles to play; however, very often wear and tear that comes with aging starts eroding the bones, leading to multiple bone health complications, from osteoporosis and osteoarthritis to scoliosis. Very often, when my patients looking for Orthopedic Treatment Ayurveda who come to my Ayruveda hospital, Chennai with bone-related complications, they are surprised when I assess their nutrition and digestive capabilities. Interestingly, it’s not just wear and tear that’s the culprit, it’s equally the toxins that build up in the digestive system, especially the intestines, that are the culprit. So let’s find out everything there is about the framework of our body – our precious bones!

Why is bone health so important to our body?

Yes, bones form the foundation of our body, giving it shape and size and supporting the muscular tissues. But they have much greater roles to play – they protect vital organs, from the heart to the liver; they are important reserves for precious minerals such as calcium, zinc, and iron; they help in forming blood in their marrows; and they contribute to managing the sensitive electrolyte balance of the body. With Ayurveda scriptures listing many more wondrous benefits of the bones, it’s no wonder that protecting the bones is one of the prime responsibilities of the body.

Focusing on bone health

A common misconception is that you need to focus on bone health only during childhood. This wrong assumption leads many adults to ignore their calcium, vitamin D, and other bone-related needs, resulting in serious bone-related conditions. Bones work on a continuous cycle of creation, growth, death, and elimination, regenerating and healing in case of injuries such as fractures. Hence bones are robust enough to handle all the stress of daily activities. The awareness that bone health should be your focus across all ages is fast increasing, with even the ads spreading information about the need for bone nutrition, especially for women.

The relevance of bone or asthidhathu in Ayurveda

Ayurveda refers to bon as ashtidhathu and is closely related to vata roga. This is why complications in the digestive tract, especially the intestines, cause serious bone-related issues. Vata roga is related to strong intestinal health; hence the presence of ama or toxins in the intestine increases the acidity of the blood. As a result, it takes up all the available calcium to neutralize the excessive acidity. This leads to weak and calcium-depleted bones. Hence, vata imbalance causes reduction in asthidhatu, resulting in osteoporosis and we cover these in orthopedic treatment Ayurveda.

How can you ensure bone health with nutrition and lifestyle changes?

A strong bone-friendly diet and following a healthy lifestyle are critical to ensure that your bones are well taken care of at all times.

Nutrition

Your nutrition should include Vitamin D and calcium-friendly food items – often related to the air and earth, which essentially mean leafy vegetables, grains, sesame, ghee and coconut oil. In addition, bones also require minor amounts of vitamin K and other minerals. However, do not go overboard with self-medication since excess of anything can also be harmful. Hence look for natural ways of supplementing your bones with the required nutrition. Quality time in the sun can also help provide the much-needed Vitamin D, for instance. Hence take the guidance of your Ayurveda doctor before you start on any nutritional support approach.

In orthopedic treatment Ayurveda, we will find different body constitution requires different nutrition to support the bones. For example, people with a predominantly vata constitution require food rich in calcium to sustain their bones, so they have to include curd, root vegetables, sesame, and other nuts in their diet. People with pitta-based constitutions should include legumes such as beans, citrus fruits such as oranges, and kale in their diet, while those with kapha-based constitution should include green vegetables such as ladies finger and legumes.

Herbal formulations

Your Ayurvedic doctor, after a detailed assessment of your current bone health, could recommend appropriate Ayurveda formulations that help restore bone strength or support bone growth in case of fractures. Common examples include guggulu, ashwagandha, and triphala.

Caring for the intestine

Since intestinal health is closely related to bone health, ensure that you pay attention to nourishing your digestive system and hydrating your body carefully. Stay away from junk food and spicy food. Sesame, milk, curd, and many other food items are known to have probiotic effect on the intestinal flora.

Healthy lifestyle

Promote a healthy lifestyle that’s bone friendly. Adopt yoga or a physical activity without straining your body too much so you do not risk bone disorders with a sedentary lifestyle. Get enough sunlight and stay away from smoking, alcohol, and substance abuse.

Maintaining bone health is a critical responsibility that all of us owe to our body – with the right amount of exercise, nutrition, and physical activity, you will easily be able to ensure that your bone stays fit and healthy throughout your lifetime.

Contact me for any questions related to bone health, bandage, orthopedic treatment Ayurveda you have about bone health. You can connect with me at http://www.miayurveda.org/ Ayruveda hospital , Chennai or call me at +91-9444615161.

Detoxify and Nourish Your Body with Ayurveda – Panchakarma Treatment Chennai

Panchakarma is Ayurveda’s power-packed secret for detoxifying the body from the harmful effects of imbalances in rogas, accumulating ama in the digestive system, reduced immunity, and other conditions that affect the body and mind. Panchakarma literally means five modes of treatment that serve as five critical approaches to purify the body and mind, resulting in complete rejuvenation. The treatment approach is personalized – depending on every individual’s requirements in terms of age, health status, mental status, strength, body constitution, roga balance, how strong the digestive system is, and immunity, in addition to other details. With many inquiries that I receive at my Ayurveda hospital in Chennai focusing on details regarding Panchakarma Treatment Chennai, I thought it’s best to give some quick refresher pointers on what Panchakarma is and why it is so beneficial to restore health.

Why should you embrace Panchakarma?

Panchakarma has evolved as a strong therapeutic procedure that is fast embracing not just staunch believers of Ayurveda but also every wellness-seeking individual. The benefits of this miraculous treatment modality is quite well-known by now. Panchakarma’s ability to restore your body’s mental and physical balance, enabling complete internal detoxification, curing illnesses, and building immunity is what makes it the gold standard of Ayurveda treatments.

Here are some of the well-known benefits of Panchakarma:

Body purification by removing the toxins accumulated in the body through digestive tract, nose, and skin.
Improved blood circulation and hence nourishment to the cells and tissues
Improved metabolic capability since the body is now rid of all harmful elements
The rejuvenated body is now strong with impressive immunity
Panchakarma also delivers the benefit of weight loss
This treatment modality also calms the mind, relieving it of all stress

Panchakarma Treatment Chennai, hence strengthens the body, mind, and soul by getting rid of all the toxins that accumulate in our body and stress our mind as a result of our current lifestyle choices.

What happens in Panchakarma?

This is definitely not a one- or two-day wonder where you walk in, get a massage, and walk out. It requires many weeks and individual-based complete focus to complete the protocols. The process can be physically and mentally exhausting. Hence an experienced Ayurveda doctor has to necessarily perform an in-depth assessment of your body’s situation and determine your capability of undergoing this strenuous procedure.

Panchakarma includes 5 treatment protocols, but the entire process includes three critical stages:

Poorvakarma
Pradhanakarma
Paschatkarma

Poorvakarma

This stage prepares the body for the strenuous protocols of the main treatment. At this stage your expert Ayruveda doctor will review your body constitution, immunity levels, and mental strength to determine the exact karmas to be used in the treatment. Your therapists will then prepare your body to withstand the strenuous pradhankarma. This preparatory steps include snehana and swedana.

Snehana involves massaging the body with a select herbal formulation that your Ayurveda doctor recommends specifically for you. The massage improves blood circulation, relaxes your muscles, and helps in moving out the toxins from the tissues. Swedana involves fomentation, which softens and relaxes the tissues and helps remove the toxins in the form of sweat.

Pradhanakarma

The most exhausting part of the procedure is the pradhanakarma. Each procedure requires extensive focus and skill; hence ensure that your therapists are experts who work under the stringent supervision of your Ayurveda doctor. The multiple steps of this stage include purgation, enema, nasal treatment, and digestive tract cleansing.

Vamana

This first step is critical to remove kapha roga imbalance, which helps in case of allergies, asthma, cough, nasal congestion, and related conditions. The process involves inducing vomiting through a combination on snehana, swedana, and internal medications. This requires a few days, as the body needs to completely remove the toxins.

Virechana

This step focuses on the digestive tract and hence is beneficial to correct pitta roga imbalances that cause digestive disorders, skin conditions, joint pain, jaundice, diabetes, and other conditions. Virechana involves inducing purgation and thorough cleansing of the bowels using both internal and external treatments such as Ayurvedic purgatives and massages, respectively.

Basti

This involves administering enemas and related ghee or milk-based Ayruvedic formulations through the rectum. This step removes vata, pitta, and kapha roga imbalances and is great for digestive tract conditions such as colitis and irritable bowel syndrome, piles. muscular spasms, arthritis, kidney stones, and obesity.

Nasya

This fourth step involves administering Ayurvedic oil-based formulations through the nasal cavity and then flushing them out along with the toxins. This procedure removes toxins from head and neck. This step is useful in managing insomnia, nasal conditions, sinusitis, and migraine.

Rakthamokshana

This step is rarely followed and is considered only in case of severe skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and other related disorders. This involves removing impure blood from a selected area or the entire body.

Paschatkarma

The body is exhausted after multiple days of this strenuous treatment; hence the paschatkarma helps in nourishing the body back to normalcy. The experts watch your body’s response to ensure that there are no untoward responses to the detoxification procedure. For Panchakarma Treatment Chennai, your Ayurveda doctor will plan and monitor your diet so you are gradually nourished back to health. Your doctor will also make healthy lifestyle recommendations.

Contact me for any questions you have about panchakarma treatments, and their benefits. You can connect with me at http://www.miayurveda.org/ or call me at +91-9444615161.

Tharpanam – Long-lasting care and nourishment for your eyes through the magic of Ayurveda

Tharpanam in the context of Ayurveda treatments means nourishment and netratarpanam specifically refers to nourishing and caring or the eye. This is a popular treatment to cure ailments of the eye and to remove effects of stress on the eyes. Any influence of vata or pitharoga on the eyes can also be cured with tharpanam. This cleansing procedure is also critical in preventing eye irritation, strain, and diseases, delivering an overall cooling effect and strengthening the nerves arising from the eyes. Tharpanam is becoming an increasingly popular treatment at my Ayurveda clinic in Chennai. Given today’s extensive use of mobile phones, tabs, and laptops, our eyes are perennially strained. This procedure comes in as a savior in such instances. So, here are a few details about tharpanam.

Benefits of tharpanam

Tharpanam completely relieves the harmful effects of a fatigued eye, including reduction of puffiness around the eyes, removing headache, alleviating strain to the eyes, removing basic eye problems such as dry eyes, soothing inflammation, and strengthening the nerves of the eye. Tharpanam is also an effective solution for conditions such as corneal disorders, retinitis, and optic nerve disorders. This treatment is also found to be effective in degenerative eye disorders such as glaucoma.

Procedure

The procedure involves placing medicated Ayurveda formulations, especially ghee-based preparations, into the eye sockets. This requires preparing strong poultices made from lentils. This batter is placed in the form of a ring around the eye region. The formulation or ghee is warmed and poured into this ring. The ring-shaped well seals any leakage and retains the warmth for maximum effect. The duration of time for which the formulation is placed inside the well differs, but the procedure usually extends to about half an hour. It usually lasts for more than one session, depending on the purpose of the treatment and the presence of any underlying disorder. After the process, the medication is removed by draining. At the end of the procedure the region of the eye is gently cleaned with a neat cloth and the eyes are sometimes subjected to fomentation to ensure that the medicated oil is entirely absorbed by the body. Sometimes, the doctor recommends applying a bandage around the eye in the night, after the treatment and between sessions. You might also be given supplement Ayurveda medications and recommended special diets during your recovery period.

The key to the success of this procedure is the composition of the formulation, the ability of the poultice to seal in the formulation, the warmth of the formulation, and the duration. The poultice has to be leak proof and has to be placed around the eye sockets carefully so that the entire region on top of and around the eye is exposed to the medication. The Ayurveda doctor determines the type of formulation, duration, and number of sessions based on the inherent condition of the eye. The patient has to keep the eyes open as much as possible all through the procedure. Hence this could be quite a challenge. But the procedure results in rested eyes and completely distressed eyes and even better eyesight.

Points to note

While undergoing this treatment and during recovery, there are a few rules that patients have to follow. Completely avoid bright light since this adds to the strain. Either avoid going out in the sun or wear eye protection, such as sun glasses, when you go out. Restrict the amount of time you spend in front of the television, mobile phone, and computers. Equally restrict reading and other activities that irritate and strain your eyes. The intention is to completely relax your eyes. Check with your doctor before you start your daily routine practices such as having a hair bath, food, etc.

Contact me for any questions you have about tharpanam, the procedure, and its benefits. You can connect with me at http://www.miayurveda.org/ or call me at +91-9444615161.

Ayurveda Guidelines for a Healthy Bone-Friendly Diet

As an Ayurveda doctor, I am observing an alarmingly increasing tendency over the recent years for people to develop bone-related disorders. Bones form the framework of our body; hence weakened bones will completely reduce your body’s strength and lead to all types of complications from osteoporosis to a crippling body pain. The best form of cure is definitely prevention, and in addition to a bone-friendly lifestyle, following a bone-friendly diet is critical. But what are the common causes of bone-related issues? Let’s take a look.

Common causes of bone-related issues and why bone-friendly diet

Menopause: Menopause leads to a complete change in a woman’s hormonal profile, especially as a result of lack of estrogen production. As a result, the bones in women become weak and easily prone to injury
Reduced intake of calcium and other bone-friendly elements: Calcium and Vitamin D are the core enablers of a healthy bone structure. If your daily diet does not include enough sources of these two food elements, then you definitely run the risk of facing a bone disorder.
Certain conditions and drug increase the elimination of calcium in urine. If this does not get compensated with the right extent of intake, then the bone structure considerably weakens.
A tendency for bone disorders such as osteoporosis is hereditary. Hence when you know that your chances of developing a bone disorder are high, it is better to develop a preventive plan.
Poor lifestyle: A sedentary lifestyle, poor postures, and complete lack of physical exercise are all aggravating factors for bone disorders.
Fall and accidents also lead to bone issues, where the bone formation process needs to be enabled with some additional nourishment.

So, now we know the common reasons why we worry about fortifying our bones. Let’s now look at some of the do’s and don’ts of bone nourishment and what a bone-friendly diet looks like.

Don’t

Never go overboard with salt. Salt causes excessive elimination of calcium through the urine.
Avoid cold and bitter-tasting food items
Avoid alcohol and dried vegetables
Avoid processed and canned foods

Do’s

Eat nuts, green leafy vegetables, and dairy prodcuts so you get your regular intake of vitamin D.
Don’t forget your ghee – include it in all your meals
Sources of plant estrogens are great diet inclusions – for example, soyabeans and sesame seeds.
Milk, buttermilk and all the milk products should be included generously in your diet.
Always check the nutrition value on food packets to find the level of vitamin, salt, and calcium in them
Include a lot of proteins in your food, from legumes to beans.
Include a lot of fruits and vegetables in your diet; for example, bananas, papaya, watermelon, carrot, spinach, tomatoes, potatoes, and mushrooms
Try adding a lot of brown rice in your diet
Sesame is one of the best source of calcium, so add it liberally to your diet.
Many herbs are precious in supporting strong bones; for example, triphala, aamla, ashwagandha, and brahmi are great sources of calcium.

Never ignore your bone since they form the foundation of your body. Hence in addition to a healthy lifestyle, follow a healthy and bone-friendly diet to keep all bone-related disorders at bay. To find out more about bone-friendly diet, please do connect with me at http://www.miayurveda.org/ or call me at +91-9444615161.

Sirolepa – An Effective Ayurveda Treatment for Scalp and Head-Related Conditions

Sirolepa directly translates as an application to the head. Also called pothichal, this treatment is an extremely procedure that Ayurveda doctors prescribe for scalp and head-related conditions, from simple headache and dandruff cure to even supplementary care for hemiplegia and mental disorders. A simple application of a paste of herbal formulations across the entire scalp and allowing the medications to permeate through the scalp for a specific period for more than one session can have a significant effect on the body and mind. Sirolepa is one of the most common procedures that I recommend for my patients visiting my clinic in Chennai, especially for its calming effect. Let’s find out a little more about Sirolepa.

Benefits of Sirolepa

Sirolepa shows incredible benefits in curing conditions such as headache, dandruff, and other conditions affecting the hair and scalp such as graying of hair and hair fall. It also shows incredible improvement in case of facial paralysis, disorders of the eye, and even scalp disorders, as well as ear-, nose-, and throat related disorders. The procedure helps in sharpening vision and helping cure insomnia. However, one of its other predominant effects is that the treatment keeps the body and mind calm and peaceful, removing fatigue and anxiety. An interesting application of Sirolepa is in enhancing memory power and managing mental disorders such as vertigo, depression, hyperactivity, and Alzheimer’s disease by using potent medications in the form of pastes during the procedure. Overall this procedure is useful for vata rogas and pitta rogas.

Procedure followed for Sirolepa

There are many simple variants of the Sirolepa; however, the overall procedure is common. As a first step, the therapist first performs a gentle head massage with herbal oil. This process lasts for about 15 minutes. After this preparatory step, the main process begins. The therapist now prepares a herbal formulation in the form of a paste. The main ingredients depend on the type of condition the patient has and the purpose of the treatment. The decision about the specific medicinal herbs and the carrier oil is taken by the Ayurveda doctor after a thorough examination of the patient.

The commonly used herbs include amla, rasanadi, shikakai, triphala, brahmi, and bringaraka. The carriers are usually ghee or buttermilk or any other potent carrier. The therapist prepares a finely ground paste and places the paste all over the scalp evenly, ensuring that every part of the scalp is covered with a thick layer. The entire scalp is then covered with a fresh banana leaf or lotus leaf, which is tied securely. The therapist then waits for 15 minutes for all the medications to seep through and enter the blood stream through the scalp. The banana leaf is then removed and the entire paste is removed and the excess oil wiped off or washed away. Rice bran water is sometimes used for this process. The overall procedure takes about 60 to 90 minutes.

In some variants of this process, a thin muslin cloth is tied over the forehead, so that the paste does not seep through to the eyes. As a last step the therapist gives a warm water bath to the patient.

Sirolepa is not recommended as a one-time procedure. It is repeated across 2 to 3 weeks, with definite period of rest between two sessions. Only then will the patient observe considerable benefits. However, please be sure to consult an expert Ayurveda doctor who can perform a detailed diagnosis and recommend just the right mode of Sirolepa, in terms of the herbal formulation, for you.

Contact me for any questions you have about Sirolepa. You can connect with me at http://www.miayurveda.org/ or call me at +91-9444615161.

Nourish Your Digestive Agni with Ayurveda-Based Approaches Based on Your Body Constitution

Agni means fire, but Agni is also the core source, responsible for creating and nourishing life. Agni or fire is hence critical for Ayurveda, and is one of the five structural elements or building blocks of the human body. One important responsibility of fire is nourishment or digestion. A healthy digestive system ensures a strong digestive agni and hence a well-balanced mind, body, and soul. However the approach to proper nourishment to protect your agni varies between vata-, pitta-, and kapha-dominant personalities. What are the ideal food habits that you need to follow for these three different types of people? How can these habits promote your digestive agni? Let’s find out.

Ideal food habits for Vata-dominant people

Vata indicates warmth; hence people whose vata roga is predominant must focus on consuming warm food that is cooked well. They must stay away from cold and even uncooked food. Ensure that you maintain a healthy gap between meals and eat small amounts across multiple times rather than stuff your digestive system with heavy and unhealthy food. This regular approach of feeding the human body with healthy food will benefit a vata-type personality.

Recommended foods include soups, well-cooked food, rice and other grains, butter, nuts, oils, and juicy fruit. Avoid salads and similar raw and cold food that’s drying, including apples. Reduce your intake of legumes and ensure that you soak them overnight to reduce the flatulence they cause. Limited intake of milk and other dairy products are also recommended.

Ideal food habits for Pitta-dominant people

Pitta is all about fire and their bodies are primarily warm. As a result these individuals have a pretty strong digestive system and fast metabolism. Although they can manage most food items, they should ideally stay away from salty and sour food and items that increase the body heat further. These lucky individuals can afford to add considerable sweet, cool, and raw food like salad in their diet. Most grains including rice and wheat, dairy products, and most vegetables are good for them. Very few items such as garlic, hot spices, excess salt and sour fruits and vegetables should be avoided. Of course, lime can be added. Although their digestive system is strong, they should reduce the intake of legumes and oil, except coconut oil.

Ideal food habits for Kapha-dominant people

People with kapha-dominant personality have high immunity but their rate of metabolism is slow; hence they have a high tendency to put on weight. So their food intake must help them take their mind off food and focus on health. This means they should include more of bitter-tasting food in their diet. These individuals must be extremely careful about what they eat, avoiding fatty and fried food, heavy dairy, and grains. Focus on grains such as millet and barley, vegetables from above the ground, and raw and steamed food. Avoid excessive sweets, nuts, and legumes. Limit salt intake and heavy food. The focus is to eat light.

General Ayurveda-based recommendations to nourish your digestive agni

Avoid snacking between meals – give your body time to assimilate each meal before going to the next
Prepare your digestive system for a meal by taking warm fluids
Eat smaller amounts but for more number of times across a day and eat only when you are hungry
Breakfast and lunch can be heavier than dinner – ensure that dinner is always light
Focus on what you eat – chew your food well and enjoy what you eat
Make it a point to add spices and ingredients such as turmeric, pepper, ginger, and cumin, which have carminative, antiseptic, and weight loss effects
After eating enable your digestive tract to breakdown the food and absorb nutrients; hence avoid sleeping after a meal
Detoxify your digestive system regularly with cleansing through fasting and smart dieting

These approaches will not only nourish your digestive agni but also help you avoid hurting your digestive system and your entire body. You will need the support of your trusted Ayurveda doctor to assess what your body type is and then follow a specific and dedicated diet model. Contact me for any further questions you may have about planning your diet. You can connect with me at http://www.miayurveda.org/ or call me at +91-9444615161.

What’s Vata, Pitta, and Kapha Roga all about?

I just realized that we have spoken a lot about different forms of health conditions, treatment modalities, natural ingredients, and living healthy the Ayurveda way. But we never really spoke about what vata, pitta, and kapha roga is all about. These three terms form the fundamental core of Ayurveda. Interestingly, according to Ayurvedic principle every matter across the universe is a combination of five critical elements – earth, air, water, fire, and ether. What are these five elements? How are they related to vata, pitta, and kapha roga? Why do these three rogas need to be in sync for a healthy body? Let’s find out.

The five elements and their relation to vata, pitta, and kapha roga

Each of the five elements represents a specific state of matter, which in Ayurveda is not restricted to solid, liquid, and gas. Ether is another name for the space between matter, which is often considered the basic foundation of matter. Air represents the gaseous state, where matter is free to move in the ether. Fire represents the heat generated from the collision of matter, while water represents the liquid form of matter and earth the solid form. As per Ayurvedic principles, every human body has each of these five elements embedded within it and these elements contribute towards creating a person’s unique body constitution. However, the body in addition to these structural elements requires functional elements to perform its routine activities. These functional elements are the vata, pitta, and kapha roga. Hence each individual has a varying percentage of contribution from each of the five structural elements and each of the three functional elements, energies, or rogas. This combination is unique for every individual and hence determines the health quotient, type of body, mental makeup, and tendency for illness for each person.

How does the balance of the three rogas influence the human body?

Although a healthy body is said to have a clear balance of the three rogas, or the functional energies of the body, one type of roga is often found to have a slightly dominant effect. The type and extent of dominance of a specific roga will determine a person’s propensity for a specific type of illness, state of mind, energy levels, digestive strength, etc. So let’s look at the characteristic of each type of roga.

Vata roga

Vata roga focuses on air and ether. Hence, their primary areas of control include respiration, circulation, intestines, ears, bones, pelvic bone region, etc. When vata roga is not in balance the individual has a tendency for anxiety-related disorders, dry skin, and digestive issues. These individuals are usually thin, with sharp thinking.

Pitta roga

Pitta is associated with the two opposing elements, fire and water. These are mainly associated with the digestive system and control the stomach and small intestines. Interestingly, they also influence the hormonal action, influencing the skin, sweat glands and even the circulatory system. People with a pitta-based imbalance are prone to digestive disorders such as ulcers and heart burn. They also have a tendency to develop heart disorders. These individuals often have a strong personality.

Kapha roga

Kapha roga is connected to earth and water, which means that this functional element supports growth and nourishment, strengthening the body, especially the spine and chest areas. People with a propensity for kapha are prone to have trouble with chest congestion, sinus complications, and are even prone to diabetes. Their nature is usually calm and composed, and these individuals tend to put on weight easily.

How can you find out what your primary nature is?

Every individual has a propensity of one of the three rogas and to a certain percentage. This value will provide you and your Ayurveda doctor a clear idea about your body, your personality, your tendency to develop illness, and your likes and dislikes. Very often, when you visit an Ayurveda hospital, your Ayurveda doctor will hold your pulse for a very long time and listen in. This is because in Ayurveda there are more than 10 points on your wrist where the pulse can be felt. Each of these pulses will determine the status of your body and mind. Your Ayurveda doctor will also ask you many questions about your routine, habits, health issues, and diet. In addition, the examination will involve the doctor evaluating your skin, eyes, nails, tongue, and other parts of your body. This assessment take quite a long time; however, it always provides your Ayurveda doctor with a clear idea of your roga balance. It will also help your doctor find out the specific roga that is dominant and imbalanced. With this information, your doctor can with confidence determine not just the balance of your functional elements but your structural elements, or your body constitution. This will also bring out your current health conditions and your body and mind’s propensity to develop specific conditions in future.

Vata, pitta, and kapha roga – the key to finding what your body thinks

The next time you visit your Ayurveda doctor and wonder why the initial assessment is taking so long, please remember it is this detailed assessments that brings out hidden conditions. It also tells your doctor about you or rather, which roga is predominant in you and what this means for your health. So when your Ayurveda doctor asks you about your emotions, sleep habits, food habits, physical activity, or other such questions, ensure that you give the right answers. This will help your doctor make the perfect diagnosis, and focus on delivering the ideal treatment plan, diet plan, and lifestyle recommendations. Contact me for any further questions you may have about the three rogas. You can connect with me at http://www.miayurveda.org/ or call me at +91-9444615161.

The Magical Healing Effect of Dinesavalyadi – One of the most Potent Ayurveda Solutions for Skin Conditions

Dineshavalli or the red creeper is an unassuming climber found commonly across India, which is woody in nature. It is large, with a thick and leafy spread. The bark of this creeper is what is precious in Ayurveda, creating Dinesavalyadi formulations in kuzhambu and thailam forms. Dinesavalyadi is a blessing for those with skin problems, but it also has many other benefits. However, most of its applications are external. Many of my patients at my Ayurveda hospital are in awe of the power of dinesavalyadi in curing skin conditions, from a simple wound to infections such as herpes and allergies. Hence, I thought I could introduce the benefits of Dinesavalyadi to all of you.

Benefits of dinesavalyadi

The medicated thailam and kuzhambu forms of dinesavalyadi find mentions in Sahasrayoga. It is said to have two primary effects – curing twak doshas, or skin conditions, and enhancing varna, or improving complexion. Hence, this oil is extremely sought after for dermatological conditions and beauty treatments. From an Ayurvedic point of view these formulations help regain the kapha and pitta roga balance in case of wounds and other skin problems. Its various applications include the following

Easy healing of wounds
Enabling improved skin complexion
The soothing effect in case of skin allergies such as allergic dermatitis
Effective management of skin infections such as herpes and abscesses
Controlling itching in case of insect bites
Reverting the effect of suntan
Management and cure of conditions such as psoriasis and eczema

With zero side effects for the external application, dinesavalyadi kuzhambu and thailam is indeed an ideal solution for most of your skin conditions. Simple and hassle-free application and easy combination with other forms of treatment modalities such as abhyangam or internal Ayurveda or even Allopathic medications make this formulation a popular choice.

Common combinations

Coconut oil is a critical carrier and foundation that delivers all the benefits of dinesavalyadi. Most preparations of dinesavalyadi include three parts a liquid, a paste, and an oil. In most cases, the extract from the bark of dinesavalli is used, with coconut oil as the vehicle. The preparation also includes other active ingredients such as punarnava. Among the two common forms, the kuzhambu is thicker and includes many more ingredients.

Although dinesavalyadi formulations hardly show any side effects and have direct and clear benefits, you would definitely need the help of an Ayurveda doctor to be sure that you indeed require the benefits that dinesavalyadi can provide. Contact me for any further questions you may have about dinesavalyadi. You can connect with me at http://www.miayurveda.org/ or call me at +91-9444615161.

It can be used for a long period of time on a daily basis. Discuss with an experienced practitioner

Easy and Effective Winter Care with Ayurvedic Solutions

I never thought I would ever be providing Chennaiites with winter care solutions! But this winter is turning out to be quite cold and dry. I am receiving many inquiries at my Ayurveda hospital in Chennai, seeking a solution for some of the common winter-related complications, from flu and infection to joint-related disorders. Hence, I thought I could pull out some of the most effective Ayurveda solutions that can help you stay healthy during tropical winters!

What are the common winter health complications?

Most of the health-related issues in winter are because of imbalances in vata, and sometimes kapha roga. Vata is associated with the words cold and dry; hence ensure that you balance vata roga by incorporating warm and moisturizing elements in your routine. Some of the common complications include the following.

Dryness of the skin

Lack of winter care completely strips out all moisture from the skin, leading to scaly and even broken skin. It often leads to intense itchiness, which is also confused with skin allergies. The dryness extends to the joint fluids also – this irritates most body joints, leading to numbness, severe pain, and even limited joint movement. Winter often sees an increase in such complaints. This dryness also attacks the sinuses, exacerbating the condition in those who are prone to sinus complaints.

Flu and other infections

The heavy atmosphere often leads to the irritants and contaminants hanging low in your immediate environment. As a result, flu and other contamination-related contagious conditions are on the rise. The mucus secretion also increases during this season, leading to related infections. Allergic conditions such as asthma are also on the rise during this season owing to the same reason – the allergens are present in the heavy air around the immediate environment.

Digestive complications

Interestingly, our digestive system is quite active during this climate, yet it increases our digestive complications. The reason is our increased hunger, which often prompts us to eat unhealthy or junk food that are tough to digest. This leads to digestive conditions that are entirely avoidable in the first place.

How can you ensure proper winter care with Ayurveda?

Many Ayurvedic solutions can provide you the much-needed relief in winter. The core focus of Ayurveda is to improve nourishment and build immunity – whether it is for your skin, body, or even hair. Rasayanas that rejuvenate your body and mind, building immunity and strengthening your digestive power, are a favorite. The other approaches include a smart combination of physical procedures, internal medications, food, and lifestyle changes.

Abhyangam

Abhyangam is one of the best ways to beat dryness of the skin. Avoid heating the oil excessively and stick to lukewarm coconut, sesame, or other oils that your Ayurveda doctor prescribes. Massages during the mornings are quite effective as they add a protective moisturizing coating on the skin, improve blood circulation, and even reduce stress by calming the nerves. This procedure is also effective in promoting joint movements and in detoxification. So not only do you enjoy a soft, glowing skin in winter, but you can also benefit from clean and fresh internal systems

Using lukewarm water

Although our tendency is to use hot water while taking a bath, avoid extremely hot water and stick to lukewarm water since too much heat removes the moisture and oily nature from your skin.

Preventing dry feet and legs

Dry feet and legs are a common problem in winter. Hence padabhyangam or a foot massage with volatile oils and ayurvedic formulations can not just remove dead cells from your feet but also soften and soothe your feet skin and muscles.

Dryness of the face

Face massage with sesame oil, castor oil, or Ayurveda oils such as nalpamaradi oil can help remove dryness; however, consult with your Ayurveda doctor if you have an oily skin and to determine how long you would need to leave in the oil on your face. Else it might worsen the condition, leading to pimples and pigmentation.

Preventing dryness in the scalp

Often confused for infections, dandruff is more the result of a dry scalp. You can prevent this by a long session of head massage that nourishes your scalp, improves blood circulation, and drives away the dryness. Popular oils include brahmi oil and coconut oil. But oils have a cooling effect on your scalp; hence avoid excessive massages.

A sensible diet

Ensure that your diet calms the vata and enhances your body’s immunity. Prioritize adding warm food and cooked or steamed vegetables to your diet. Use dairy products with care since although they have properties that benefit vata, they can also excessively cool your body, increasing mucus generation. Although you tend to feel hungry in this climate, avoid stuffing your body with too much food or with junk food.

Improve your body’s immunity

Follow a healthy lifestyle of normal sleep-wake cycle, stress-free lifestyle, healthy food, and smart exercise routines that boost your immune system. Supplement your body with Rasayanas as per your Ayurveda doctor’s recommendation.

A cool wintery Chennai is indeed a rarity. But before you can go all out and enjoy the pleasantly cool climate, ensure that your body is strongly protected against the troubles that this cold climate can bring in. Contact me for any further questions you may have about managing winter-related health troubles and proper winter care with Ayurveda. You can connect with me at http://www.miayurveda.org/ or call me at +91-9444615161.