If it does not, then you are transdermally poisoning yourself on a daily basis! 

We know, with Ayurveda, that there are four kinds of toxins that can harm us. But one of them is particularly insiduous, as it is slow and silent, creeping into our physiology at our own invitation, poisoning us slowly but surely, day in and day out (you can read more about all 4 types on my blog at www.vaidyamishra.com/blog).

We chose to wake up to it and fall asleep with it every day. In Ayurveda, it is called “garavisha” from “gara” = slow, and “visha” = poison. It refers to poisoning by heavy metals and other naturally occurring elements in nature. In the west, we have named toxic substances that harm us: “xenobiotics.” By definition, xenobiotics are foreign chemical substance found within an organism that are normally not meant to be there as they are not naturally produced by or expected to be present within that organism. We are poisoning ourselves daily with a wide range of carcinogenic health hazardous toxic chemicals from sunrise to sunset: starting with that toothpaste that contains chemical additives, the mouthwash that has synthetic flavors and colors, our shampoo and conditioner, our bath soaps, the perfume or deodorants we use to cover up body odor, the make-up we apply on our faces to conceal fatigue and aging, even the room air-fresheners. But while we may chose not to use some of the above items, something none of us can do without is: detergent.

Did you know that the detergent that you use to wash your clothes leaves behind a trail of toxic chemicals that come in direct contact with your skin, not just during your waking hours, but while you are also asleep. Did you know that this is the worse poison you can expose yourself to?

All laundry detergents that are traditionally formulated to clean and sanitize your sheets, and clothes contain a long list of chemicals that are highly hazardous to health. All these chemicals have been identified by research as xenobiotics, and in Ayurveda, we know them to be slow poisons, or garavisha. Garavisha slowly spreads into the body so that you won’t feel anything for weeks, months, or years. But that chronic and/or autoimmune condition that you suddenly wake up to one fine morning will be its gift down the line. Here is a list of all the toxic chemicals that you are exposing yourself to. Your current detergent may contain some or all of the following toxic hazardous ingredients:

Synthetic Fragrances -  75% of the fragrances contain phthalates. Phthalates have been linked to diabetes, obesity and hormone disruption which affects both development and fertility. They are derived from petroleum and include benzene derivatives, aldehydes and many other known toxins and synthesizers.

Nonylphenol Ethoxylates (NPEs) – This group of nonionic surfactant petrochemicals has already been banned in Canada and the European Union, but it is still found in American detergents. NPEs are endocrine disruptors that adversely affect physical function and fetal development. Infants and children are especially vulnerable to these chemicals, which are known to adversely affect neurologic, immune, cardiac, kidney and liver function as well.

Bleach, (Sodium Hypochlorite) – Sodium hypochlorite and other cleaning chemicals such as fragrances and surfactants react to generate chlorinated VOCs ( volatile organic compounds), which are very toxic and are considered human carcinogens. Chlorinated compounds are emitted during use; as it flows down the drain, bleach can produce organochlorines ( OC) , which are endocrine disruptors, neurotoxic, and carcinogenic.

EDTA ( ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid) – This group of compounds is used as an alternative to phosphates to reduce mineral hardness in water, to prevent bleaching agents from becoming active before they are put in water, and also as a foaming stabilizer. EDTA has been found to be citotoxic (kills cells) and as well as genotoxic (damages DNA) in laboratory animals.

Linear Alkyl Benzene Sulfonates (LAS) – These synthetic petrochemicals are normally listed as “anionic surfactants” on labels, and are one of the most common surfactants in use. During their production process, carcinogenic and reproductive toxins such as benzene are released into the environment. They also biodegrade slowly, making them a hazard in the environment. The amount of LAS used in detergents may vary to as high as 30% of the weight of the total product

Phosphates -  Phosphates are the main cleaning ingredients in many detergents and household cleaners because they break down dirt particles and remove stains by softening the water and allowing suds to form, which enhances the cleaning power of the detergent. Phosphates residues are known to cause nausea, diarrhea and skin irritation. They remain active even after wastewater treatment processes and end up in rivers and lakes, where they act as “toxic fertilizer”.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) , Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), and Ammonium Laurel Sulfate (ALS) – are commonly used in detergents and acts as surfactants and emulsifiers, giving the detergent foaming abilities.  Over 16,000 research studies on SLS have shown links to irritation of the skin and eyes, organ toxicity, developmental/reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, ecotoxicology, biochemical or cellular changes and even cancer.

A great amount of studies have been conducted on the toxic health hazardous chemical fumes – VOC volatile organic compound – that penetrate our bodies via different means: inhalation; transdermally through our skin; through exposure to contaminated food and water. Entering the body through different pathways, xenobiotics, or garavisha, travels all the way deep into the body by crossing the bodily tissues one after the other: rasa(lymphatic tissue), rakta (blood tissue), mamsa (muscle), meda(fat), asthi(bone), majja(bone marrow), and shukra (reproductive tissue). Depending on whether these toxic chemical fumes are lipid or water soluble, they find their host either in the fat tissue, or if they are water soluble, they remain in the blood tissue.

Impact on the tissues/“dhatus” 

Travelling from one tissue deeper into the other, and depending on their solubility (fat or water), they permanently come to reside where they are best absorbed. When they come in contact with toxins that are already present there, such as the micro-crystals of “amavisha,” then they chemically bind themselves to each other and become even more toxic and virulent, traveling to deeper bodily tissues. The deeper they go, the greater the opportunity for them to create local and generalized damage to cells and bring about chronic conditions and diseases.

For example, when they reach the bone marrow, such a toxic load can create difficult-to-treat conditions and auto-immune diseases. This is a very big topic in Ayurveda, and I have discussed it at great length in many of my courses and lectures.

Impact on the Organs 

When it comes to the organs, based on where the toxic damage is located, whether it is in the respiratory tract, or the skin, or the liver, the body will generate different symptoms. The liver, lung, and the skin are usually the immediate victims because they have to process these toxins first and foremost.

Think about it: when you walk past your laundry room and you are either washing or drying your clothes and the air is filled with that synthetic “fresh and clean soap scent,” you are inhaling a cloud of toxic chemicals in your lungs! When these go into the lungs, they inflame the bronchial channels. Long term exposure will burden the lungs and cause breathing problems and complications resulting in disease. 

Then when you put on those clothes, the toxic chemical micro-molecules get immediately absorbed by your skin and delivered into your blood stream. From then on, your body will respond to these hostile toxins either with a skin rash, skin inflammation, or you might not feel anything for a while, and the toxic build-up will continue to accumulate in your body, until you get a different symptom that’s harder to identify and address!

Our bodies are endowed with a great capacity to protect themselves against external toxic materials, they are also highly intelligent and know how to detox when hazardous chemical infiltrate. But if you keep exposing yourself day in and day out to these chemicals, inhaling them, placing them on your skin, it becomes harder for our body, with time, to keep detoxing, and we end up losing the battle.

Most of all, your liver will give up! The liver is the most important organ in our bodies that is in charge of filtering all the toxins we get exposed to. The biggest victim of xenobiotics is by far, the liver. When the liver is challenged, then the intelligence of our blood is diminished, as the liver produces our blood. When our blood loses its intelligence, then our bone marrow tissue becomes compromised. When our bone marrow is under toxic attack and compromised, our immunity fails. The greatest diseases of our age result from challenged and weakened immune systems.

Impact on the physical channels 

Xenobiotics have deleterious effects on all levels of our bodies: large and small, gross and subtle. According to Ayurveda, our micro circulatory channels, called “shukshma shrotas” in Sanskrit, transport and deliver enzymes, nutrients, and many other life-sustaining ingredients and vibrations. When these micro channels are affected and become inflamed due to xenobiotics, they rupture, and the whole chemical balance of our physiology, on a very deep subtle level, is disrupted, resulting in a myriad of incurable diseases.

Impact on Nadi-s, or Vibrational Channels

Vibrational channels receive and deliver pranic energy. Pranic energy is what animates creation, life as we know it on earth. From this energy, our body gets sustenance for all it does. Xenobiotics are made up of synthetic chemicals. They d

o not carry any pranic energy at all. Theirs is an non-pranic vibration that fights against the cosmic pranic energy, as it gets mixed up in our bodies with our own pranic energy. It is liking mixing water soluble ingredients with water, oil soluble with oil, vibrational materials with vibration. The non-pranic vibration from these synthetic chemicals mixes with and pollutes prana because they are both operating on the same level. When xenobiotics race through our blood, disrupting the flow of our bodily pranic energy, they travel and take-over the nadi-s, corrupting in particular the sandhi-s or gaps between two nadi-s where pranic transformation and transmission happens. When things get disrupted on this subtle level, then all bodily metabolic  transformation get compromised. This is akin to the impact that electromagnetic radiation has on our bodies.

Isn’t it time we stopped poisoning ourselves? Why use health-hazardous chemicals when we can use the detergent that mother nature intended for us? Soapnuts (Sapindus mukorossi) grow on trees, that grow wild all over India and Asia. They are natural cleaning berries (the seed is discarded and the shell is used) whose shells release saponins, a natural substance that works much like soap for removing dirt and grease residues from clothes as well as other surfaces. It can be used with hot or cold water. It’s been used in Ayurveda for ever as part of formulations for washing hair! I have been using it in my SVA HerbRich Shampoo for years.

Soapnuts are biodegradable, eco-friendly, sustainable and hypoallergenic. They clean and soften your laundry. They are also the best   thing for babies! I have added strands of Vetiver to give additional freshness and cleanliness. With the Soapnuts, you can not only steer clear of toxic hazardous chemicals that poison your household, but you will also avoid polluting your environment and nature with toxic chemical residues that disrupt the plant and animal cycles on earth. Soapnuts are compostable, sustainable, and fragrance-free. You will never want to use anything else after you see how bright it will make your whites, and bring back the color in your colors, adding softness and freshness, and keeping you garavisha-free all year round! Mother Nature has always given us all that we ever needed, and more! Isn’t the greatest show of gratitude for her gifts the actual use of those gifts, so we can protect our lives and the environment she created for us to thrive in?

The post Does your Laundry Detergent grow on Trees? appeared first on Vaidya Mishra's Ayurveda Knowledge Blog.

“Dear Vaidya,

What about cold pressed (black) sesame oil, Caraka mentions this as next best after ghee? 

Martin”

Vaidya Answers: 

Dear Martin: yes, this is a good question you raise, as the Charak Samhita states that the next best thing after ghee – in case one cannot consume ghee – is cold pressed black sesame oil. However, again, here we have to take into account the fact that sesame oil, when used as is on its own, can be too heating for high pitta type people. One alternative to correcting this tendency would be to carefully cook this oil with soma-predominant vegetables – such as toru, or loki. These vegetables will balance out the heating tendencies of the sesame oil. Sesame oil is a very unique oil because it can adapt to and adopt the properties of the ingredients it is mixed with. In general, it is ideal for kapha type people, or for people with kapha aggravation, who are experiencing ama production in the stomach due to low-agni and high kledak kapha. In this situation, cooking with sesame oil can be therapeutic.

The post Black Sesame Seed Oil: Next Best Thing After Ghee – for All? appeared first on Vaidya Mishra's Ayurveda Knowledge Blog.

” Hello,

I have hard time to get into sleep during night. Many times I was awake whole night, and in the morning I get headaches but I am very proper in following my bed time schedule. I take warm milk with some ginger and turmeric but no help.

I also don’t want to take any herbal medicines as I think it will work till I take those and after it won’t.

So please suggest some transdermal creams to get good sleep which will last for longer.

Nithya”.

Vaidya replies:

Dear Nithya: first thing is you should stop mixing ginger and turmeric with your milk. Instead, make a recipe of milk date shake:

Boil milk with a couple cardamom pods, a stick of cinnamon; take off the heat, pour into a blender and add 1-2 pitted medjool dates and blend. Drink warm before bed.

In addition to this, do a gentle self-massage with SVA Vata oil with Magnesium and Vit D before bed, focusing on your legs and arms and lower back. Then take a shower and wash the oil off.

Nighttime is  “soma time,” and our bodies need more soma to get proper sleep. Milk is somagenic, that’s why it is recommended in general in Ayurveda; but turmeric and ginger are agneya or fiery by nature, so instead of mixing milk with turmeric and ginger, prepare your milk with dates, as a milk date shake. This will give you more liquid soma from milk, and soma from dates as well.

Another thing is: you need to calm down your vata, pacify your nervous system before going to sleep. It will not help that you are going to bed on time if your nervous system is in a state of  disarray from the activities of the day. Some gentle slow yoga will certainly help, or gentle sow pranayam. And you should do a self-massage with SVA Vata oil with Magnesium and Vitamin D. Do whole body massage, leave the oil on for 20 minutes, and then take a nice long shower, using Soma Nidra soap. After your shower, you can also apply the Soma Nidra roll-on on your cervical spine area, and the sides of the neck. The herbs in the vata oil, the Soma Nidra roll-on and the soap, will help pacify your vata and calm you nervous system further, after you’ve done your Date Milk Shake. Try these remedies and let us know.  Thank you.

The post Help: Can’t Fall Asleep! appeared first on Vaidya Mishra's Ayurveda Knowledge Blog.

“Dear Dr. Mishra,

I have a question regarding your magnesium/vitamin D oil. I recently received the test results of my blood work and my doctor says I need to take 5,000 units of vitamin D. How much is in your oil? I am not sure I am receiving enough from your oil. I am dark skinned and do not spend a lot of time in the sun.

The doctor has also advised me to take additional iodine. I have purchased your Soma Salt. Does it have iodine? Are there any other natural ways of receiving iodine? 

Finally what do you think of organic cod liver oil from fresh water fish? I took this for 3 years to increase my vitamin D levels which are now at 30. I recently stopped after purchasing your vitamin D/magnesium oil because I did not want to have too much vitamin D. 

I look forward to your response.

Regards,

Rhonda J.”

Vaidya Replies:

Dear Rhonda, my Vit D transdermal cream will deliver 3400 units of Vit D per 1 gram, while the roll-on will deliver 1400 units of Vit D per 10ml of the liquid. The same applies for the roll-on. The key is to supplement these transdermal products with a balanced alkaline diet. If you lead a stressful life-style, inflammation and acidic toxins adversely affect the levels of Vit D in your body as well. Try to correct things holistically, not just by supplementing what is missing. Otherwise, Cod liver oil is also a good source of Vit D that you can take in addition to the transdermal creams. If your diet is balanced (alkaline, nourishing, fresh, and timely), and you are using the Vit D Transdermal creams, you will see improvement over time. Many have.

The SVA Soma Salt does not contain any iodine. You can get iodine through food. For example, seaweed. If you regularly eat seaweed (multiple times a week), you will probably receive enough iodine. However, the availability of iodine from seaweed is variable so that sometimes you may end up getting too much iodine, which you also don’t want.

Cases of iodine toxicity reported in scientific journals are often from excessive amounts of kelp and kelp tablets. Iodine toxicity may develop when intake is > 1.1 mg/day. Consuming too much usually does not affect thyroid function, but it may, causing the thyroid gland to become overactive and produce excess thyroid hormones (hyperthyroidism), particularly in people who used to consume too little iodine. However, sometimes excess iodine can decrease production of thyroid hormones (causing hypothyroidism). As a result, the thyroid gland enlarges, forming a goiter. Goiters can form when the thyroid gland is underactive or overactive.

If people consume very large amounts of iodine, they may have a brassy taste in their mouth and produce more saliva. Iodine can irritate the digestive tract and cause a rash.

When iodine is deficient, the thyroid gland enlarges, forming a goiter, as it attempts to capture more iodine for the production of thyroid hormones. The thyroid gland becomes underactive and produces too little thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism). Fertility is reduced. In adults, hypothyroidism may cause puffy skin, a hoarse voice, impaired mental function, dry and scaly skin, sparse and coarse hair, intolerance to cold, and weight gain.

Infants, children, and adults with iodine deficiency are treated with iodine supplements taken by mouth. Infants are also given supplements of thyroid hormone taken by mouth, sometimes throughout life. Children and adults may also be given thyroid hormone supplements. But before taking the path of supplementation, unless your medical doctor has already advised you to do so, in which case you should not hesitate to follow his recommendation, it is good to try to correct your diet to include more iodine from natural sources. I do not recommend using regular table salt with iodine, as that salt impairs health by retaining toxins and water in the body. Sea salt that may be a better source of natural iodine might also be too sharp and pitta aggravating according to Ayurveda. So I would try to incorporate food items that can support and boost your iodine levels naturally.

What foods are naturally high in iodine? Iodine is a component of almost every living plant and animal. No standard measurements of iodine in food exist because iodine concentrations vary across the world. In general, foods from the sea contain the most iodine, followed by animal foods, then plant foods. Of all foods, seaweed (like kelp), is the most well known and reliable source of natural iodine. Egg and dairy products can also be good sources.

Other than fortified salt, the concentrations of iodine in these foods can vary widely and this table should be taken only as a rough guide.

The post Vit D and Iodine Deficiency appeared first on Vaidya Mishra's Ayurveda Knowledge Blog.

“Hi,

Thanks for your reply. If you happen to have a recommendation list of what herbs to avoid during pregnancy please let me know.

Thank you! Sara”

Vaidya replies:

Dear Sara: any herb which is known to be detoxifying, as well as any herb or plant which is highly estrogenic like fennel; or shatavari. Most famous detoxifying herbs are: neem, guduchi. Stay away from these. But any other herbs with the bitter taste as well will be detoxifying – like milk thistle.

Of course, it all depends on how strong an individual is and whether the herbs are being administered orally – transmucosally – or transdermally, through the skin. But in general, any crude herb which is detoxifying and estrogenic in nature should be avoided by pregnant women. Remember, you should also avoid bitter vegetables like bitter melon, or bitter leafy greens (kale, collards, etc) and estrogenic fruits like pineapple, papaya, or asparagus, fennel sprouts, and anything made with/from soy. Also avoid licorice – it is estrogenic. In addition, at any stage of the pregnancy, it is best to avoid hot pungent foods that use too much red chillies, asafetida (or hing). Green chilies and ginger in moderation are ok, depending on whether the mother’s constitution is high pitta or not.

The post What to Avoid During Pregnancy appeared first on Vaidya Mishra's Ayurveda Knowledge Blog.

“Namaskar guruji,

Could you please help my daughter? She is gaining weight, having severe hair fall and always complaining about acidity and indigestion and throat infection. Now she is having pcod problem also. She is 26 years old. Last year only she got married. Please suggest some good medicine for her problems. Vit B12 deficiency is also there.”

Vaidya replies:

From what I can read, most of your daughter’s problems seem to be related to bad diet and bad routine. So first thing to do would be to fix her diet and routine. Please read the articles below that give you the basic guideline to restore balance to your body according to the SVA guidelines. I do ongoing research to bring the best of both worlds – ancient Ayurveda, and modern findings – to keep the SVA principles up-to-date on all health aspects. Diet will be a key factor for your daughter. Eliminating things that are bothering her physiology, and then adding things that will help her balance it. This should help some with all aspects. Read also the article on SVA Hair Care to see what further she can implement. After changing the diet and practicing it for 3 months, some of her symptoms should go away. At that point, please make a phone consultation appointment with Dr. Marianne Teitelbaum, in New Jersey. She will give you a more targeted protocol over the phone. Her number is: 1.856.786.3300. After practicing three months of this diet and routine some problems may go away then Dr. Teitelbaum can take over she can guide you by phone but all of these problems are always connected with bad diet and bad routine.

The post Weight Gain, Hair Loss, Heart Burn and Indigestion appeared first on Vaidya Mishra's Ayurveda Knowledge Blog.

“Dear Vaidyaji,

Is it OK to cook Avocados or it should be had raw always?

Thanks,

Pavithra”

Vaidya replies:

Dear Pavithra: cooking avocados is not a good idea because avocado oil and other nutrients in avocado are very heat sensitive. However, raw avocado has a lot of soma, and if your digestive agni is low (pachak agni), and you consume raw avocados, you may make ama (semi-digested material or toxins) from avocado. For high pitta and high agni individuals, raw avocado is a great treat, because their overactive digestion can fully metabolize the raw avocado, but if you tend to have slower digestion, here is a recipe you can try. It will help you in transforming the soma of the avocado into ojas.

You will need:

1 ripe medium avocado – take out the seed and keep the pulp

1/4 tsp. Mum’s Masala

1 tsp. lime juice

Soma Salt per taste

½ teaspoon olive oil

Mix altogether to make a rich creamy texture. If you like chilies, you can add 1 fine shredded green thai chili.

The spice mixture of Mum’s Masala supports digestion and overall metabolism and will help process the richness of avocado so you get the most out of its nutrients without making any ama.

The post Is it ok to cook Avocados? appeared first on Vaidya Mishra's Ayurveda Knowledge Blog.

Namaskar once again

Misra ji: my husband is 41 years old and he is having lots of knee pain. Some doctors recommended him to have knee replacement, while few recommended some kind of injection. Please suggest if through Ayurveda or diet changes we can heal his knees.

Gurmmet

Vaidya replies:

Dear Gurmeet: it would be advisable to have an ayurvedic consultation with a SVA practitioner. But in the meantime, here is some advice based on SVA principles you can start incorporating that might help alleviate the symptoms.

In general, we use our knee and elbow joints extensively, that’s why they become a target of pain, specifically if the body is acidic. This may happen even at a young age. So first of all, you need to look into the diet he is consuming and eliminate and change anything in the diet that is causing his body’s pH to be acidic rather than alkaline. Adopt the main tenets of the SVA diet which is all about neutralizes the PH of the body otherwise, if you eat acidic food to maintain AVAILABLE HERE. When your body’s pH is low, it eats away at the bone tissue, and the calcium in order to create balance. That’s how our bone tissue gets depleted and we experience inflammation and chronic condition related to inflammatory pain. The bone tissue needs raw material, or soma. Acidic food is full of fire or agni, so acidity of the body attacks the cartilages. Thus changing/amending your diet and adopting SVA principles will be step one. Then step two: in the morning apply HN Cream on the knees, and at night apply Maha Kanchenar and Healthy Joints Transdermal creams. The herbs encapsulated in these creams may help more once we also do whole body massage with Vata oil with Magnesium and Vit D. In addition, add Soma Cal capsules, 1 capsule twice a day. This will supply the best most easy to digest calcium to treat and nourish the bone tissue. The magnesium and Vitamin D oil will enhance the synthesis and absorption of calcium from the Soma Cal capsules as well as from the food. But, without dietary changes, none of these creams, herbs, capsules, nothing will not work!

The post Knee Pain: Surgery or Ayurveda? appeared first on Vaidya Mishra's Ayurveda Knowledge Blog.

Hey Vaidya Mishra,

I have a high pitta but low agni and I’ve been trying to treat it for the last 5 years of my life. Hence, I only knew about my ‘what I think is my exact condition’ (the high pitta, low agni; specifically low pachak agni) like 2 months back. When I started adding spices to my food: ‘ginger, black pepper, fennel, coriander, cumin,’ and felt much better, but ended up being constipated. I’ve been taking liver bitters (livo map) for the last 3 years of my life, but I found out lately, that those bitters, actually end up cooling me too much and lowering the pachak agni too much, so food end up being remained in my stomach for long time and resulting in burning sensation under my right rib cage (which I think my congested gallbladder). I’m wondering what shall I do? If I stop the liver support (livo map), I end up feeling that I REALLY need it and I end up back to it, because it really relaxes me and cools me down, and get my bowls moving, but when I add those spices, like ginger and black pepper to support my stomach acid, I end up being constipated and my bowls stop moving (because eventually they are carminatives). Coriander is really turning off my stomach acid. I’m a pitta person (diagnosed by an ayurvedic doctor). I’m as well wondering if Turmeric (since you said it is really good for high pitta low agni situation) does increase stomach acid? (the pachak agni), because, I think this is what I at first really have to take care of, because no matter what food I’m eating, it end up remaining in my stomach for long and after I’m starting to feel the pain under my right rib cage. I know that I have weaknesses in both parts, the digestive juices from gallbladder and pancreas and as well a low stomach agni, but when i higher the stomach acid as well too much, then the pain under my right rib cage, as well starts. so I’m guessing this pain starts whenever there’s too much acid, whether from long remaining undigested food in the duodenum and remaining of undigested food in the stomach because of low stomach acid and low digestive juices, or because of high stomach acid (after adding acid producing factors like ginger, black peppers, lemon and apple cider vinegar) and low digestive juices (biles), that not end up neutralizing the acidic food entering the duodenum. I know that balance is the solution, but I’m always end up failing and end up by whether un-floating bowels (if no acid available in my duodenum/stomach) or my bowels are fine (slightly constipated let me say), if acid remains in my duodenum & undigested food in my stomach.

As well, I would like to know your address if it happens that you live in India, since I might be giving India a trip anytime soon.

Thanks,

Georges

Vaidya replies:

Dear George: It looks like you are self-diagnosing and self-treating. Please call Dr. Teitelbaum in New Jersey at 1.856.786.3300 and schedule an ayurvedic over-the-phone consult with her.  But in the meantime, because I can see you are very curious and have a passion to learn Ayurveda, and to help yourself, here is a bigger picture of what might be going on in your physiology ayurvedically speaking, according to your questions and comments.

When we try to take care of physical liver organ, trying to detoxify, the liver will leech out toxins that may end up disturbing your stomach and colon. When you trying to fix your colon and stomach, you get constipated. According to SVA, and you might have already read this in my newsletters or on my blog, I use the image of a ghee wick, and the ghee flame, to explain the relationship between a burner and the gap, or space (sandhi) where metabolism or transformation occurs in our physiology. In that gap or sandhi, the transformation of Pitta (the fuel) into the agni (the flame) occurs. When that sandhi is encountering a problem, then you may experience some or all of the problems and symptoms that you list. So along with trying to support the physical liver, the physical stomach, the physical duodenum, or physical colon, one has to address the more subtle and vibrational aspects of digestion, the gaps.  So my suggestion will be, until you see or have a phone consult with Dr.Marianne Teitelbaum, try to adopt or do the following SVA protocols to clean and support your gaps:

-Apply SVA DGL transdermal on the liver area – this is on your right side, just below the last lower rib. Do this at night before going to bed. Then apply Pro Pachaka Transdermal in a clockwise motion, on your stomach, as if the clock was on your stomach – so 9pm would be on your right side, 12 correspond to your neck area, etc. Apply Pro-Pachaka on your stomach after breakfast, after lunch, as well as after dinner.

The DGL cream will re-establish the intelligence of your liver by supporting all the 5 burners of the liver. You see, in the liver we have one pitta, that’s ranjak pitta (fuel); but in the liver we also have 5 burners, and each burner supplies a different kind of flame each flame. Each flame is assigned to address one of each of the panch mahabhuta-s: space, air, fire, water, and earth.

The Pro-Pachaka cream carries all the herbs and spices that vibrationally address the energy of all these burners which help transform the pachak pitta into pachak agni. With this cream, the “freezing effect” that you are experiencing in your stomach or duodenum should be slowly addressed.

Next, you will try to enhance communication between mind, stomach and colon, by applying the DGL transdermal cream, and the Prakrit Transdermal cream on the lower bottom half of your spine, in the morning after shower, and at night before going to bed. This will enhance the vibrational communication between mind and stomach, so eventually your mind will be in charge again of properly commanding when and how much enzymes need to be released after and during your meals. The DGL and Prakrit will help do this. In addition, the DGL and Prakrit creams will also enhance the communication between mind (prana vata) and your colon (apana vata).

SV Ayurveda is a different kind of Ayurveda where in addition to food and spices taken orally to address imbalances on a physical bio-chemical level, we also support things on a subtle vibrational level as you can see. I have not seen your pulse but this protocol that I just gave you should help you, based on my decades of experiences and from the symptoms that you indicated having. Try it and write back to us. Thank you.

The post Typical Case of “High Pitta and Low Agni?” appeared first on Vaidya Mishra's Ayurveda Knowledge Blog.

Is it better to add salt to the dishes at the beginning or towards the end of cooking?

Vaidya replies:

It is best to add the salt at the beginning because it gets to interact with and penetrate into the molecules of the food with a head-start. In SV Ayurveda we always recommend to add the salt at the beginning so that it becomes part of the molecular structure of the food. So when you minerals, such as sodium, they do not overwhelm your blood stream immediately because they get broken down with the rest of the molecules slowly and in a longer sequence. So, in general for a healthy person, it is best to add the salt at the beginning and cook with it.

The post Salt Now or Later? appeared first on Vaidya Mishra's Ayurveda Knowledge Blog.

Vaidya ji

I have been suffering from depression and sleep disturbance from last six months. The causative factor was fear of illness due to wrong diagnosis.

The stress has affected my digestion and I get stomach bloating, gas and pain in the lower right abdomen and left chest.

Please suggest some effective way to cure this condition.

Prabhakar M.

Vaidya replies:

Dear Prabhakar:

Learn to do the SVA Samadhi Set Marma Massage (it takes 5 minutes) along with creams or roll-ons (with Ashoka). Also, apply the Super Sport roll-on on your lower spine. I will also suggest you recite or listen to some mantras. Sound vibrations have powerful restorative and healing effects on the nervous system. I suggest the “Heart Lotus Mantra.” Play or recite this 11 times morning and 11 times before going to bed.  and if you believe in mantras do heart lotus mantra 11 times in the morning and 11 times in the evening before bed , eat on time  easy to digest food , if you prefer non-vegetarian diet start eating chicken broth cooked with mums masala, soma salt, olive oil everyday. Do early massage with ashwagandha and magnesium oil every other day.

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I was very surprised to hear about the dangerous effects of repeatedly using castor oil on the skin.

I have used castor oil packs on my body for years, and had very satisfactory results. Also I have applied castor oil to my feet to help combat nail fungus. Do you advise me to stop both these practices?

Thank you for your informative newsletter. Marcia

Vaidya Replies:

Dear Marcia: after having done extensive research on castor oil, in my opinion, long-term use of castor oil negatively impacts the health of the nerves. In your case, since you have been applying it on your skin, it may impact the nerve endings of your skin. Try to substitute castor oil with other oils, such as almond, or jojoba oil. For your fungus, I have formulated a Cassia tora Plus spray, and a Cassia tora lotion. You can first apply the Cassia tora plus spray to clean the toenails gently. This can be done at night. After that you apply the Cassia tora lotion. This may help you, without giving you side effects in the long-term, without damaging your nerves and nerve-endings.  You can call our office and ask for a complimentary sample kit to try it out. Cassia tora seeds are very famous in Ayurveda for addressing fungus in a healthy way. Alternately, fungus occurs due to several reasons, but also due to poor circulation on our toes and finger nails where toxins can get stuck. May I suggest you adopt a good oil to massage your hands and feet twice daily, morning and evening, and keep circulation flowing.

The post Castor oil and Toe-nail Fungus appeared first on Vaidya Mishra's Ayurveda Knowledge Blog.

Dear Dr Mishra

I am 51 and I suffer from Rosacea and pustules – please what would you recommend. My skin condition on my face is gradually getting worse. I am vegetarian and only have 2 cups of tea daily. Also drink jeera and sonf water also green tea. Drink Lassi as well. Eat lots of fruit and veg and have cut back on bread, fried foods, spices and chillies. What else can I do to help myself. Also I have a creaky knee and dry eyes sometimes watery with floaters. Can ghee with triphala help my eyes?

Many thanks

Amarjeet

Vaidya replies:

I think you would greatly benefit from an over-the-phone ayurvedic consultation with SVA expert Dr. Marianne Teitelbaum. But, in the meantime, from what you write, it looks like you are doing some things that are provoking your pitta dosha. As per Ayurveda, both rosacea and your eye problem are due to pitta aggravation. Your rosacea indicates bhrajak pitta aggravation, which gets further aggravated when you expose yourself to the sun. Your eye problem is due to alochak pitta aggravation. Both these pitta sub-doshas are rooted in the pachak pitta of the stomach, and the ranjak pitta of the liver. Anything hot and spicy, foods or drinks, will aggravate your bhrajak pitta of the skin, and alochak pitta of the eyes.

• My first recommendation would be for you to stop eating hot and spicy food. 
• Second: always eat on time – eat every 3-4 hours.
• Then: pacify your pitta by using my SVA Pitta Masala in your cooking.
• You can also try out my SVA pitta tea instead of the “jeera and saunf tea” you are drinking. The pitta tea is a balanced mixture of herbs and spaces that will target all your pitta subdoshas and give cooling relief.
• Mind the sun: when bhrajak pitta is aggravated, your sensitivity to the sun increases. When pachak pitta and ranjak pitta are aggravated you will experience additional pitta imbalances affecting other organs, as well as your overall mood, and setting things into a circle of imbalance that may be hard to break out of or reverse, unless you use the proper steps. In this picture, the key is to cool your liver without freezing it! Less exposure to the sun will definitely help with this. Along with the list of all these other tips I am giving you.

• Eat warming foods and spices that will not freeze your pitta organs. This is a very delicate balance to achieve, but that’s the objective of my SVA Pitta Masala and SVA Pitta Tea. For the Pitta Tea, use 1 teaspoon per 8 oz water, drink a cup twice a day.
• In addition, apply DGL Transdermal Cream on the stomach area and the liver (on the right side below your rib cage) after lunch and dinner.
• Also apply DGL Transdermal cream on your liver before going to bed.
• Make sure you have good bowel movements daily, because good bowel movements release the toxic pitta accumulated in your physiology on a daily basis. If your bowel movements are not good, if they tend to be slower, use Triphala for high pitta – 1 or two capsules at night before bed. Ideally, you should have at least one if not two good bowel movements every day.
• Never skip or delay meals – as this will unnecessarily further aggravate your pitta.
• Don’t go out in the sun for extended exposure. Protect yourself when you do.
• Specifically don’t go out in the sun  when you are hungry or thirsty or emotionally upset! In SV Ayurveda, we capitalize on a total holistic approach. Although rosacea and your eye problem are manifesting in the skin and the eyes, you need to address the root of your problems rather than the symptomatic expressions of it. The root lies in your stomach and your liver.
• The third main factor in your situation is your “sadhak pitta” – the pitta subdosha which governs the emotional heart. When your sadhak pitta is high, it also aggravates your alochak pitta, as well as your bhrajak pitta. This is one reason why, when people are angry, their face and eyes turn red. To pacify your sadhak pitta, use the SVA Samadhi Set with Ashoka (not Arjuna). Apply some Ashoka cream or roll-on on your talahridiya marma, or heart marma points. You can also apply the SVA cooling Aloe Sandalwood cream  on your rosacea areas on your face -  a very thin layer. At night, apply a very thin layer of Triphala ghee on your temples and eyelids before going to bed.

Try these and let us know. To reach Dr. Teitelbaum for an ayurvedic consult, call: 1.856.786.3300. Thank you.

The post Bhrajak, Alochak and Sadhak Pitta Out! appeared first on Vaidya Mishra's Ayurveda Knowledge Blog.

Namaste,

Now a days we don’t get raw milk in the supermarkets, its pasteurized and homogenized. Do you still suggest to add all the spices mentioned while boiling the milk? Also I wanted to ask can I add Ashwagandha along with other spices in the milk for my 4 year old daughter ?

THANKS

Sheetal

Vaidya replies:

Dear Sheetal: I would not suggest using Ashwagandha for your 4 year old daughter. It is too pitta provoking and energizing for her. For your four year old girl, the milk with pods of green cardamom, add a tiny chunk of cinnamon stick. Cardamom will enhance the digestion of the protein molecules of the milk; and the cinnamon will enhance the digestion of sugar molecules of the milk. These two spices are very good for young children.

As to your other question, boiled raw milk is the best thing to consume; however, if you are not able to get it in your area, try to find organic milk that is only pasteurized but not homogenized – this is your next best option. There are several dairy companies who makes this available these days, nation-wide. One particular brand I can think of is called the Strauss Dairy Family Farms. Their pasteurized non-homogenized milk should be available in most health food stores and supermarkets nation wide. Try to get that one.

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Dear Vaidya,

Thank you for this beautiful summer recipe! All of your continued efforts in sharing Ayurveda are greatly appreciated. I am wondering why you selected carrots as a base over say a cucumber which is such a soma rich food?

Respectfully,

Traci

Vaidya replies:

Excellent question Traci. Other easily available fruits or vegetables are widely used in Summer smoothies and juice drinks. Both carrots and cucumbers are rich in vitamins and nutrients: carrots are a very good source of biotin, vitamin K, dietary fiber, molybdenum, potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C. They are also a good source of manganese, niacin, vitamin B1, panthothenic acid, phosphorus, folate, copper, vitamin E, and vitamin B2; while cucumbers have vitamin K and molybdenum; pantothenic acid; copper, potassium, manganese, vitamin C, phosphorus, magnesium, biotin, and vitamin B1. They also contain the important nail health-promoting mineral silica. But there is a reason why, in ayurvedic terms, we can elect one over the other, as I did, in my recipe.

I chose carrot because, unlike cucumber, it has both soma and agni – water and fire! It is not as cold or somagenic as cucumbers. In addition, in this specific recipe where I use orange, it helps balance against the sharpness and acidity of the orange juice. This recipe was made and meant to be cooling – but not freezing. The greatest error that is made all the time when trying to cool off pitta or heat is to freeze it. The greatest skill and in-depth knowledge is illustrated when one is able to cool off pitta without totally freezing it and then further aggravating it due to that freezing. Pitta is a very delicate dosha to balance, it needs the exact amount of coolness but also needs to maintain some heat. Remember that pitta is made up of fire and water. It is not fire through and through.

In general, however, when I give out recipes, I want to make sure that they are tridoshic. For example, if someone is experiencing a mild kapha imbalance, they should also be able to use the recipe without suffering further kapha aggravation. Pitta pacifying recipes should not be freezing for the channels and tissue agnis.

This juice recipe is very balanced but it also tastes good. Using cucumber instead of the carrot will alter the taste and it may not taste that great. This is a time-tested recipe from my family that has received a lot of recognition, because it does not cause any bloating after drinking. In general, drinking raw juices dilute your digestive enzymes and can immediately result in bloating and/or gas. Some people will experience this earlier than others based on the strength of their digestive system. This recipe carries a balanced ratio of some and agni ingredients so it rehydrates from the heat, stokes digestive agni, and maintains and supports soma for further cooling. But it is a great favorite because it also tastes great! Enjoy it!

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Dear Dr. I have been your follower for many years and have  been using your wonderful creations.  I have a question which I’ve been wanting to ask you for a long tome. I am 45 year old female well balanced with normal weight. I wanted to ask which supplements I can use for severe constipation. I eat healthy but nothing helps. My stool is heavy and sticky. Please help.

Alexa

Vaidya replies:

Dear Alexa: looks like you might be eating something which is enhancing absorption in your column; or it could also be that stress in your daily life is disturbing the communication between prana vata that governs the mind, and apana vata that governs the colon. So first step would be for you to find out if you are using too much cumin or pomegranate in your diet? Or any other dry or drying foods – too many salty snacks would be a good example for this. If you are, then   stop doing so.

Then:

• Add more vegetables to your diet, specially zucchini squash and yellow crookneck squash. Make sure you have them in some form with at least one meal a day.
• Make a drink with 20% yogurt and 80% water, mix in well and drink with your lunch.
• Eat on time! Never delay or skip your meals.
• Use balanced tri-doshic spice blends such as Mum’s Masala.
• Soma Salt will be best for you, switch to use only that, because common table salt can increase absorption and may cause constipation.
• Make sure you have enough water during the day.
• For you condition, instead of giving you a powerful purgative, I would first try to gently initiate changes that can restore your body’s natural ability to discharge your bowels normally. So I would recommend using my SVA Prakrit Transdermal cream on your lower spine at bedtime, to improve the communication between your apana vata and prana vata. Then, apply the SVA  Anushudhi cream on your lower abdomen. This will further support the downward flow of apana vata.
• Adding prune and tamarind chutney to your dinners at night. This chutney will enhance the balance between absorption and elimination. Finally, you can also take one or two tablets of SVA Prakrit, to re-ignite the intelligence of elimination in your colon. Do all these things and let us know.

The post 45 Years Old Healthy but Constipated: What Are My Options? appeared first on Vaidya Mishra's Ayurveda Knowledge Blog.

Dear Vaidya Mishra, We are so blessed and humbled to receive SVA knowledge and guidance from you. Thank you so much for guiding our family and friends in a happy journey of well and whole being. We treasure all of the SVA teas and especially love Vaidya’s Cup. Would you please let us know if drinking Yerba Mate is healthy? As a tea made from the dried leaves of an evergreen shrub in the holy family that grows in Central and South America – We’ve been told that Mate contains a xanthine called “mateine” that is unlike caffeine and while it is a stimulant it doesn’t trigger jitteriness associated with caffeine and actually induces sleep. Would you agree with this? We’ve also heard that it is good for bones and may protect against colon cancer. We will not drink until we know of your brilliant recommendation! Namaste

Greg J.

Vaidya replies: 

Dear Greg: I am very familiar with this product and have been observing it for the past ten years. What I have seen is that predominantly kapha body type people with kapha aggravation are particularly liking this tea: it is helping open their channels, addressing their fatigue, and energizing them. However, it may not be ideal for pitta or vata predominant body types, as well as vata/pitta and/or and pitta/vata predominant types. I’ve seen that yerba mate increases pitta and vata doshas. In fact, after regular long-term consumption I’ve observed sky high symptoms, such as: excessive dryness and heat in the body. A greater down side, however, has been, they these body-types develop an addiction to it. By the time they pitta/vatas realize that yerba mate is drying and heating them up, they are already addicted to drinking it and it’s hard to kick the habit.

So I can say with certainly that it is not tridoshic, as per ayurvedic precepts, unlike for example my “Vaidya’s Cup”! I would have it occasionally as a treat, but not as a regular drink for daily use.

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“I’m working too much on computer, I am a female, I am quite stressed out at work and nowadays I’m seeing I’m developing dark circles around my eyes although I am on the SVA Diet and I do yoga regularly. Please let me know what to do for dark circles under my eyes?”

Cary T.

Vaidya replies:

If you have already check things out medically and there is no specific identifiable medical reason for your dark circle, then you can follow the following steps or tips which may help you.

Using the computer for long periods of time drains out the soma or cooling energy of the eyes, which the eyes need more of, because the eyes are a predominantly pitta fiery organ (agneya organ).  So when you stare at the computer screen, or any other electronic device (TV, cell-phone, tablet, etc) for long periods of time, you are using up and burning the lunar energy, or soma, of your eyes, your eyes are now left depleted, and the agni of your eyes, further aggravated not only by soma depletion but by overexposure to electronic synthetic agni, gets further aggravated, creating the dark circles around your eyes.

Another point related to this is the EMF charge of these electronic devices disrupts the flow of pranic energy of your eyes. Due to the lack of circulation, dark circles also emerge.

What can you do? The answer is to replenish the soma reservoirs of your eyes. You can try to do the following things:

Get a double layered piece of cheesecloth and cut it lengthwise to be able to cover your eyes – from temple to temple. Add a few drops of fresh water to the SVA Skin Clay Powder to make a thin but consistent paste. Take a spoonful of the paste and place on the cheesecloth strip. Lie down and place the cotton strip with the clay on top of your eyes – the clay should be situated to fit the orb of your closed eyes. Make sure you do not get any clay into your eyes. Leave it on for 10-15 minutes – you can take off earlier if your eyes start to feel cold.

Then rinse your eyes and face with warm water, dry it, and apply SVA ALA cream – this cream is water (not lipid) based. You may feel a little thermogenesis and tingling around your eyelids or surrounding areas – this is a sign that circulation is improving. ALA (alpha lipoid acid) is highly effective for improving microcirculation without heating the area. You can do some research on the scientific findings about ALA. You can also use my SVA Triphala Ghee: apply it in the mornings, massage in and leave on. But ALA cream is the best product for this protocol and it will target your dark circles. Do this every night for 15 days. This protocol will also calm you down, you will feel very relaxed after a long day, it may even improve your sleep, and calm your mind. 

A very important point is to go to bed by 10pm. You are certainly aware of the different energies that are at play during the day. Between 10pm and 2am, we have an agneya period. If we are awake during this time slot, our pitta dosha is prone to going out of balance. If our body is enjoying somagenic sleep during this time, then the pitta organs in our bodies get to do their job without further aggravating our pitta dosha. This is why many people who have been going to bed late at night for years without necessarily overexposing their eyes to EMF devices also get dark circles around their eyes. Staying up late throws off all the pitta sub-doshas, just like over-exposing the eyes to too many EMF devices does. So make sure you target a 9:30pm bedtime and are asleep by 10pm. Nature is your best healer

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Monk fruit sweetener: http://www.lakanto.com/. Do you approve of it? 

Divya A.

Vaidya replies:

Dear Divya:  Many of my SVA followers have been asking me about Monk fruit sweetener so I got a chance to look into it. I bought some. And did some research. I have not found a single brand that simply contains the monk fruit. All I could come across are different brands that had the monk fruit extract in addition to either: Dextrose; Maltodextrine; or Erythritol. This tells me one thing for sure: that the Monk fruit itself is not sweet enough to be able to stand on its own. It actually has somewhat of a subtle bitter aftertaste that’s being masked by the additives. I know it is the big rage now because it’s promoted as a zero calorie sugar substitute that you can use exactly as regular cane sugar for your drinks, baking, etc, that will also not affect the health of those who may be type 1 or type 2 diabetics. But I suspect in a little while we are going to hear of new research that lists the side-effects of consuming the Dextrose, or Erythritol on a daily basis like that. 

I have been giving a lot of thought to sweeteners, as they are such an important aspect of our diet, and crucial for helping us maintain physical and emotional health. And I am very happy to say that I have finally put together a truly great sweetener that will contain ZERO additives of any sort and is made purely from natural plants and ingredients, it can be used for all your daily consumption or baking needs safely, it is 100% alcohol free and totally absorb-able and digestible by the body with no residue. I will be launching it in 2 weeks. Stay tuned for more!

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Nutritional yeast: I know it’s not a sattvic ingredient, but I sometimes feel really good when I eat it, maybe because of my acute vitamin B12 deficiency?

Dear Divya: nutritional yeast is pitta provoking in longterm use. You will get all kinds of pitta associated symptoms of heat, and even vata aggravation if you use it on a regular basis. Try to supplement your B12 by consuming more freshly home made paneer, more yoghurt, or use my B12 cream. Once in a while is ok to do nutritional yeast, specially in colder weather, but don’t keep it as part of your regular diet.

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