Ayurvedic medicine: meaning "science of life" in Sanskrit, this 5,000-year-old healing system is right in sync with our growing awareness of the mind-body connection

Natural Health, June, 2004 by Jill Neimark

In 1987, Marc Halpern was finishing his degree in chiropractic medicine when he was crippled by a connective-tissue disorder that caused joint pain, weight loss, fatigue and fevers. "I was able to heal myself with alternative therapies, such as homeopathy and Chinese medicine, but not enough," he recalls, Then he discovered ayurvedic medicine, an ancient comprehensive lifestyle and dietary approach to healing from India. "Through ayurveda I rebuilt and restored my body. Today I'm entirely free of my original illness," says Halpern, who went on to found the California College of Ayurveda in Grass "Valley.

Ayurvedic medicine first came to this country three decades ago in the work of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In 1991, it entered mass consciousness through Deepak Chopra's Perfect Health. "In its broadest sense, ayurveda is the understanding that all your choices are metabolized into biology," says David Simon, M.D., medical director of the Chopra Center in San Diego, which he co-founded with the bestselling author. "What you hear, taste, smell, touch, how you think, your relationships--all of these influence your health."

Practitioners of ayurveda follow a balanced lifestyle that includes rising around dawn, practicing meditation and yoga, eating a diet tailored to their constitution, and enjoying input through all five senses.

Ayurveda teaches that each person is a blend of three doshas, or guiding principles within the body--vata, pitta and kapha--though usually one or two are prominent. Disease is thought to arise from an imbalance in one's doshas, explains Nancy Lonsdorf, M.D., ayurvedic practitioner and co-author of A Woman's Best Medicine: Health, Happiness, and Long Life Through Maharishi Ayur-Veda.

Vata (air and ether) tends to be dry, cool, light, airy and creative. A predominantly vata type will likely be thin, with cold hands and feet, and dry skin. If imbalanced, vata can manifest as anxiety, insomnia, constipation, arthritis, restlessness and lack of focus. CompenSate for bodily instability with regular rest and warmth. Warm water is balancing, as is a warm climate, a soft bed, warm-oil massages, warmhearted friends, and stability at home and work.

Pitta (fire and water) is described as hot, fiery, sharp and vibrant. Those who are mostly pitta will be more likely to have medium builds, oily skin, strong appetites and quick reactions. When imbalanced, pitta can erupt in anger, impatience and aggression; pitta types can suffer from inflammatory diseases ranging from heartburn to colitis to rashes. Offset the body's heat with cooling influences. Open windows, even in winter, are beneficial. Living in cooler climates, eating a cooling diet of sweet juicy fruits and watery vegetables, and taking time to relax all help balance pitta's innate sharpness and tendency to hotheadedness.

Kapha (water and earth) is considered serene and grounded, Those who are predominantly kapha may be overweight, slow, calm and deliberate, with strong bones and teeth. Too much kapha can lead to congestion, swelling and problems like diabetes, as well as resistance to change. To balance kapha's tendency toward lethargy or excess weight, participate in a regular exercise program, eat smaller quantities of food and look for opportunities to break out of a rut. Movement, dance and travel are beneficial.

According to ayurveda, each dosha has different dietary and lifestyle requirements. To complicate matters, different seasons, ages and cultures have doshas as well. Summer, for example, is the time of "hot" pitta, according to Lonsdorf, while winter accentuates cool rata. As we age, she adds, we all become more rata. "And in many ways we are a rata culture: rootless, mobile, creative."

How does this translate into a practical healing approach? An ayurvedic practitioner will take a detailed history to determine an individual's constitutional makeup and to evaluate whether each dosha is in balance. Based on this, guidelines for diet, herb and lifestyle are recommended. "The herbs are prescribed according to the doshas that are out of balance," says Lonsdorf, who supervises in-house ayurvedic treatment programs at The Raj, a spa in Vedic City, Iowa, near Maharishi University in Fairfield.

If the condition is chronic or the individual wants fast relief, then a practitioner will usually prescribe a series of balancing and cleansing treatments called panchakarma. Special care to diet is critical before, during and after panchakarma.

"First off, people start eating a simple vegetarian diet," says Lonsdorf. The diet includes mostly cooked vegetables and simple grains. For four or five days, those undergoing panchakarma also take clarified butter, or ghee. on an empty stomach. It is thought that ghee is absorbed into the body and helps move toxins out of tissues and into the intestines. After four to five days, the person takes a laxative to move the accumulated toxins out of the intestines. Then, over the next three to seven days, herb-infused sesame oil is gently massaged into his or her body daily, opening the circulation and moving additional deep-rooted toxins into the bloodstream.