What is Ayurveda?

• By wasadoc
• Posted October 14, 2009 at 9:12 am
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Ayurveda is the traditional medicine of India based on a holistic balance of diet, natural supplements and herbs, yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, massage, and counseling. Therapies address the complete physical, biochemical, intellectual, emotional, behavioral, spiritual, and social picture. Try this link: http://www.heall.com/body/altmed/treatment/ayurveda/ayurveda.html, or search for "Vasant Lad ayurveda" for an overview.

A good start would include yoga, meditation, and diet changes to eliminate white sugar and white refined flour and use of whole grains, organic fresh fruits and vegetables, and reduction of meat intake with use of smaller amounts of organic and free range meats and dairy products. Vasant Lad, David Frawley, Nancy Longsdorf, and Depak Chopra all have books introducing Ayurveda to Western audiences.

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• By SickOfBeingSick
• Posted October 15, 2009 at 1:01 am
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Hi wasadoc,

I saw an acupuncture practitioner from India for a while and he was a big help. I also practice meditation, do self-massage (can't afford a massage therapist) and do a few mild Yoga poses along with stretches. I wish this type of practice was integrated more into western medicine. We would all be better off.

Can you tell us some of the specific things that have helped you the most?

Cathy

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• By DVirginia
• Posted October 15, 2009 at 8:15 am
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I highly recommend yoga and meditation for the caregivers, too.

I had taken yoga off and on for 10+ years, but found a new type of yoga in the past 6 months that incorporates meditation and it's really helped me learn how to live in the moment and not be overly connected to things I can't change (which is a huge revelation when dealing with an E survivor). I'm finding that I'm better able to accept my son's anger and outbursts. I don't take them so personally anymore. I also feel physically stronger (fewer colds, etc.), which helps me keep it together for him.

The type of yoga I do is kundalini yoga - it seemed very new-agey at first and I think 10 years ago I would have been really self conscious about taking it. The focus of kundalini yoga is on the energy in our bodies (chakras/enegy meridian points - similar to accupuncture and reiki). The classes include physical yoga poses, chanting, and meditation, which help to stimulate energy in different centers of the body.

I can't say that I understand how it all works, but I know that I feel much more calm and focused since I began doing it regularly.

I've even found some children's meditations to read to my son to help him relax when he's anxious. His meditations are visualization stories - geared toward 5-10 year olds - they say things like "imagine you are floating in a cloud. Feel how light your body feels etc."

And, I completely agree, it would be nice if this were more incorporated into western medicine. I'd love to hear from others who have incorporated eastern mind/body techniques into their healing.

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• By wasadoc
• Posted October 15, 2009 at 11:50 am
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I did all of the rehab recommended by my neurologists and physiatrists in the first year and a half after encephalitis and was also doing some Chinese medicine and acupuncture. Despite this, I still had daily severe headaches, couldn't walk up two flights of stairs, and was very confused (got lost going home on the route that I had used for seventeen years). I then hit a plateau with no change for about a year and half. About two and a half years after encephalitis, I tried an Ayurvedic herb called ashwaghanda on my own and noted definite improvement in my strength after about 2 weeks, so I decided to find someone knowledgeable in Ayurveda to guide me. After six months on a regimen of increased rest, good diet, herbal supplements, yoga, meditation, and medicated oil massages, I was able to do an overnight backpacking trip carrying my own pack! As it is a holistic system, it's hard to separate out what was most helpful, but I would guess that the natural diet, medicated oil massages, yoga and meditation were the most critical.

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• By SickOfBeingSick
• Posted October 17, 2009 at 10:20 pm
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Just curious - What kind of medicated oil massages? I've heard about camphor massages for chest infections. They are supposed to be very effective.

Cathy

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