In a healthy body, the allergic response serves to protect against invasion by harmful agents. Secretions and inflammation help our immune cells get into the affected tissue, dilute the toxic agent and help wash it away. “Allergies” become a health problem when an excessive and unwanted allergic response occurs to particles that are part of our normal environment and are not actually dangerous to the body.
Summer is almost here, and you can?t wait to plunge into the pool or head for the beach. But before you rush out to sample the joys of summertime, make sure you are following a diet and routine that will help keep Pitta dosha in balance.
Ayurveda means the “Science of life” comprising of a system of lifestyle recommendations (which include diet, exercise and meditation), along with the use of specific herbs and minerals in the management of disease conditions.
Ayurvedic healers highly recommend periodic internal cleansing as a way to maintain good health and prevent disorders from taking root in the physiology. Just like you regularly flush out the plumbing system in your home or change the oil in your automobile engine, periodically helping your body flush toxins out thoroughly is a good maintenance technique that will help organs and systems stay more efficient for a longer period of time. Especially after the age of 40, when your body’s own cleansing and rejuvenating capability starts slowing down, supporting it with a cleansing regime is important for ongoing health and vitality.
In ayurveda, diet and digestion are accorded equal importance in maintaining good health. Just as choosing improper foods for your constitution can lead to imbalances, following improper routines and habits can wreak havoc on your digestion, turning even carefully chosen and prepared foods into ama or toxins in your system rather than ojas, the biochemical essence that supports all aspects of life, health, bliss and longevity.
According to ayurveda, all the activities of mind and body are governed by three psychophysiological energies known as Vata, Pitta and Kapha. When these three principles within us are in perfect balance, we enjoy good health. If one or more of these energies within us is aggravated or out of balance, disorders result.
1. Don’t practice deprivation, whether it’s fasting or skipping meals or denying your cravings–it’s the quickest way to start a vicious cycle of weight gain. Instead, eat three meals a day–a small breakfast and dinner and a more hearty lunch, and add a healthy mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack if you feel hungry. Ayurveda does recommend portion control though–the quantity of food you consume at a meal should be no more than what you can hold in your two cupped palms, and you should get up from the table before you feel satiated and completely full.
Ayurveda, the 5,000-year-old system of holistic healing from India, is becoming increasingly popular among spas, beauty salons and skin and hair care manufacturers worldwide because of the efficacy of its skin and hair care solutions. Ayurvedic recommendations for your hair are not only effective at maintaining hair strength, color and luster, they also steer you away from chemicals-based hair care that can create health problems in the long term.
Every person is born perfect. Inferiority is a mistake of the mind, a cloud covering the light. Dissolve the clouds by observing a balanced life with healthy habits. Nourish your mind and body. Connect with your own inner self. Celebrate your own magnificence and your beauty will always shine through.? —- Dr. Rama Kant Mishra, renowned Ayurvedic physician and dermatologist
Indian Scientists have prepared a traditional knowledge digital library (TKDL) that documents information from existing literature in traditional knowledge in Ayurveda.