(HealthDay News) -- People who keep up active social lives as they age may be doing their brain a favor, a new study finds.
Being socially active may increase feelings of self-worth and emotional validation that could end up helping maintain memory, researchers say. Social interaction may also present older minds with new challenges, keeping the brain more agile.
"We assessed social integration by marital status, volunteer activities and frequency of contact with children and neighbors," explained lead researcher Karen Ertel, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Society, Human Development and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston.
Her team found that "people who were most socially integrated had memory decline of less than half the rate compared with those who were the least socially integrated," Ertel said.
The report is published in the May 29 online edition of the American Journal of Public Health.
In the study, Ertel's team collected data on almost 17,000 Americans, 50 and older, who participated in the Health and Retirement Study. To test memory, the researchers had participants memorize a list of 10 words. Over six years, researchers tested recall of the word list to assess any decline in immediate and delayed recall.
Average memory scores declined from 11 in 1998 to 10 in 2004, the researchers reported. People who were more socially engaged at the start of the study had a slower decline in memory, compared with people who were more socially isolated, the researchers found.
According to Ertel, the findings indicate that "social activity may help preserve cognitive functioning in the elderly. In addition, people who are socially active may also have other healthful behaviors, which may be related to cognition and better physical health."
In another study in the same issue of the journal, Finnish researchers reported that elderly people are more likely to be institutionalized following the death of a spouse.
"We found that the risk of entering long-term institutional care was higher among older adults who had lost their spouse than among those living with their spouse," said lead researcher Elina Nihtila, from the department of sociology at the University of Helsinki.
Moreover, the excess risk of institutionalization was highest during the first month after the spouse's death, Nihtila said. "The risk was more than three times among both men and women, and decreased with time from bereavement, stabilizing at approximately 20 percent to 50 percent higher over one to five years," she said.
Fortunately, a large proportion of surviving spouses are likely to recover from partner loss, and feelings of despair and anxiety typically do diminish over time, Nihtila said. This "emotional recovery could explain why the very large excess risk of entering institutional care among those recently bereaved dropped with time from the spouse's death," she said.
The study involved data on almost 141,000 people 65 and older living with a spouse. During five years of follow-up, the risk of being institutionalized rose immediately after the death of a spouse, the researchers found.
There could be various explanations for these findings, Nihtila said, including a "loss of social and instrumental support, in the form of care and help with daily activities such as help in cooking, cleaning, and shopping formerly shared with the deceased spouse."
In addition, grief and spousal loss may cause various symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, fatigue and loss of concentration, Nihtila noted. "Furthermore, grief may cause increased susceptibility to physical diseases that could also increase the need for institutional care," she said.
Home help services targeted to the bereaved immediately after a spouse's death might help ease the strain, Nihtila said.
One expert said the studies highlight the problem of growing social isolation among the elderly.
"There is nothing like being face-to-face with someone," said Colin Milner, CEO of the Vancouver-based International Council on Active Aging. "But I think we are manufacturing that [contact] out of our lifestyle and that will have a long term detrimental effect on the mental health of the population," he said.
More outreach to older people, especially when a spouse dies, will be key, Milner said. "There should be programs when a spouse dies to help them get back into the swing of life," he said.
More information
For more on healthy aging, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Showing posts with label anxiety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anxiety. Show all posts
Friday, May 30, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
AyurGold-Maintain Optimal Blood Chemistry for Good Health
Blood chemistry is regulated by negative feedback in order to keep the body in homeostasis (optimal equilibrium). The levels of glucose in the blood are monitored by the cells in the pancreas.
If the blood glucose level falls to dangerous levels (caused by very heavy exercise or lack of food for extended periods), some pancreas cells release glucagon, a hormone that acts on liver cells to increase blood glucose levels.
Stored glycogen is converted into glucose by a process called glycogenolysis. The glucose is then released into the bloodstream, increasing blood sugar levels.
Blood sugar levels are also increased by "stress" hormones such as adrenalin, steroids, infections, trauma, and the ingestion of food. When levels of blood sugar rise, whether as a result of glycogen conversion, or from the digestion of a meal, a different hormone is released from beta cells found in the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas.
This hormone, insulin, causes the liver to convert more glucose into glycogen. This process is called glycogenesis and it forces about two-thirds of body cells (primarily muscle and fat tissue cells) to take up glucose from the blood, thereby decreasing blood sugar levels. A breakdown in body homeostasis can lead to dangerously high or low blood sugar levels.
This can become a chronic condition leading to the onset of diabetes. According to the World Health Organization, in 1985, an estimated 30 million people worldwide had diabetes. By 1995, this number shot up to 135 million. The latest WHO estimate for the number of people with diabetes worldwide is 177 million. This will increase to at least 300 million by 2025.
The number of deaths attributed to diabetes is likely to be around 4 million. These projections take into account the fact that there will be more people in the world due to population growth and that there will be more elderly people due to population aging.
They also account for urbanization - the fact that people are moving from rural areas to cities, particularly in developing countries. This migration affects the number of people who are likely to have diabetes, because people living in cities of developing countries tend to be less physically active and have higher levels of obesity than people in rural areas.
In fact, current trends in obesity suggest that these projections are conservative and that the increase in the prevalence of diabetes may be even greater. In developing countries, people in the middle and most productive years of their lives are particularly affected by diabetes.
In these countries, three-quarters of all people with diabetes are under 65 years old and 25% of all adults with diabetes are younger than 44. In developed countries, more than half of all people with diabetes are older than 65, and only 8% of adults with diabetes are younger than 44. Because of its chronic nature, the severity of its complications, and the means required to control it, diabetes is a costly disease, not only for the affected individuals and the families involved, but also for the health authorities.
Studies in India estimate that, for a low-income Indian family, as much as 25% of family income may be devoted to diabetes care. For families in the USA, the corresponding figure is 10%. The total healthcare cost of a person with diabetes in the USA is between two and three times those for people without the condition.
A recent analysis of healthcare expenditure in the Western Pacific region has shown that 16% of hospital expenditure was spent on people afflicted with diabetes. In the Republic of the Marshall Islands, this figure was 25%. The cost of diabetes affects everyone, everywhere, but they are not only a financial problem. Intangible costs (pain, anxiety, inconvenience, and generally lower quality of life) also have great impact on the lives of patients and their families and are the most difficult to quantify.
Direct costs to individuals and their families include medical care, drugs, insulin, and other supplies. Patients may also have to bear other personal costs, such as increased payments for health and life insurance. Recent treatment cost estimates for Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico were US $3.9 billion, US $0.8 billion and US $2.0 billion, respectively.
Each of these is an annual figure and is rising as prevalence of diabetes increases. For most countries, the largest portion of diabetes expenditure is cost of hospital admissions for the treatment of long-term complications, such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and foot problems.
Western medicine relies on aggressive prescription drugs and surgery to deal with many problems related to irregular blood chemistry in the body. Unfortunately, these methods often result in unwanted and even dangerous side effects. And natural pills provide only fleeting, inconsistent results.
Ayurveda, the science of life, prevention and longevity, is the oldest and most holistic and comprehensive medical system available. Its fundamentals can be found in Hindu scriptures called the Vedas - the ancient Indian books of wisdom written over 5,000 years ago. Ayurveda applies the inherent principles of nature to help maintain optimum health in a person by keeping the individual's body, mind, and spirit in perfect equilibrium with nature.
India Herbs has a seasoned group of Ayurvedic doctors specialized in Vajikarana, one of the eight major specialties of Ayurveda. Vajikarana prescribes the therapeutic use of various herbal and tonic preparations to address the root cause of irregular blood chemistry, while strengthening your body and overall well-being.
India Herbs' Vajikarana scientists combine a proprietary herbal formula based on centuries' old wisdom with advice on diet, exercise, mental training, and relaxation to help men and women overcome their health concerns through safe and natural means.
Results: The precise combination of ingredients in AyurGold along with a mind-body focus precisely addresses your blood chemistry concerns!
more information:
http://www.india-herbs.com/aff/dreddyclinic/ayurgold
If the blood glucose level falls to dangerous levels (caused by very heavy exercise or lack of food for extended periods), some pancreas cells release glucagon, a hormone that acts on liver cells to increase blood glucose levels.
Stored glycogen is converted into glucose by a process called glycogenolysis. The glucose is then released into the bloodstream, increasing blood sugar levels.
Blood sugar levels are also increased by "stress" hormones such as adrenalin, steroids, infections, trauma, and the ingestion of food. When levels of blood sugar rise, whether as a result of glycogen conversion, or from the digestion of a meal, a different hormone is released from beta cells found in the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas.
This hormone, insulin, causes the liver to convert more glucose into glycogen. This process is called glycogenesis and it forces about two-thirds of body cells (primarily muscle and fat tissue cells) to take up glucose from the blood, thereby decreasing blood sugar levels. A breakdown in body homeostasis can lead to dangerously high or low blood sugar levels.
This can become a chronic condition leading to the onset of diabetes. According to the World Health Organization, in 1985, an estimated 30 million people worldwide had diabetes. By 1995, this number shot up to 135 million. The latest WHO estimate for the number of people with diabetes worldwide is 177 million. This will increase to at least 300 million by 2025.
The number of deaths attributed to diabetes is likely to be around 4 million. These projections take into account the fact that there will be more people in the world due to population growth and that there will be more elderly people due to population aging.
They also account for urbanization - the fact that people are moving from rural areas to cities, particularly in developing countries. This migration affects the number of people who are likely to have diabetes, because people living in cities of developing countries tend to be less physically active and have higher levels of obesity than people in rural areas.
In fact, current trends in obesity suggest that these projections are conservative and that the increase in the prevalence of diabetes may be even greater. In developing countries, people in the middle and most productive years of their lives are particularly affected by diabetes.
In these countries, three-quarters of all people with diabetes are under 65 years old and 25% of all adults with diabetes are younger than 44. In developed countries, more than half of all people with diabetes are older than 65, and only 8% of adults with diabetes are younger than 44. Because of its chronic nature, the severity of its complications, and the means required to control it, diabetes is a costly disease, not only for the affected individuals and the families involved, but also for the health authorities.
Studies in India estimate that, for a low-income Indian family, as much as 25% of family income may be devoted to diabetes care. For families in the USA, the corresponding figure is 10%. The total healthcare cost of a person with diabetes in the USA is between two and three times those for people without the condition.
A recent analysis of healthcare expenditure in the Western Pacific region has shown that 16% of hospital expenditure was spent on people afflicted with diabetes. In the Republic of the Marshall Islands, this figure was 25%. The cost of diabetes affects everyone, everywhere, but they are not only a financial problem. Intangible costs (pain, anxiety, inconvenience, and generally lower quality of life) also have great impact on the lives of patients and their families and are the most difficult to quantify.
Direct costs to individuals and their families include medical care, drugs, insulin, and other supplies. Patients may also have to bear other personal costs, such as increased payments for health and life insurance. Recent treatment cost estimates for Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico were US $3.9 billion, US $0.8 billion and US $2.0 billion, respectively.
Each of these is an annual figure and is rising as prevalence of diabetes increases. For most countries, the largest portion of diabetes expenditure is cost of hospital admissions for the treatment of long-term complications, such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and foot problems.
Western medicine relies on aggressive prescription drugs and surgery to deal with many problems related to irregular blood chemistry in the body. Unfortunately, these methods often result in unwanted and even dangerous side effects. And natural pills provide only fleeting, inconsistent results.
Ayurveda, the science of life, prevention and longevity, is the oldest and most holistic and comprehensive medical system available. Its fundamentals can be found in Hindu scriptures called the Vedas - the ancient Indian books of wisdom written over 5,000 years ago. Ayurveda applies the inherent principles of nature to help maintain optimum health in a person by keeping the individual's body, mind, and spirit in perfect equilibrium with nature.
India Herbs has a seasoned group of Ayurvedic doctors specialized in Vajikarana, one of the eight major specialties of Ayurveda. Vajikarana prescribes the therapeutic use of various herbal and tonic preparations to address the root cause of irregular blood chemistry, while strengthening your body and overall well-being.
India Herbs' Vajikarana scientists combine a proprietary herbal formula based on centuries' old wisdom with advice on diet, exercise, mental training, and relaxation to help men and women overcome their health concerns through safe and natural means.
Results: The precise combination of ingredients in AyurGold along with a mind-body focus precisely addresses your blood chemistry concerns!
more information:
http://www.india-herbs.com/aff/dreddyclinic/ayurgold
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Kama Yogi - Sexual dysfunction may take many forms.
Sexual dysfunction may take many forms. The most common problems are Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (low not allowed drive) and Penile Erectile Dysfunction (difficulties in achieving and maintaining an erection).
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the key causes of sexual dysfunction is due to rapid urbanization, increased consumption of energy-dense foods high in saturated fats and sugars and depression.
When a man finds himself unable to get and maintain a sufficient erection due to physical causes, it can cause depression and anxiety.
By the same token, when a man finds he suffers ED only in certain circumstances, physiological factors may be the source of the problem. While psychological factors can play a big role in sexual problems, studies have suggested that 20 - 50% of men with erectile dysfunction have some organic basis for their problem.
Sexual dysfunction may range from mild (low not allowed drive, weak erections, lack of energy, slow and weak ejaculation) to severe (total inability to achieve erection and complete lack of sexual desire). In many cases, sexual dysfunction or sluggish sexual responses may be caused by poor systemic health, stress, the build up of toxins and unhealthy lifestyles.
In a way, sexual health can be seen as a sort of ‘barometer’ of overall systemic and psychological health.
Men who are healthy, fit and confident about themselves and about life usually report a vigorous and satisfying not allowed life, no matter what their age.
Practitioners of Ayurveda have many centuries of knowledge regarding the use of herbal medicines and holistic techniques to treat a wide variety of medical problems and to promote optimum health and functioning. In this respect, certain Yoga techniques practices have been identified as having the ability to improve sexual functioning and overall systemic health.
Traditionally, Yoga is the divine science, a gift of God to his creation. When man has reached a certain stage of evolution, Yoga is "revealed" to a few great saints who are empowered to transmit it to qualified pupils and through them to successive generations.
The earliest archaeological evidence for the practice of yoga is afforded by drawings of men in the posture of yogic meditation excavated in the Indus valley - dating from at least 3000 BC! The earliest literary evidence is found in references to the practice of Yoga in the Vedas, the oldest books in the world, parts of which were composed in Northern India not later the 2500 BC; it is widely believed by scholars that Yoga existed and was handed down orally for thousands of years before that.
India Herbs has a seasoned group of Ayurvedic doctors specialized in Vajikarana, one of the eight major specialties of Ayurveda (the ancient science dealing with medicine).
Vajikarana is "a process or a drug, which make a man sexually as strong as a horse and able to copulate for long and frequently with many wives and partners. " India Herbs' Vajikarana scientists have integrated a series of yogic techniques and practices based on millennia old wisdom to reignite inert bodily functions caused by stress and energy deprivation.
The KAMA YOGI eBook contains simple and effective methods, coupled with adherence to simple advice on diet, exercise, mental training, and relaxation that will treat the whole person - the mind , body and spirit in order to create the balance that will address the causes of low libido and male sexual dysfunction as well as ensuring optimum overall health through safe and natural means.
Results: The KAMAYOGI eBook is a clear and step-by-step practical guide with photos to help you to increase your psycho-sexual power and improve your not allowed life.
YOGA's healing power is very strong - so powerful that men who are impotent can regain their potency as they realized their overall health potential. Order the
KAMAYOGI eBook today! more information: http://www.kamayogi.com/index.htm?aff=dreddyclinic
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the key causes of sexual dysfunction is due to rapid urbanization, increased consumption of energy-dense foods high in saturated fats and sugars and depression.
When a man finds himself unable to get and maintain a sufficient erection due to physical causes, it can cause depression and anxiety.
By the same token, when a man finds he suffers ED only in certain circumstances, physiological factors may be the source of the problem. While psychological factors can play a big role in sexual problems, studies have suggested that 20 - 50% of men with erectile dysfunction have some organic basis for their problem.
Sexual dysfunction may range from mild (low not allowed drive, weak erections, lack of energy, slow and weak ejaculation) to severe (total inability to achieve erection and complete lack of sexual desire). In many cases, sexual dysfunction or sluggish sexual responses may be caused by poor systemic health, stress, the build up of toxins and unhealthy lifestyles.
In a way, sexual health can be seen as a sort of ‘barometer’ of overall systemic and psychological health.
Men who are healthy, fit and confident about themselves and about life usually report a vigorous and satisfying not allowed life, no matter what their age.
Practitioners of Ayurveda have many centuries of knowledge regarding the use of herbal medicines and holistic techniques to treat a wide variety of medical problems and to promote optimum health and functioning. In this respect, certain Yoga techniques practices have been identified as having the ability to improve sexual functioning and overall systemic health.
Traditionally, Yoga is the divine science, a gift of God to his creation. When man has reached a certain stage of evolution, Yoga is "revealed" to a few great saints who are empowered to transmit it to qualified pupils and through them to successive generations.
The earliest archaeological evidence for the practice of yoga is afforded by drawings of men in the posture of yogic meditation excavated in the Indus valley - dating from at least 3000 BC! The earliest literary evidence is found in references to the practice of Yoga in the Vedas, the oldest books in the world, parts of which were composed in Northern India not later the 2500 BC; it is widely believed by scholars that Yoga existed and was handed down orally for thousands of years before that.
India Herbs has a seasoned group of Ayurvedic doctors specialized in Vajikarana, one of the eight major specialties of Ayurveda (the ancient science dealing with medicine).
Vajikarana is "a process or a drug, which make a man sexually as strong as a horse and able to copulate for long and frequently with many wives and partners. " India Herbs' Vajikarana scientists have integrated a series of yogic techniques and practices based on millennia old wisdom to reignite inert bodily functions caused by stress and energy deprivation.
The KAMA YOGI eBook contains simple and effective methods, coupled with adherence to simple advice on diet, exercise, mental training, and relaxation that will treat the whole person - the mind , body and spirit in order to create the balance that will address the causes of low libido and male sexual dysfunction as well as ensuring optimum overall health through safe and natural means.
Results: The KAMAYOGI eBook is a clear and step-by-step practical guide with photos to help you to increase your psycho-sexual power and improve your not allowed life.
YOGA's healing power is very strong - so powerful that men who are impotent can regain their potency as they realized their overall health potential. Order the
KAMAYOGI eBook today! more information: http://www.kamayogi.com/index.htm?aff=dreddyclinic
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Working Under Stress
Our cell phone is ringing. E-mails pour in by the minute. Deadlines, competition, budgets, bottom lines. Let's face it, the modern workplace is stressful. As a result more people than ever are suffering from sleep disorders, anxiety attacks and even Depression.
What we need is the ability to meet the mental demands of the day without feeling over-stressed. It was exactly this need that prompted The Council of Maharishi Ayurveda Physicians to formulate the Worry Free tablets.
"People have told me that if they take tranquilizers it reduces their anxiety, but then they feel so drowsy that they can't work," says The Council. "Research shows that Worry Free provides the best of both worlds: it not only reduces generalized anxiety and calms stress, it also heightens alertness so you can meet the demands of your day and prevent mental stress from mounting."
How does this herbal formula accomplish those three objectives? Here's a chance to look deeply into the ayurvedic wisdom and scientific research on this remarkable formula.
What we need is the ability to meet the mental demands of the day without feeling over-stressed. It was exactly this need that prompted The Council of Maharishi Ayurveda Physicians to formulate the Worry Free tablets.
"People have told me that if they take tranquilizers it reduces their anxiety, but then they feel so drowsy that they can't work," says The Council. "Research shows that Worry Free provides the best of both worlds: it not only reduces generalized anxiety and calms stress, it also heightens alertness so you can meet the demands of your day and prevent mental stress from mounting."
How does this herbal formula accomplish those three objectives? Here's a chance to look deeply into the ayurvedic wisdom and scientific research on this remarkable formula.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Health Tip: Exercising During Pregnancy
(HealthDay News) -- Assuming your doctor approves, exercise can help keep you healthy and feeling good during pregnancy.While you should avoid strenuous activity, light exercise can offer many benefits during pregnancy.
The Nemours Foundation offers this partial list:
- Feeling better, having more energy, and getting better sleep at night.
- Reduced back pain and improved posture from stronger back, thigh and buttock muscles.
- Reduced stress and anxiety.
- Reduced risk of constipation.
- Less weight gain during pregnancy, and a quicker return to your pre-pregnancy weight.
Your body should tell you if it's had enough. Stop exercising immediately if you have any of the following symptoms:
- Fatigue.
- Dizziness.
- Heart palpitations.
- Shortness of breath.
- Pain in your back or pelvis.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Seven Ways to Make Every Day Feel Like a Holiday
All work and no play may make Jack a very dull boy, but can too much work actually make Jack sick? According to a wide array of research, the answer is a resounding YES.
Take the study published in Psychosomatic Medicine in 2000. Researchers analyzed data from 12,000 men between the ages of 35 and 57 who were prone to heart disease. The thirteen percent who reported skipping their vacations the previous year had a much higher risk of death than those who took their vacations.
In another study published in Occupational Medicine, workers in a medium-sized manufacturing firm reported fewer physical ailments immediately after a vacation, and the results still held five weeks afterwards.
According to Maharishi Ayurveda, these results are not surprising. Maharishi Ayurveda takes the concept of balancing activity and rest seriously, advising us to include adequate rest and rejuvenation in the cycles of each season and as part of every single day. This is essential for preventing ill-health in body, mind and emotions.
Here are seven ways to incorporate more rest and relaxation into your schedule throughout the year.
Stop straining. Since all disease, according to Maharishi Ayurveda, starts with misuse, overuse or lack of use of the mind, body or senses, it's important not to strain. If you feel exhausted at night after work, or if you feel overly anxious or depressed due to work, you are either doing too much or are doing work that is not suitable for you. Take steps to lighten your workload. If it's the nature of the work itself that is causing you strain, you might want to seriously consider making a change.
Don't slight sleep. It's when you're tired that you tend to overwork. When you're rested you can finish the work without strain and still have energy and time left over for the rest of your life. Research shows that workers who get less than six hours of sleep a night are prone to costly accidents, poor concentration and poor performance. Sleep is also important for producing ojas, the biochemical equivalent of bliss.
Without it depression, anxiety and anger increase.
The quality of sleep is just as important as number of hours. If you have trouble sleeping, try going to bed earlier, before 10:00. This usually creates a deeper sleep. Prepare for deep sleep by avoiding TV and computers in the evening. Take Blissful Sleep to aid in falling asleep, or Deep Rest if you wake up tossing and turning in the night.
Spend time in pure enjoyment every day. Everyone needs a little vacation time built into every single day. If you work on the job, and then come home to endless work there, you're setting up a situation for ill-health, unhappiness and fast aging. Your children will appreciate you more if you take time to play a game with them after dinner, or share a favorite hobby.
If you're on the computer all day, try to schedule real events in the evening, such as walking with friends, painting a picture, or playing a musical instrument. Sharing your life with family and friends rejuvenates the mind and heart in a way that nothing else can. One way to boost your capacity for enjoyment is to practice the Transcendental Meditation® program every day. By allowing the mind to bathe itself in the infinite reservoir of bliss and intelligence that is found at the basis of thinking, you begin to infuse bliss into every activity. Over time practitioners find that life itself becomes blissful, and that no activity is a strain. This is true enjoyment--when every moment of life becomes a celebration.
Structure work breaks. Even while you're working, it's actually more productive to take breaks each hour. A 2000 study in the journal Ergonomics suggested that taking frequent work breaks is the only way to prevent neck and shoulder discomfort due to repetitive work on the computer. Another study showed that the only effective way to reduce Repetitive Strain Injury for computer workers was to institute frequent work breaks away from the keyboard. Breaks are also essential for preventing eyestrain. The most effective break you can take is walking outside and breathing fresh air. Stretch and bend if you can, or walk briskly. This will infuse your brain with oxygen and give you a moment to appreciate the beautiful summer weather.
Schedule rest and rejuvenation between the seasons. One important preventive measure offered by Maharishi Ayurveda is to take time to rest and rejuvenate at the end of each season. The purification procedures of Maharishi Panchakarma are designed to gently cleanse the colon, tissues and microchannels of the body of impurities that have built up during the previous season. This gives the body a chance to enter the new season with maximum flexibility and high immune strength. It also prevents imbalances from remaining in the system. By restoring balance each season, disease is prevented from happening.
Even if you can't do Maharishi Panchakarma every season, you can eat lightly for two weeks during the weeks when the seasons are changing. Favor warm soups, dhals, fresh vegetables and whole grains. This will give your digestion a chance to rest and purify toxins. You can also take Elim-Tox or Elim-Tox-O to purify the liver, Genitrac to purify the urinary system, and Herbal Cleanse to purify the large intestine. Together these products give your body the rest and rejuvenation it needs to create only good health in the coming season.
Take regular vacations. Even if you live a balanced lifestyle, with frequent breaks and adequate time for relaxation each day, it's important to give your mind a complete break once or twice a year. This is especially important if your work is taxing. A change of scenery, away from cell phone, beeper and computer, provides a certain deeper type of rest that is essential for mind and body. It's also healthy for families to spend leisure time together, to forge deeper bonds and share happy times together. Vacations don't need to be expensive--you can camp out, stay with relatives, swap homes. Be creative. The main point is to experience a change of pace, get some deep rest, and allow your mind and body to really take a break. Often, taking a break provides new insights, perspectives and creativity once you return.
Boost your bliss power. Feeling happy is a normal state of mind. If you are fatigued, anxious, or depressed, it's time to take steps to remove the underlying cause. For relief from anxiety, try giving yourself a daily abhyanga, or ayurvedic oil massage. Use Relaxation Massage Oil, and then soak in a tub with Relaxing Therapeutic Bath Salts containing Lavender, Bergamot, Rosemary and Peppermint.
Listen to the soothing rhythms of Gandharva Veda music, and after your bath apply Youthful Skin Advanced Lipid Support, an extraordinary moisturizing lotion that contains herbs and oils that replenish and renew not only your skin but your emotions as well. Take Worry Free or Stress Free Mind to treat the underlying cause of anxiety and to build resistance to day-to-day stress. If your emotions are out of kilter and you feel frustrated or angry on a daily basis, try Cooling Pitta Aroma Oil or light aBlissful Heart aroma Candle.
Massage with Cool Sensation Massage Oil, and bathe with Soothing Therapeutic Bath Salts, which contain a mixture of Patchouli, Vetiver and Cypress to cool body, mind and emotions. Take Blissful Joy or Stress-Free Emotions tablets to give a positive lift to your emotional health. Just making a few changes can put you back on track and help build the inner resources that make every day feel like a holiday.
Maharishi Ayurveda Products International, Inc.
Take the study published in Psychosomatic Medicine in 2000. Researchers analyzed data from 12,000 men between the ages of 35 and 57 who were prone to heart disease. The thirteen percent who reported skipping their vacations the previous year had a much higher risk of death than those who took their vacations.
In another study published in Occupational Medicine, workers in a medium-sized manufacturing firm reported fewer physical ailments immediately after a vacation, and the results still held five weeks afterwards.
According to Maharishi Ayurveda, these results are not surprising. Maharishi Ayurveda takes the concept of balancing activity and rest seriously, advising us to include adequate rest and rejuvenation in the cycles of each season and as part of every single day. This is essential for preventing ill-health in body, mind and emotions.
Here are seven ways to incorporate more rest and relaxation into your schedule throughout the year.
Stop straining. Since all disease, according to Maharishi Ayurveda, starts with misuse, overuse or lack of use of the mind, body or senses, it's important not to strain. If you feel exhausted at night after work, or if you feel overly anxious or depressed due to work, you are either doing too much or are doing work that is not suitable for you. Take steps to lighten your workload. If it's the nature of the work itself that is causing you strain, you might want to seriously consider making a change.
Don't slight sleep. It's when you're tired that you tend to overwork. When you're rested you can finish the work without strain and still have energy and time left over for the rest of your life. Research shows that workers who get less than six hours of sleep a night are prone to costly accidents, poor concentration and poor performance. Sleep is also important for producing ojas, the biochemical equivalent of bliss.
Without it depression, anxiety and anger increase.
The quality of sleep is just as important as number of hours. If you have trouble sleeping, try going to bed earlier, before 10:00. This usually creates a deeper sleep. Prepare for deep sleep by avoiding TV and computers in the evening. Take Blissful Sleep to aid in falling asleep, or Deep Rest if you wake up tossing and turning in the night.
Spend time in pure enjoyment every day. Everyone needs a little vacation time built into every single day. If you work on the job, and then come home to endless work there, you're setting up a situation for ill-health, unhappiness and fast aging. Your children will appreciate you more if you take time to play a game with them after dinner, or share a favorite hobby.
If you're on the computer all day, try to schedule real events in the evening, such as walking with friends, painting a picture, or playing a musical instrument. Sharing your life with family and friends rejuvenates the mind and heart in a way that nothing else can. One way to boost your capacity for enjoyment is to practice the Transcendental Meditation® program every day. By allowing the mind to bathe itself in the infinite reservoir of bliss and intelligence that is found at the basis of thinking, you begin to infuse bliss into every activity. Over time practitioners find that life itself becomes blissful, and that no activity is a strain. This is true enjoyment--when every moment of life becomes a celebration.
Structure work breaks. Even while you're working, it's actually more productive to take breaks each hour. A 2000 study in the journal Ergonomics suggested that taking frequent work breaks is the only way to prevent neck and shoulder discomfort due to repetitive work on the computer. Another study showed that the only effective way to reduce Repetitive Strain Injury for computer workers was to institute frequent work breaks away from the keyboard. Breaks are also essential for preventing eyestrain. The most effective break you can take is walking outside and breathing fresh air. Stretch and bend if you can, or walk briskly. This will infuse your brain with oxygen and give you a moment to appreciate the beautiful summer weather.
Schedule rest and rejuvenation between the seasons. One important preventive measure offered by Maharishi Ayurveda is to take time to rest and rejuvenate at the end of each season. The purification procedures of Maharishi Panchakarma are designed to gently cleanse the colon, tissues and microchannels of the body of impurities that have built up during the previous season. This gives the body a chance to enter the new season with maximum flexibility and high immune strength. It also prevents imbalances from remaining in the system. By restoring balance each season, disease is prevented from happening.
Even if you can't do Maharishi Panchakarma every season, you can eat lightly for two weeks during the weeks when the seasons are changing. Favor warm soups, dhals, fresh vegetables and whole grains. This will give your digestion a chance to rest and purify toxins. You can also take Elim-Tox or Elim-Tox-O to purify the liver, Genitrac to purify the urinary system, and Herbal Cleanse to purify the large intestine. Together these products give your body the rest and rejuvenation it needs to create only good health in the coming season.
Take regular vacations. Even if you live a balanced lifestyle, with frequent breaks and adequate time for relaxation each day, it's important to give your mind a complete break once or twice a year. This is especially important if your work is taxing. A change of scenery, away from cell phone, beeper and computer, provides a certain deeper type of rest that is essential for mind and body. It's also healthy for families to spend leisure time together, to forge deeper bonds and share happy times together. Vacations don't need to be expensive--you can camp out, stay with relatives, swap homes. Be creative. The main point is to experience a change of pace, get some deep rest, and allow your mind and body to really take a break. Often, taking a break provides new insights, perspectives and creativity once you return.
Boost your bliss power. Feeling happy is a normal state of mind. If you are fatigued, anxious, or depressed, it's time to take steps to remove the underlying cause. For relief from anxiety, try giving yourself a daily abhyanga, or ayurvedic oil massage. Use Relaxation Massage Oil, and then soak in a tub with Relaxing Therapeutic Bath Salts containing Lavender, Bergamot, Rosemary and Peppermint.
Listen to the soothing rhythms of Gandharva Veda music, and after your bath apply Youthful Skin Advanced Lipid Support, an extraordinary moisturizing lotion that contains herbs and oils that replenish and renew not only your skin but your emotions as well. Take Worry Free or Stress Free Mind to treat the underlying cause of anxiety and to build resistance to day-to-day stress. If your emotions are out of kilter and you feel frustrated or angry on a daily basis, try Cooling Pitta Aroma Oil or light aBlissful Heart aroma Candle.
Massage with Cool Sensation Massage Oil, and bathe with Soothing Therapeutic Bath Salts, which contain a mixture of Patchouli, Vetiver and Cypress to cool body, mind and emotions. Take Blissful Joy or Stress-Free Emotions tablets to give a positive lift to your emotional health. Just making a few changes can put you back on track and help build the inner resources that make every day feel like a holiday.
Maharishi Ayurveda Products International, Inc.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Health Tip: If You've Missed Your Period
(HealthDay News) -- When a woman misses her period, her first instinct may be to assume that she's pregnant. While lack of a menstrual cycle can indicate pregnancy, there are other reasons that could cause your cycle to stop.Here are some conditions that may affect a woman's menstrual cycle, courtesy of the Saint Francis Health Care System:
- Extreme weight loss or exceptionally strenuous exercise.
- Obesity.
- Stress or anxiety.
- Menopause.
- Health conditions that affect the thyroid or pituitary gland.
- Some medications.
Prozac May Protect Against Osteoporosis
(HealthDay News) -- Could a widely used treatment for depression be a remedy for osteoporosis?Researchers have discovered that the drug Prozac also increases bone mass, at least in adult mice.
"Treating animals for six weeks with Prozac resulted in an increase in trabecular bone mass," said study lead author Ricardo Battaglino, assistant member of the staff in the department of cytokine biology at the Forsyth Institute in Boston. "It was a pretty significant 60 percent increase."
Trabecular bone is one of two main types of bone and makes up most of the spongy interior of the majority of bones.
Although it's way too early to advocate popping Prozac to reverse or stop bone loss, experts say it's a tantalizing lead for future research.
"For several reasons, people need to be cautious because fluoxetine [the generic name for Prozac] has central nervous system effects," said Dr. Grant Mitchell, chief of psychiatry at Northern Westchester Hospital Center in Mount Kisco, N.Y. "But it is interesting that current treatments for bone loss in osteoporosis do not take this approach, so the idea that we could at some point have another approach to reducing bone loss or even rebuilding new bone is actually exciting. Having more options would be great."
The study, which was funded by the U.S. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, is expected to be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Cellular Biochemistry.
Previous research, some of it by the same team, had found that serotonin receptors were commonly expressed on the surface of bone cells. Serotonin receptors govern the entry of serotonin -- a molecule that helps transmit signals between neurons and is implicated in anxiety and depression -- into cells.
Prozac is a member of a group of antidepressants called "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors" (SSRIs) that act on this receptor.
The fact that these receptors populated bone cells "was surprising for us," Battaglino said, "because we were taking bone cells and serotonin, two molecules that apparently didn't have much to do with each other."
The next question was whether Prozac, which has an effect on serotonin, also exerted an influence on bone cells and, ultimately, bone mass.
For this study, laboratory mice were treated with Prozac for six weeks. The investigators were specifically interested in seeing if the drug stimulated new bone formation under normal conditions and if it blocked bone loss caused by inflammation or by loss of estrogen after taking out the ovaries.
Prozac both spurred the formation of new bone under normal conditions and reversed overall bone loss triggered by inflammation.
The drug was administered both systemically (like taking a pill) and locally (directly to the bone), and the effects were observed with both delivery methods, the researchers reported.
"They developed a way to deliver locally to the bone, which makes more sense," Mitchell pointed out. "The idea there would be to avoid the [potential] brain effects."
Oddly, a prior study using Prozac found that the drug actually hindered bone growth. The discrepancy may have been due to the way bone mass or density was measured and also to the fact that it involved children, not adults, Battaglino said.
In the new study, Prozac was not effective in female mice without circulating estrogen (i.e. after their ovaries had been removed). In those cases, Prozac "did not prevent bone loss associated with estrogen deficiency," Mitchell said. "It looks like, to be effective in relation to bone loss, Prozac needs to be in the presence of estrogen." This has implications for women moving into menopause who lose estrogen and have an increased risk of osteoporosis, he said.
The findings need to be replicated and, of course, tried in humans, but, given the number of people taking Prozac, the implications could be enormous.
"Fluoxetine is one of the most widely prescribed psychoactive drugs in this country and most likely the world, and it's been like that for at least 15 or 20 years," Battaglino said. "From the public health point of view, this would be pretty relevant."
The jury is still out on whether other SSRIs -- such as Celexa, Paxil and Zoloft -- might have the same effect on bone, Battaglino added, since similar tests on those drugs haven't yet been performed.
"This could be a class effect for SSRIs," he said. "However, it is known that in addition to blocking the serotonin transporter, Prozac can target other molecules -- for instance, some nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and even some serotonin receptors. So, this effect could be specific for Prozac. The experiments will have to be done to answer the question."
More information
To find out more about bone loss, visit the National Osteoporosis Foundation.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Are Full Body Scans Dangerous?
Are Full Body Scans Dangerous?
Provided by: DrWeil.com
Q: I'm scheduled to get a full body scan, but I just heard that the radiation involved is too high. Should I cancel? -- Alice A: Full body scans are CT (computed tomography) examinations of the entire body that are being offered to healthy people to look for early signs of disease. I've had reservations about these procedures since they were first promoted because of the radiation exposure involved. Recent data published in the September 2004 issue of Radiology shows that my concerns are justified. A single scan exposes you to approximately the same dose of radiation received by some survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. We know that these survivors faced an increased risk of cancer.
New calculations from a research team at Columbia University Center for Radiological Research in New York show that with a single full body scan, the risk of developing a radiation-induced cancer later in life is about one in 1,200 -- that is, if 1,200 people had these scans, one might be expected to get cancer as a result of the radiation exposure.
That risk is pretty low, but if you continue to have the scans, the risk rises. The calculations show that someone who starts having the scans at age 45 and continues to have one a year for 30 years faces a one in 50 risk of radiation-induced cancer. That's much too high of a risk to accept for a test that is not medically necessary. The calculations also suggest that having this test on an annual basis - or even having it every two years - may do you more harm than good.
My reservations about full body scans go beyond radiation issue. While there's a very small chance that the scans will turn up signs of an undetectable cancer years before symptoms would occur, there's a greater likelihood that it will reveal some blip in the body that probably means nothing. But because the blip has been "seen" on the scan, you may have to get additional, anxiety-provoking tests until the issue is resolved.
Cost is a factor, too. These scans don't come cheap -- prices range from $700 to $1,300, depending on where you live. And they're not covered by health insurance.
You also should know that the American College of Radiology doesn't sanction use of full body scans for screening healthy people and that there is no scientific data showing that people will live longer as a result of having the scans.
If a physician recommends a full body CT scan to investigate symptoms you're having, or to check for signs of a disease for which you've been treated, the test may offer benefits that outweigh the risk of the radiation exposure involved. Otherwise, they are best avoided.
Andrew Weil, MD
Provided by: DrWeil.com
Q: I'm scheduled to get a full body scan, but I just heard that the radiation involved is too high. Should I cancel? -- Alice A: Full body scans are CT (computed tomography) examinations of the entire body that are being offered to healthy people to look for early signs of disease. I've had reservations about these procedures since they were first promoted because of the radiation exposure involved. Recent data published in the September 2004 issue of Radiology shows that my concerns are justified. A single scan exposes you to approximately the same dose of radiation received by some survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. We know that these survivors faced an increased risk of cancer.
New calculations from a research team at Columbia University Center for Radiological Research in New York show that with a single full body scan, the risk of developing a radiation-induced cancer later in life is about one in 1,200 -- that is, if 1,200 people had these scans, one might be expected to get cancer as a result of the radiation exposure.
That risk is pretty low, but if you continue to have the scans, the risk rises. The calculations show that someone who starts having the scans at age 45 and continues to have one a year for 30 years faces a one in 50 risk of radiation-induced cancer. That's much too high of a risk to accept for a test that is not medically necessary. The calculations also suggest that having this test on an annual basis - or even having it every two years - may do you more harm than good.
My reservations about full body scans go beyond radiation issue. While there's a very small chance that the scans will turn up signs of an undetectable cancer years before symptoms would occur, there's a greater likelihood that it will reveal some blip in the body that probably means nothing. But because the blip has been "seen" on the scan, you may have to get additional, anxiety-provoking tests until the issue is resolved.
Cost is a factor, too. These scans don't come cheap -- prices range from $700 to $1,300, depending on where you live. And they're not covered by health insurance.
You also should know that the American College of Radiology doesn't sanction use of full body scans for screening healthy people and that there is no scientific data showing that people will live longer as a result of having the scans.
If a physician recommends a full body CT scan to investigate symptoms you're having, or to check for signs of a disease for which you've been treated, the test may offer benefits that outweigh the risk of the radiation exposure involved. Otherwise, they are best avoided.
Andrew Weil, MD
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Ayurvedic Management of Ulcerative Colitis - Part 1
by Dr. Harish Kumar Verma
Ulcerative Colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease, which causes inflammation and ulceration of inner lining of the colon and rectum. The inflammation usually begins in the rectum and sigmoid colon and spread upward to the entire colon. Ulcerative colitis rarely affects the small intestine. It occurs at the rate of approximately five cases per 100,000 people. The disease pattern is one of the remission and exacerbation. It can occur at any age but its onset is most common among people between ages of 15 - 40. Ulcerative colitis affects male and females equally and appears to run in some families.
What Causes Ulcerative Colitis ? -The exact cause of Ulcerative is not known. Autoimmune factors, food allergies, collagen disorders, genetic factors, infection and psychogenesis have all been suggested. One or some combination of these factors thought to trigger the inflammatory process. The theory of the involvement of the immune mechanism has been widely accepted because of concept that therapeutic agents like Corticosteroids and Azothiaprine exert their effect via the immuno suppressive mechanism. The psychological factors of feelings like anger and anxiety of the degree of depression experienced by a sufferer are also important in modifying the course of the disease.
How Ulcerative Colitis Affects the Intestines ? In Ulcerative Colitis, inflammation is triggered by some unknown elements. Hyperemia and swelling occur as part of the vascular response. The swollen, engorged bowel is fragile and is therefore inclined to ulcerate, thus creating a break in the mucosal barrier. Digestive enzymes and intestinal bacteria act upon this exposed tissue, causing further irritation, inflammation, ulceration and bleeding.
Ayurvedic view - Sushruta mentioned in Sushruta Samhita about 3000 years ago that Pitta type people are more prone to Ulcerative Colitis (Rakata Atisaar).
Causes of Ulcerative Colitis according to Ayurveda -All the factors that imbalance ‘Pitta’ bio-energy are also responsible for developing Ulcerative Colitis. These include indulgence in too many arguments, eating while watching TV or walking, watching too many violent movies, excessive heat or exposure of the sun, excessive alcohol and smoking, excessive mental activity, skipping meals, spicy, sour or stale and infected foods etc. In Pitta constitution persons, Pitta gets aggravated very quickly with the above factors and patients develop diarrhea followed by bloody diarrhea.
Ayurvedic Medicine
DrEddyClinic.com
Ulcerative Colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease, which causes inflammation and ulceration of inner lining of the colon and rectum. The inflammation usually begins in the rectum and sigmoid colon and spread upward to the entire colon. Ulcerative colitis rarely affects the small intestine. It occurs at the rate of approximately five cases per 100,000 people. The disease pattern is one of the remission and exacerbation. It can occur at any age but its onset is most common among people between ages of 15 - 40. Ulcerative colitis affects male and females equally and appears to run in some families.
What Causes Ulcerative Colitis ? -The exact cause of Ulcerative is not known. Autoimmune factors, food allergies, collagen disorders, genetic factors, infection and psychogenesis have all been suggested. One or some combination of these factors thought to trigger the inflammatory process. The theory of the involvement of the immune mechanism has been widely accepted because of concept that therapeutic agents like Corticosteroids and Azothiaprine exert their effect via the immuno suppressive mechanism. The psychological factors of feelings like anger and anxiety of the degree of depression experienced by a sufferer are also important in modifying the course of the disease.
How Ulcerative Colitis Affects the Intestines ? In Ulcerative Colitis, inflammation is triggered by some unknown elements. Hyperemia and swelling occur as part of the vascular response. The swollen, engorged bowel is fragile and is therefore inclined to ulcerate, thus creating a break in the mucosal barrier. Digestive enzymes and intestinal bacteria act upon this exposed tissue, causing further irritation, inflammation, ulceration and bleeding.
Ayurvedic view - Sushruta mentioned in Sushruta Samhita about 3000 years ago that Pitta type people are more prone to Ulcerative Colitis (Rakata Atisaar).
Causes of Ulcerative Colitis according to Ayurveda -All the factors that imbalance ‘Pitta’ bio-energy are also responsible for developing Ulcerative Colitis. These include indulgence in too many arguments, eating while watching TV or walking, watching too many violent movies, excessive heat or exposure of the sun, excessive alcohol and smoking, excessive mental activity, skipping meals, spicy, sour or stale and infected foods etc. In Pitta constitution persons, Pitta gets aggravated very quickly with the above factors and patients develop diarrhea followed by bloody diarrhea.
Ayurvedic Medicine
DrEddyClinic.com
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Ayurveda remedies for Erectile dysfunction article by Dr.SavithaSuri
Twenty million American men suffer from some form of erectile dysfunction. Get the facts so you can get the help you need!Try a Proprietary Formula for Penis Enhancement based on Ayurveda - the Oldest and Most Holistic, Comprehensive Medical System Available.
more information: Erectile dysfunction
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Balm from the East
The effectiveness of the ancient Indian healing art of ayurveda is getting a closer look in the U.S.
By Jenny Hontz, Special to The Times
Jon Mejia experienced heart palpitations after a particularly stressful period running his Santa Monica consulting firm. His doctor diagnosed an abnormal heart rhythm and sent him to a specialist at a prestigious Los Angeles medical center.
An echocardiogram detected no cause for the extra heartbeats. Although his doctor told him that beta blocker drugs could control the symptoms, Mejia, 49, didn't want to take them because of concerns about side effects.
FOR THE RECORD
Ayurveda — An article in Monday's Health section incorrectly defined a BAMS as a bachelor's in alternative medicine. It is a bachelor's degree in ayurvedic medicine and surgery.
So Mejia turned instead to Martha Soffer and John Holmstrom, practitioners of the ancient Indian medical system ayurveda. After some dietary changes and three days of massage and purification treatments called panchakarma at Surya Spa, an ayurvedic center in Pacific Palisades, "the heart palpitations are almost gone," he says.
"I can't pretend to tell you I know how it works, but if I were to compare where I was when I walked in to where I am now, it's at least 80% relief," Mejia says. "I'm more myself."
Mejia is one of a growing number of Americans taking an interest in ayurveda, a 5,000-year-old holistic system of health that in Sanskrit means "knowledge of life." It uses combinations of herbs, purgatives, rubbing oils and other elements to treat diseases.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a proponent of transcendental meditation, brought ayurveda to the United States three decades ago, and Dr. Deepak Chopra exposed it to the masses in his bestseller "Perfect Health" (Harmony Books, 1991). Now, the California Assn. of Ayurvedic Medicine, a professional group based in Foster City, Calif., is sponsoring its first Ayurveda Awareness Day on Feb. 13.
Chinese medicine, which is more established in the U.S., was influenced by ayurveda, and similarities include the extensive use of natural herbs. Research into ayurveda is in its infancy in this country, but as interest grows, so does funding. The National Institute of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine allocated $3.5 million in grants last year to study its safety and efficacy.
"It's 100 times more popular than it was 10 years ago," says Scott Gerson, a New York physician with a medical degree from the U.S. and a doctorate in ayurveda from India.
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Yoga's sister science
Ayurveda treatments are becoming popular in spas, medical clinics and wellness centers. And like Mejia, many people are finding their way to ayurvedic medicine through the practice of yoga. Ayurveda is considered yoga's sister science, and workshops are frequently taught in yoga studios throughout Southern California.
"Yoga is the doorway," says Mas Vidal, owner of Dancing Shiva, a Los Angeles Veda yoga studio that added an ayurveda healing center last year. "Ayurveda is what all the great yogis practiced. Ayurveda was taught as a way of life."
Ayurveda holds that health and well-being of the body, mind and spirit is our natural state, experienced through proper diet, herbs, meditation, yoga, breathing exercises called pranayama and other daily routines. Ayurveda is used to prevent disease and boost the immune system so the body can heal itself from illness.
Ayurveda teaches that each person is made up of a combination of five elements: space, air, fire, water and earth, says Dr. Vasant Lad, a prominent Indian-trained physician who is chairman of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque. These elements combine to create three predominant doshas, or governing principles of the body: vata, pitta and kapha. Each person's constitution is one of these doshas, or a combination of them.
According to ayurvedic practice, vata people tend to be thin; they have cold hands and feet, dry skin and they are more likely to suffer from anxiety, insomnia, arthritis and constipation. Pitta types are "hot," with medium builds and oily skin; they have strong appetites, controlling natures, sharp intellects and quick reactions. They get inflammatory diseases, rashes and ulcers. Kapha types are frequently overweight. They move slowly, love salty and sweet foods, have thick hair and big eyes and are prone to colds, congestion and diabetes, Lad says.
Each of these groups has different dietary and lifestyle needs, which also vary by season. Disease in ayurveda is an imbalance in one's natural doshas, caused by improper diet and digestion, negative emotions and stress, which lead to a buildup of toxins in the body called ama.
Ayurvedic practitioners believe that this needs to be corrected through lifestyle changes, as well as panchakarma treatments, including a special diet, laxatives, herbal oil massages, sweat treatments, herbal enemas, nasal therapies and shirodhara, the pouring of oil onto the forehead for roughly 30 minutes. These treatments are typically performed in certain seasons and continue for three to 10 days.
In India, practices such as vomiting and bloodletting also are used for specific illnesses, but these are rarely done in the U.S. Some practitioners also incorporate sound, color and aromatherapy.
"All tools are at the disposal of ayurveda, but we recognize the tool is not the cure," says Marc Halpern, founder of the California College of Ayurveda in Grass Valley, Calif. "Western medicine controls the symptom. Ayurveda looks at the root causes in terms of lifestyle and consciousness."
Suppressed during British rule in India, ayurveda was preserved by practitioner families and is now taught in Indian medical schools, which require five years of training and clinical experience. The Indian government sponsors numerous scientific studies on ayurveda and its collection of medicinal herbs.
While ayurveda is often used in India by people too poor to receive Western medicine, panchakarma treatments in the U.S. cost $1,500 to $3,500 a week and are mainly the province of the wealthy, devoted or desperate. Holmstrom says he has treated some Hollywood celebrities, including Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Chopra treats people at his Chopra Center at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad.
*
Changing attitudes
But ayurveda also is attracting people with chronic health problems who have become frustrated with Western medical techniques that haven't helped them, and those with alcohol and drug problems who want to detox quickly. One Los Angeles lawyer with chronic pain and sleeplessness from damaged spinal disks used ayurveda to kick a growing reliance on sleeping pills and says panchakarma was not about getting pampered.
"By the fifth day, you are enema-ed out…. ," said the lawyer, who asked that her name not be used. "It's not a fun procedure. If you're interested in going to a spa and getting a facial, this is not for you."
Still, the treatments worked so well that she asked her doctor to write a prescription for panchakarma so insurance would cover it. She says his response was something like: "I'm not going to sully my name by prescribing something so weird."
Although ayurveda is still relatively new in Southern California, such attitudes are gradually changing as ayurveda is subjected to the rigors of Western science. It's difficult to conduct double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, the gold standard of scientific research, because ayurveda is a holistic system that treats individuals differently with multiple methods. Some studies have isolated specific components of ayurveda, which advocates of ayurveda say misses the point.
But last fall, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine awarded a two-year, $283,000 grant to establish an Ayurvedic Center of Collaborative Research to study ayurveda as it is practiced in India. Overseen by researcher Leanna Standish at Bastyr University in Kenmore, Wash., scientists from Johns Hopkins University and UCLA will work with doctors in India to conduct controlled clinical trials on ayurvedic treatments for rheumatoid arthritis. Eventually, they hope to study treatments for hepatitis C, osteoarthritis and diabetes.
"I do not believe there have been any well-done studies of the whole practice of ayurveda…. " overseen by independent U.S. researchers, Standish says. "It really does deserve very careful evaluation."
Although the numbers are still small, more Western doctors are getting trained. Dr. Vandana Soni, an anesthesiologist, realized after years of practicing Western medicine that it only "touches the surface of pain." She now combines Indian and Western medicine at her clinic, and some local medical doctors now refer patients to her for conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue and menopausal symptoms.
"If ayurveda were perfect, [Western] allopathic medicine would never have come along," she says. "If allopathic medicine were perfect, the world of alternative medicine wouldn't have come into place."
When you visit an ayurvedic clinic for the first time, prepare to spend a couple of hours. "Ayurveda is very time-intensive," says Dr. Nancy Lonsdorf, medical director at the Raj Ayurveda Health Center in Iowa. "I never see more than 12 patients a day. Most doctors see 50."
At her clinic, Soni asks patients to fill out a 15-page questionnaire detailing everything from the time they wake up to the characteristics of bowel movements. After a pulse-taking and tongue examination, she determines a patient's dosha and prescribes some herbs, spices and self-massage as part of a basic work-up.
Soni recommends patients retain their primary Western doctors, and she won't treat people taking Chinese herbs because of possible side effects.
*
Standards lacking
This is one of the problems with ayurveda in the U.S., where people often ingest a complex stew of drugs and Eastern herbs, whose interactions are poorly understood. Although acupuncturists and doctors of Oriental medicine must be certified and licensed in California and many other states, there are no standards for training or for practicing ayurveda. Because a system for licensing is probably still years away, "it's buyer beware," Holmstrom says.
Gerson advises people to look for a bachelor's degree in alternative medicine, a doctorate or a medical degree in ayurveda from India. He also founded the National Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine, which verifies practitioner credentials. Because the programs teaching ayurveda in the U.S. require just 300 to 500 hours of training, most practitioners here are unqualified to practice in India. Gerson says U.S. schools offer "a really poor level of training in ayurveda."
Although it's hard to imagine someone being harmed by oil massages, Gerson says ayurvedic treatments performed by the unqualified can have "serious consequences," including headaches, bowel dysfunction, irregular respiration, fatigue and psychological problems. Enemas are "invasive" and when performed improperly can cause colon spasms. "The biggest harm that can be done is the withholding of proper treatment," says Wynn Werner, the administrator of the Ayurvedic Institute.
Gerson cites the case of a well-known ayurvedic doctor who treated a woman in her mid-40s complaining of fatigue and muscle aches. "He took her pulse, looked in her eyes and diagnosed a vata imbalance," Gerson said. Prescribing some herbs, dietary changes and yoga, he sent the woman away. A few months later, the family informed him she was diagnosed with leukemia. "Because the ayurvedic doctor did not integrate a blood test," he says, "this was missed." But as long as people are prudent, most ayurvedic lifestyle changes have stress-reducing benefits and little chance of harming one's health, Halpern says.
*
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
What's your dosha type?
Ayurveda sets forth three types of physical, mental and emotional characteristics that are said to be present in everyone. Below are some of the common characteristics of each type. Though all people are said to have qualities of each dosha type, one is usually predominant, according to ayurvedic practice.
Vata
Cold bodies.
Quick minds, creative.
Dry, wrinkled skin.
Walk and talk fast.
Poor planners.
Nervous, anxious.
Susceptible to diseases such as emphysema, pneumonia, arthritis.
Pitta
Warm bodies.
Sharp intellect.
Strong appetite.
Oily skin.
React quickly, easily agitated.
Susceptible to fever, inflammatory diseases.
Kapha
Strong, good stamina.
Sweet, loving disposition.
Calm, tolerant, forgiving.
Dislike exercise.
Susceptible to flu, sinus congestion.
Oily, smooth skin.
To determine your dosha type, go to the National Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine, http://www.niam.com .
Source: The Ayurvedic Institute, Albuquerque
More informations here:
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/ayurvedic/ayurvedic.htm
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/education/education.htm
By Jenny Hontz, Special to The Times
Jon Mejia experienced heart palpitations after a particularly stressful period running his Santa Monica consulting firm. His doctor diagnosed an abnormal heart rhythm and sent him to a specialist at a prestigious Los Angeles medical center.
An echocardiogram detected no cause for the extra heartbeats. Although his doctor told him that beta blocker drugs could control the symptoms, Mejia, 49, didn't want to take them because of concerns about side effects.
FOR THE RECORD
Ayurveda — An article in Monday's Health section incorrectly defined a BAMS as a bachelor's in alternative medicine. It is a bachelor's degree in ayurvedic medicine and surgery.
So Mejia turned instead to Martha Soffer and John Holmstrom, practitioners of the ancient Indian medical system ayurveda. After some dietary changes and three days of massage and purification treatments called panchakarma at Surya Spa, an ayurvedic center in Pacific Palisades, "the heart palpitations are almost gone," he says.
"I can't pretend to tell you I know how it works, but if I were to compare where I was when I walked in to where I am now, it's at least 80% relief," Mejia says. "I'm more myself."
Mejia is one of a growing number of Americans taking an interest in ayurveda, a 5,000-year-old holistic system of health that in Sanskrit means "knowledge of life." It uses combinations of herbs, purgatives, rubbing oils and other elements to treat diseases.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a proponent of transcendental meditation, brought ayurveda to the United States three decades ago, and Dr. Deepak Chopra exposed it to the masses in his bestseller "Perfect Health" (Harmony Books, 1991). Now, the California Assn. of Ayurvedic Medicine, a professional group based in Foster City, Calif., is sponsoring its first Ayurveda Awareness Day on Feb. 13.
Chinese medicine, which is more established in the U.S., was influenced by ayurveda, and similarities include the extensive use of natural herbs. Research into ayurveda is in its infancy in this country, but as interest grows, so does funding. The National Institute of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine allocated $3.5 million in grants last year to study its safety and efficacy.
"It's 100 times more popular than it was 10 years ago," says Scott Gerson, a New York physician with a medical degree from the U.S. and a doctorate in ayurveda from India.
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Yoga's sister science
Ayurveda treatments are becoming popular in spas, medical clinics and wellness centers. And like Mejia, many people are finding their way to ayurvedic medicine through the practice of yoga. Ayurveda is considered yoga's sister science, and workshops are frequently taught in yoga studios throughout Southern California.
"Yoga is the doorway," says Mas Vidal, owner of Dancing Shiva, a Los Angeles Veda yoga studio that added an ayurveda healing center last year. "Ayurveda is what all the great yogis practiced. Ayurveda was taught as a way of life."
Ayurveda holds that health and well-being of the body, mind and spirit is our natural state, experienced through proper diet, herbs, meditation, yoga, breathing exercises called pranayama and other daily routines. Ayurveda is used to prevent disease and boost the immune system so the body can heal itself from illness.
Ayurveda teaches that each person is made up of a combination of five elements: space, air, fire, water and earth, says Dr. Vasant Lad, a prominent Indian-trained physician who is chairman of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque. These elements combine to create three predominant doshas, or governing principles of the body: vata, pitta and kapha. Each person's constitution is one of these doshas, or a combination of them.
According to ayurvedic practice, vata people tend to be thin; they have cold hands and feet, dry skin and they are more likely to suffer from anxiety, insomnia, arthritis and constipation. Pitta types are "hot," with medium builds and oily skin; they have strong appetites, controlling natures, sharp intellects and quick reactions. They get inflammatory diseases, rashes and ulcers. Kapha types are frequently overweight. They move slowly, love salty and sweet foods, have thick hair and big eyes and are prone to colds, congestion and diabetes, Lad says.
Each of these groups has different dietary and lifestyle needs, which also vary by season. Disease in ayurveda is an imbalance in one's natural doshas, caused by improper diet and digestion, negative emotions and stress, which lead to a buildup of toxins in the body called ama.
Ayurvedic practitioners believe that this needs to be corrected through lifestyle changes, as well as panchakarma treatments, including a special diet, laxatives, herbal oil massages, sweat treatments, herbal enemas, nasal therapies and shirodhara, the pouring of oil onto the forehead for roughly 30 minutes. These treatments are typically performed in certain seasons and continue for three to 10 days.
In India, practices such as vomiting and bloodletting also are used for specific illnesses, but these are rarely done in the U.S. Some practitioners also incorporate sound, color and aromatherapy.
"All tools are at the disposal of ayurveda, but we recognize the tool is not the cure," says Marc Halpern, founder of the California College of Ayurveda in Grass Valley, Calif. "Western medicine controls the symptom. Ayurveda looks at the root causes in terms of lifestyle and consciousness."
Suppressed during British rule in India, ayurveda was preserved by practitioner families and is now taught in Indian medical schools, which require five years of training and clinical experience. The Indian government sponsors numerous scientific studies on ayurveda and its collection of medicinal herbs.
While ayurveda is often used in India by people too poor to receive Western medicine, panchakarma treatments in the U.S. cost $1,500 to $3,500 a week and are mainly the province of the wealthy, devoted or desperate. Holmstrom says he has treated some Hollywood celebrities, including Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Chopra treats people at his Chopra Center at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad.
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Changing attitudes
But ayurveda also is attracting people with chronic health problems who have become frustrated with Western medical techniques that haven't helped them, and those with alcohol and drug problems who want to detox quickly. One Los Angeles lawyer with chronic pain and sleeplessness from damaged spinal disks used ayurveda to kick a growing reliance on sleeping pills and says panchakarma was not about getting pampered.
"By the fifth day, you are enema-ed out…. ," said the lawyer, who asked that her name not be used. "It's not a fun procedure. If you're interested in going to a spa and getting a facial, this is not for you."
Still, the treatments worked so well that she asked her doctor to write a prescription for panchakarma so insurance would cover it. She says his response was something like: "I'm not going to sully my name by prescribing something so weird."
Although ayurveda is still relatively new in Southern California, such attitudes are gradually changing as ayurveda is subjected to the rigors of Western science. It's difficult to conduct double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, the gold standard of scientific research, because ayurveda is a holistic system that treats individuals differently with multiple methods. Some studies have isolated specific components of ayurveda, which advocates of ayurveda say misses the point.
But last fall, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine awarded a two-year, $283,000 grant to establish an Ayurvedic Center of Collaborative Research to study ayurveda as it is practiced in India. Overseen by researcher Leanna Standish at Bastyr University in Kenmore, Wash., scientists from Johns Hopkins University and UCLA will work with doctors in India to conduct controlled clinical trials on ayurvedic treatments for rheumatoid arthritis. Eventually, they hope to study treatments for hepatitis C, osteoarthritis and diabetes.
"I do not believe there have been any well-done studies of the whole practice of ayurveda…. " overseen by independent U.S. researchers, Standish says. "It really does deserve very careful evaluation."
Although the numbers are still small, more Western doctors are getting trained. Dr. Vandana Soni, an anesthesiologist, realized after years of practicing Western medicine that it only "touches the surface of pain." She now combines Indian and Western medicine at her clinic, and some local medical doctors now refer patients to her for conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue and menopausal symptoms.
"If ayurveda were perfect, [Western] allopathic medicine would never have come along," she says. "If allopathic medicine were perfect, the world of alternative medicine wouldn't have come into place."
When you visit an ayurvedic clinic for the first time, prepare to spend a couple of hours. "Ayurveda is very time-intensive," says Dr. Nancy Lonsdorf, medical director at the Raj Ayurveda Health Center in Iowa. "I never see more than 12 patients a day. Most doctors see 50."
At her clinic, Soni asks patients to fill out a 15-page questionnaire detailing everything from the time they wake up to the characteristics of bowel movements. After a pulse-taking and tongue examination, she determines a patient's dosha and prescribes some herbs, spices and self-massage as part of a basic work-up.
Soni recommends patients retain their primary Western doctors, and she won't treat people taking Chinese herbs because of possible side effects.
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Standards lacking
This is one of the problems with ayurveda in the U.S., where people often ingest a complex stew of drugs and Eastern herbs, whose interactions are poorly understood. Although acupuncturists and doctors of Oriental medicine must be certified and licensed in California and many other states, there are no standards for training or for practicing ayurveda. Because a system for licensing is probably still years away, "it's buyer beware," Holmstrom says.
Gerson advises people to look for a bachelor's degree in alternative medicine, a doctorate or a medical degree in ayurveda from India. He also founded the National Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine, which verifies practitioner credentials. Because the programs teaching ayurveda in the U.S. require just 300 to 500 hours of training, most practitioners here are unqualified to practice in India. Gerson says U.S. schools offer "a really poor level of training in ayurveda."
Although it's hard to imagine someone being harmed by oil massages, Gerson says ayurvedic treatments performed by the unqualified can have "serious consequences," including headaches, bowel dysfunction, irregular respiration, fatigue and psychological problems. Enemas are "invasive" and when performed improperly can cause colon spasms. "The biggest harm that can be done is the withholding of proper treatment," says Wynn Werner, the administrator of the Ayurvedic Institute.
Gerson cites the case of a well-known ayurvedic doctor who treated a woman in her mid-40s complaining of fatigue and muscle aches. "He took her pulse, looked in her eyes and diagnosed a vata imbalance," Gerson said. Prescribing some herbs, dietary changes and yoga, he sent the woman away. A few months later, the family informed him she was diagnosed with leukemia. "Because the ayurvedic doctor did not integrate a blood test," he says, "this was missed." But as long as people are prudent, most ayurvedic lifestyle changes have stress-reducing benefits and little chance of harming one's health, Halpern says.
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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
What's your dosha type?
Ayurveda sets forth three types of physical, mental and emotional characteristics that are said to be present in everyone. Below are some of the common characteristics of each type. Though all people are said to have qualities of each dosha type, one is usually predominant, according to ayurvedic practice.
Vata
Cold bodies.
Quick minds, creative.
Dry, wrinkled skin.
Walk and talk fast.
Poor planners.
Nervous, anxious.
Susceptible to diseases such as emphysema, pneumonia, arthritis.
Pitta
Warm bodies.
Sharp intellect.
Strong appetite.
Oily skin.
React quickly, easily agitated.
Susceptible to fever, inflammatory diseases.
Kapha
Strong, good stamina.
Sweet, loving disposition.
Calm, tolerant, forgiving.
Dislike exercise.
Susceptible to flu, sinus congestion.
Oily, smooth skin.
To determine your dosha type, go to the National Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine, http://www.niam.com .
Source: The Ayurvedic Institute, Albuquerque
More informations here:
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/ayurvedic/ayurvedic.htm
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/education/education.htm
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Kamarani
