Aging
There is a commonly used guideline in the energy science of Ayurveda which says that "You're only as old as your rasa" This has deep ramifications toward our health so we should pay attention to what it means
The Tissue Called Rasa
In the energy science healing discipline the first tissue layer anatomically is rasa Rasa receives the freshly digested material from the gut in order to nourish the plasma which is our modern day equivalent of rasa It contains all the tissue proteins, glucose, fatty acids including cholesterol, and immunoglobulins This latter constituent shows that rasa is involved in the immune functions of the mindbody Rasa has the qualities of heavy, slow, cool, oily, slimy/smooth, liquid, dense, sticky, and soft The primary function of this tissue is nutritive
When rasa is supportive and healthy it is responsible for clear thinking, faith, love, and trust It is responsible for soft, smooth skin, hair is soft and wavy, uniform complexion, good strength, stamina, great love, compassion, and profound faith
However when there are challenges leading to an unhealthy rasa, negative emotions such as fear, loneliness, anxiety, and insecurity show up When rasa is affected faith is easily affected and so These emotions show up as biochemical stressors that create an acceleration to the aging process For example, anxiety can make Vata cold and dry, anxiety can make it more mobile, and loneliness can produce clear and spacey qualities Anger can increase the hot and sharp qualities Attachment enhances the sticky and oily qualities of Kapha; greed can increase the sweet and salty tastes, and possessiveness the heavy quality that leads to depression
The moment the rasa dhatu is affected faith is also affected which leads to doubting and skepticism Belief is personal but faith is universal Belief leads to groupism and division Disease begins in the mind, in your belief system Faith is love and trust and can move mountains and prevent the aging process
Causes of Rasa Disorders
Heavy foods Cold foods and drinks(Ice is not nice
Overeating Oily or fried food
Leftover food Excess sugar, salt, or sour pickles
Hydrophilic foods eg yogurt, cheese, cucumber, watermelon and seasalt
Incompatible food combining
Too much thinking Worries, anxiety, lack of faith
Bacteria Excess ama(undigested, unprocessed foods)
Cold Hands and Cold Feet
A common symptom that people report is cold hands and feet that is a result of inadequate rasa and also rakta which is the red cell mass of the blood The volume of the plasma(rasa) of the blood leads to inadequate circulation in the far reaches of the body Other signs of poor rasa formation are fatigue, generalized pain and body ache, and fever
Typically the reason for poor rasa formation like other tissue layers is poor agni or digestive fire so one can see the importance of agni
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Biggest Meal At Noon
Have you ever noticed that you feel better when you eat your biggest meal of the day early, say around 12 noon and 2pm?
The energy science nutrition of healing has an answer for why that occurs. The digestive fire which is a collective term for all the enzyme systems from the mouth to the lower colon is hottest between 10am and 2pm. This is to say that our mindbody's transformative energy is strongest at this time. Our digestion is optimal.
Previous human experience would bear this out. Before the industrial revolution and the information age there is evidence that people observed this lifestyle pattern of behavior. But as with habits we can pick up bad ones and this has become one of them due to our aggravated societal Vata energy.
Even though digestive fire is transformative it is part of the Pitta energy, but not Pitta itself. It's like container(Pitta) and contained(digestive fire).
From a matter science nutritional view we don't have a concept of digestive fire. We mechanically look at the GI tract as a tube that can be viewed with a scope looking for obvious dis-ease.
It is precisely this kind of information that is deviod in the healing of today. And why should it be there anyway, since there is no double blind study devoted to demonstrate this simple concept? And how easy would it be to prove? Yet energetically it is tantamount to good health. And provides a solid foundation for good nutrition.
Yet we don't talk about this in contemporary nutritional circles because there is no matter science proof and it's not high tech. Digestive fire-what a silly concept to use in high tech medicine. Right?
So that's where we are right now. Do we have to be here?
No, I believe we as consumers can create a different direction with respect to our lifestyle behavioral choices. It begins with us.
Hang what the nutritional "experts" say. Find out for yourself! To good health Love DrBill
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The Copper Cup
Every morning in approaching my sink there is a nice cold cup of water awaiting me. The cup is copper and unfinished allowing the energetic effect of copper held in the water to stimulate the mindbody's GI tract and pacify Kapha. The Kapha energy pattern is dominant in its influence between six and ten in the morning and evening so this stimulates Kapha's mindbody effect.
This energizes the mindbody and helps it wake up including the stimulation of bowel activity.
Nutrition is more than what we eat and diets. Does that sound surprising? We attend so much on what to eat and how to cook it in different ways. And focusing so much on its molecular expression puts a limitation of what nutrition means.
From an energy science view, nutrition means a whole lot more. This is because it is not only what food is energetically best and balancing for us but also what food combinations are good, improving digestive fire which helps with overall mindbody health, and lifestyle behavioral patterns that enhance digestive health.
One can see that the scope of matter science nutrition is quite limited when comparing the energy science approach. So what's so special about swigging from a copper cup in the morning?
It's a behavioral lifestyle pattern that contributes to the overall health of the mindbody energy physiology. A small effect that over the years is like a drip on the forehead. And pays dividends.
To health as a skill Love DrBill
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Our Physiologic Energy Patterns-Energy of Transformation(PITTA)
This is the second of three blogs spending time discussing the physiologic energy patterns that are observable in the universe and that comprise our energy mindbodies. In the medical energy science of Ayurveda, there are three identifiable energy patterns in Nature. There is the energy of movement, that of transformation and the energy of stability. All three are necessary for Nature to function and for us as well.
Energy of Transformation This energy pattern is called Pitta in energy discipline of Ayurveda. Any movement from one state to another is considered transformation. So when we ingest a piece of broccoli and make it into heart, brain and lung cells, we are employing this energy pattern of Pitta.
Celebrities that have Pitta as a dominant energy pattern include Tiger Woods, President Obama and anyone with a strong competitive nature. There is a dominance of the qualities of hot, sharp, light liquid, mobile and oily.
When this energy pattern is out of balance with the hot and sharp qualities, physically we can experience heartburn or acid indigestion, inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, cystitis(bladder infection), and pneumonitis(lung infection) among many others. All cancers have some form of inflammation as part of the process and so Pitta is part of the cancer process. Psychologically when Pitta is in excess with the hot, light, mobile and sharp qualities, impatience, anger, resentment and rage can occur.
These qualities that aggravate Pitta are represented in nutrition as the tastes of sour, salty and pungent. The latter is that of chilis and horseradish, garlic and many more that have the hot, mobile, light, and sharp qualities. If these qualities are in excess in foods and taken in a consistent fashion, the Pitta energy pattern is bound to be provoked leading to the above problems in the physiology. Foods that cause imbalance and provoke are coffee, chocalate, carbonated drinks, nuts, red wine, red meats, seafood, and sour juices and dairy(yogurt and hard cheeses).
On the other hand, foods that are sweet, bitter and astringent are balancing and cause harmony in the physiology. Foods such as dairy, meats, beans, nonacidic fruits and grains.
Stay tuned to the third energy pattern, Kapha. To good health DrBill
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Keeping Warm in the Winter
Have you ever noticed people walking in shorts and its 30 to 40 degrees out?
What gives? They just must be hot, huh? Some of these people may be on the heavy side, others modestly so, but why are they so hot, so to speak?
From an energy view they are hot either to Pitta, the energy pattern of transformation which has as one of its qualities hot in contrast to Vata and Kapha which are cold energy patterns. Compounding the problem is the insulating subcutaneous fat which keeps the hot in.
From a matter science view it's an intellectual curiosity. "Boy that person must be able to really tolerate the cold weather."
We can only know the answers to biological questions such as these when we invoke the qualitative energy science approach.
So what produces all this hot? The imbalance caused by nutrition. Cooling off can be a good thing by choosing the right diet of foods and drink to produce healing.
To good health Love DrBill
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