Healing: 2 Techniques to Enhance Release
We all know the amazing capability of the human mindbody to heal One only needs to recall the experience of a skin cut and the changes that take place over days that leads to the sealing of the wound and typically without a scar And we didn't really do anything We just watched and day by day it occurred The mindbody did its magic
What we had to do is "get out of the way" There are many things that we do to interfere with the healing process We can give our mindbodies foods that produce imbalance or incompatible food combinations, not live in tune with Nature(going to bed when Nature is going to sleep, getting up with Nature, eating our biggest meals when Nature is taking her biggest meal) These simple things support "getting out of the way" and is foundational to healing with diseases
Release and Getting Out of the Way
The mindbody knows how to heal we just need to give it the opportunity A Kapha release can look like the common cold, with lots of mucous and cough with respiratory congestion(release of the heavy, slow/dull, slimy/smooth, liquid qualities) An attack of acid indigestion or diarrhea would be an example of a Pitta release due to excess of that energy pattern in the GI tract In both of these examples the mindbody is shedding qualities(hot, sharp, spreading, liquid, oily) that it doesn't want This shedding of qualities that happens is a very natural thing It's not like we have to think about this release It just naturally happens Typically once an acute release has occurred there is often a sense of lightness that overcomes the physiology due to the loss of qualitative burden
The reason for release is quite simple actually The mindbody has innate intelligence to release these unwanted qualities Like Nature it always moves in the direction of righting itself if imbalance occurs Unfortunately we have grown impatient with this process due to our distrust of the mindbody, believing that this is not possible
Understanding the Process of Release
It's important to understand this process of release Release which is in reality a healing event but it can be marked by highs and lows, ups and downs, good days/weeks and bad days/weeks This roller coaster ride leads to doubt in the mindbody that one is on the right path, that this indeed will be the right course to take When doubt sets in, confusion can reverberate through the physiology and then impatience and loss of faith Pretty soon the inevitable "what the use" begins to chime in
Journaling pays big dividends because it focuses our attention on where we have been and where we are now with respect to symptoms By and by symptoms get better but because the process is subtle it's sometimes difficult to remember Journaling helps support the memory of the past
If we are paying attention to guidelines that foster balance, there will come a time guaranteed, where energy patterns that have been "hanging around" in the mindbody physiology will want to naturally release With that release comes symptoms and we misinterpret these symptoms as getting worse or at least not making progress Rest assured that if you're doing the foundational work as discussed release of qualities will be the result
Enhancing the Process of Release
So it's either an acute release as in the common cold or a release of pentup energy as in the IC bladder pain syndrome The latter is a release that has been chronically stored sometimes for years or decades The more chronic the longer the release that can take up to years based on the chronicity
Supporting and enhancing the release can be done with
1 Herbs which can help foster, smooth out or build up the mindbody during releases
2 Detoxification procedures such as panchakarma(PK) These require physician directed guidance due to the complexity of decision making that goes beyond the health consumer's capability There are other energy science techniques that also facilitate these chronic releases that go beyond the scope of this short blog but suffice it to say there are many other tools in the bag
The message is that illnesses that seem to come out of "nowhere" can be explained on the basis of these releases Of course if not simple one should check in with your friendly matter science doc and be sure that there isn't something more serious particularly if symptoms continue and don't resolve
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Energetically Protecting the Mindbody
Biologically the mindbody simultaneously coexists as both an energy field or a matter(molecular) field If I put on my energy field glasses I see the mindbody as an energy field and I speak about it in terms of Vata, Pitta, or Kapha In so thinking about the mindbody as both energy and matter there obviously should be a transparency about what we are discussing If I speak about the molecular aspects of the mindbody I should be able to find its equivalency in the energy field model This is true for the GAG(GlycosoAminoGlycan) layer molecular concept and the Kapha energy pattern
Kapha is energy of stability in the physiology It keeps our mindbodies strong and well put together physically It's psychologically grounding for us and is also responsible for our immune system working properly since it is the immune system You can think of Kapha as a protective energy that keeps the mindbody strong Any large structural molecule such as chondroitin(joints), cholesterol, or immunoglobulins are molecular expressions of the Kapha energy pattern
In inflammatory diseaes such as Alzheimer's, GERD, or coranary artery disease one of the hypotheses in its molecular cause is the protective GAG layer is in some way becomes damaged and loses its integrity This layer which is produced by the underlying epithelial cells is thought to be a protective mucous layer and so by what we have just said this would be a Kapha like protection from invasive bacteria but also from the acidic characteristics of the urine itself
Every tubular lining(aka mucosa) that has a connection to the outside world has a GAG layer For example the lining of the respiratory system has its associated protective GAG layer which traps foreign materials so they don't interfere with respiratory function The GI tract and reproductive tracts has GAG layers as well
GAG Layer Repair
There are many reasons why GAG layers get damaged but one of them is inflammation In energy science terminology that means that Pitta is being increased due to blocking by Kapha and in the matter science it means that acidity breaks down tissue Knowing this there are energy science ways to help prevent the GAG layer from being broken down or getting repaired if broken down
Aloe vera There's a reason why aloe as a herb works wonders in inflammatory conditions It molecularly provides mannose which is an often biologically unavailable essential glucosaccharide This provides the building blocks for the mindbody to rebuild the protective Kapha GAG layer Energetically aloe reduces Pitta heat and pacifies overactive mobile quality of Vata
Reducing Vata and Pitta in nutritional formats It follows from our conversation that if having increased inflammatory Pitta molecules around then preventing them from entry into the mindbody would be good therapy The same holds true for Vata molecules that produce movement in the physiology
Reducing Vata and Pitta in incompatible food combinations(IFC) In general IFC's are inflammatory and increase Pitta so avoiding these is Pitta pacifying
Herbs that reduce Pitta Both acacia and psyllium absorb Pitta from the small intestine so in small volumes these herbs are valuable in the management of the IC bladder pain syndrome
Herbs that reduce Vata Vata is composed of space and air When you pass gas from the rectum you're passing Vata energy Since Vata is air if it's increased in the mindbody physiology it can increase Pitta Think about fanning a fire with pushing air across the fire that you're trying to get going Vata herbs like ashwagandha, bala, and vidari are good at reducing Vata
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The Salty Taste: 5 Ways to Avoid Inflammation
The energy science categorizes food according to taste(rasa which has an effect on the energy patterns of VPK), virya(effect that food has on our small intestine and tissues), vipak(effect that food has on our colon and cells), and prabhav(effect that it has on the DNA of our cells) This makes the interpretation of how foods affect us quite complex and explains why the nutritional formats at foodsheal.com are useful because they simplify our understanding of foods and allow us to make healthy balancing food choices that help treat disease states
To recall the qualities of Vata(cold, light, mobile, dry, rough, subtle, clear) and Pitta(hot, light, spreading, sharp/penetrating, liquid, oily) and Kapha(heavy, slow/dull, cool, slimy/smooth, liquid, dense, soft, hard, static, sticky) give rise to disease in the mindbody These qualities combine in various combinations to produce the diseases due to their physiologic excess
The key to understanding the energy science disease model is to begin to appreciate the imbalance in qualities that occur in the mindbody physiology and how you bring about the imbalance As we have discussed in the past the primary way we go out of balance is through foods
The Unique Salty Taste
The energy science of Ayurveda recognizes that there are 6 tastes called rasas(sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent) that allow us to scientifically study foods and their intimate impact on the mindbody energy field These tastes are typically in combination with one another in foods For example, seafood(meat that has lived its life in saltwater) has a salty rasa or taste energtically even though it doesn't taste salty Due to protein of the meat it has a heating vipak, and the dense and heavy qualities of seafood produce the sweet taste as the vipak energetic influence
Aside from seafood, mineral salts such as sea salt or table salt and surprisingly cottage cheese are the only ways we encounter the salty taste in foods so the salty taste becomes our first encounter with the concept of a "culinary spice"salty cottage cheese
The qualities of the salty taste are hot, light, liquid, soft, smooth/slimy, and subtle From the above qualities of Vata we can appreciate that the mobile quality will be reduced by the slimy/smooth quality of salt but Pitta will be increased due to the hot quality Because the salty taste carries the hot quality it will be aggravating to people with high Pitta
Due to the hot quality salt produces inflammation and due to the liquid quality it produces its well known congestive effect with fluid retention
Since rasa(taste) has an influence on our mindbody through the qualities of the foods that we take in, if we get an excess of the salty taste it can produce with the hot and liquid qualities, impatience, irritability, and easy frustration
As advertised in potato chip commercials, "Bet you can't each just one", implies that the salty taste can be addictive This addictive like characteristic of salt is why ALL fast food chains use a lot of the salty taste in their food preparation
Due to salt's penetrating and hot qualities it can be very effective in massaging and warming muscles and so soaking in epsom salt baths becomes valuable Another use of salt is with neti sinus wash that reduces Kapha mucous in the sinuses where it accumulates This is the experience everyone has with the common cold Neti uses a salt solution since tap water will burn the delicate mucous membranes But salt also is important in mobilizing with its hot quality the cool, slimy/smooth, liquid, heavy, dense, slow/dull, and static qualities of Kapha which are those of mucous
5 Takeaways About the Salty Taste
When it comes to high Pitta disorders(anything with inflammation) there are some basic things to remember when it comes to the salty taste
Avoid salt at the dinner table
Avoid all seafood Eat fresh water fish
Avoid all fast food
Avoid salt in food preparation at home
Avoid cottage cheese
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Sleep and 10 Solutions for Help
From an energy science perspective nutrition, rest, and exercise are the foundational pillars to a healthy life In chronic disease all pilllars get typically involved to produce disease progression But rest can be an energy drain to the mindbody and since healing is already an energy drain there is a significant stress on the physiology that requires remedy
Proper Rest
The pineal gland located in the third ventricle is a significant endocrine gland involved in the daily rest cycle and secretes two important neurotransmitters, serotonin and melatonin The former is the energetic equivalent of groundedness and the latter is intimately involved in the diurnal variations of daylight and nighttime, signaling our mindbody when it is ready for rest
As usual in the energy science the amount of rest varies according to the constitutional energy makeup Vata due to its delicacy requires the most rest, typically 7-8h per night and Kapha requires the least, 5-6h and Pitta somewhere in between Most of us have 2 dominant patterns so PV would be around 6-7h and PK 6h But commonly Kapha loves to sleep in and so even though Kapha "desires" more rest, in fact Kapha needs to "move it" and take advantage of its good stamina and endurance
When there are health challenges we can see that there are more energetic demands on the mindbody so that naps are naturally an acceptable way to "catch up" So keeping the same rest schedule at night with PV in bed by no later than 103o and PK 1130 are reasonable guidelines Appropriate rising times no later than 7 for PV and 6 for PK are reasonable But if fatigue sets in during the afternoon a nap could be valuable
We are a culture guided by the alarm clock but the energy science of Ayurveda would suggest that such a tool is Vata provoking and physiologically disruptive So if we set a good sleeping schedule there becomes less of a need to use an alarm because the mindbody gets set into a rhythm of rest, allowing the mindbody to go "au naturale"
Sleep disruption comes in all forms of shapes and sizes Some have trouble getting to sleep, other wake up during Vata time(2-6a) and can't get back to sleep, and others wake up to urinate several times a night due to many different causes
Dreams of falling, being attacked, being pushed, or of always doing something in the dream as well as being frozen with fright, seeing the death of a loved one, or being locked up or flying are Vata dreams Certain animals such as snakes, camels, and flying birds are related to Vata Dreams about the autumn season are about vata In vata dreams, the person is trying to fulfill a desire These dreams are about a person falling or being attacked In some cases, Kapha or Pitta may attack Vata
Helpful Solutions for Rest
There are tools that can help with setting the tone for getting into a "normal rest cycle Of course this is not an all inclusive list but some of these have stood the test of time Using one or a combination of these solutions may be helpful
Having a set time for bed every night is a good lifestyle habit to cultivate The mindbody is subject to habit which sets the tone for rest
The bedroom should be just that....a place for the bed and for rest Some turn their bedroom into a media suite or library and this creates confusion
Cherry juice is a source of melatonin and seratonin as mentioned above are important in rest Amazingly cherry juice is a rich natural source of both and using glass of warm cherry juice with perhaps cinnamon before 30min before bed would be helpful for rest
Warm milk with ground almonds(without skins) and pinch of cardamom and pinch of nutmeg Nutmeg is a culinary sleep aid and can be quite effective
Chamomile tea has been a longstanding herbal remedy for inducing rest, relaxation, and sleep
Cup tomato juice with 2t sugar and 2 pinches nutmeg
Herbal therapies such as tagar can be helpful in inducing sleep
Bhringaraj oil to feet and head after a warm tub bath for relaxation can also help for sleep inducement
Practicing So Hum mantra meditation can be a way to soothe the Vata aggravated mindbody and put it in relaxation mode It's a way of counting sheep but much more peaceful
The addition of a pharmacological such as Ambien or other sleep aids can be used as prescription and supported by the above
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