FW: Healing art of Ayurveda getting closer look in US

[Guest guest]

I don¹t know much about this; but I thought the division of types (at the

bottom of the article) were interesting. I would venture to guess that I am

'Vata' (from what little I know -- which is next to nothing). I wondered if

most EDSers would consider themselves in that category

---

The effectiveness of the ancient Indian healing art of ayurveda is getting a

closer look in the U.S.

By Hontz, Special to The LA Times

Jon Mejia experienced heart palpitations after a particularly stressful

period running his Santa 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.

So Mejia turned instead to Martha Soffer and 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 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 Gerson, a

New York physician with a medical degree from the U.S. and a doctorate in

ayurveda from India.

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 outŠ. , " 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 s 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 ayurvedaŠ. " 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. 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.

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

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-ayurveda26jan26,1,7255200.story

?coll=la-headlines-health

------ End of Forwarded Message

[Guest guest]

FW: Healing art of Ayurveda getting closer look in US

I don¹t know much about this; but I thought the division of types (at the

bottom of the article) were interesting. I would venture to guess that I am

'Vata' (from what little I know -- which is next to nothing). I wondered if

most EDSers would consider themselves in that category

~~~~~~~~

I had taken a written test on this years ago when first starting out in

speech therapy. One of the PT's brought this up. I was a combo type back

than. I'm still a combo type after taking the online test. I'm a

Vata-Pita.... sounds like me - always mixed up! <G>

I tried an Aryurvedic herbal for ADD but it didn't help me at all (

There is a company near me that makes Ayurvedic herbals if anyone is

interested.

Bonnie

[Guest guest]

FW: Healing art of Ayurveda getting closer look in US

I don¹t know much about this; but I thought the division of types (at the

bottom of the article) were interesting. I would venture to guess that I am

'Vata' (from what little I know -- which is next to nothing). I wondered if

most EDSers would consider themselves in that category

~~~~~~~~

I had taken a written test on this years ago when first starting out in

speech therapy. One of the PT's brought this up. I was a combo type back

than. I'm still a combo type after taking the online test. I'm a

Vata-Pita.... sounds like me - always mixed up! <G>

I tried an Aryurvedic herbal for ADD but it didn't help me at all (

There is a company near me that makes Ayurvedic herbals if anyone is

interested.

Bonnie