:: November/December 2005 Volume 4/Number 8

Ayurveda Q & A:

By Dr. Jay Apte

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Ayurveda has been practiced in the U.S. only about 25 years, yet it is the 5000 year old Indian system of medicine and yoga's sister science. Readers are invited to submit questions for "Ayurveda Q & A" to ayurveda@layogamagazine.com.

Q: About a year ago, I found myself with “floaters” in my left eye. Shortly after that, they appeared in my right though not as pronounced. I have consulted the noted herbalist Christopher Hobbs, and he recommended Lycium berry extract and American ginseng, which have slowed the condition and kept it from becoming worse. I am wondering if there is an Ayurvedic treatment for these “floaters?”

Dr. Apte: Triphala with licorice orally, works well with eye problems. Also use a drop of Triphala oil in both eyes once or twice a day. Netra basti is good to lubricate eyes and prevent the floaters.

Q: Warts on my hands appear every so often, sometimes they stay awhile and get fairly large, and then they disappear. What causes these warts and what could I do to keep it from happening? Or, if they continue to appear, how should I treat them?

Dr. Apte: I always say that what happens outside has its roots inside. So some internal imbalance is causing these warts. In the Ayurvedic view, our skin is part of our muscle tissue and when there is imbalance of that tissue, it produces warts. The information you have provided doesn’t tell me about your eating habits, life style etc. So I can only do general recommendations such as adding more spices in your diet and eating only three meals. Take Triphala 2-3 tablets at night. The herbs like Musta, Patol, Neem help to prevent this.

Do you use any particular cream or work with some chemicals? That may cause warts. So I need more information, to answer your question properly.

Q: What is your opinion on vegetable juicing?  I drink about 1-2 cups of vegetable juice every day, I make it fresh from organic farmer’s market produce: cucumbers, carrots, celery, lemon, tomatoes, beets, and sometimes ginger or garlic. I have the juice at breakfast, along with stewed apples and oatmeal. I am in good health, but I am wondering if this could aggravate my pitta or vata dosha? 

Dr. Apte: Eating vegetables is great, but I am not very fond of juicing. I like to eat vegetables rather than drink them. We enjoy food when we chew it because it stays in the mouth for a long period of time and our taste buds can notice the taste of all the foods. If you just drink juice, it flows down your throat within seconds, so you don’t notice the taste. All the raw veges may also aggravate vata.
There is something called glycemic index. It means how long it takes to raise your blood sugar. It is shown by research that when you chew food longer (32 times - that is Ayurveda’s rule of thumb), it prevents a sudden rise in blood sugar, which is good. It gently rises and maintains its peak for long period of time so you don’t feel hungry quickly.

It is great that you are eating organic and fresh vegetables, but I would recommend eating one vegetable at a time.

Q: Now that we’re in fall season, what are a few foods I should be eating and a few foods that I might want to avoid? I tend to get sick at the change of seasons and maybe information in this regard would help.

Dr. Apte: The transition period between two seasons is called Ritusandhi (joint between seasons). It is very important health-wise, because it is the perfect time to prepare you for the coming season. If you change your eating habits and few daily routine changes, it will take you a long way.

The cold weather makes you feel like eating warm and moist oatmeal for breakfast rather than toast or cold cereal and have a cup warm herbal teas rather than chilled beer at the end of the day. That is exactly what you are supposed to do.

A few things to avoid are ice cold salads, cold water, cold juices and ice creams.

Sweet fruits like banana, apricot, papaya, peach, pineapple, grapes are good. Steam or sauté the following veges – a variety of squashes, asparagus, beet root, green beans, okra, zucchini, sweet potatoes.

All nuts are good to moisten our skin and feel good. Good grains are rice, wheat, oats and amaranth. You can spice up your food mildly with cumin, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, mint, sage, spearmint and thyme.

Just remember, keeping yourself warm, grounded, and lubricated is the mantra for fall and early winter.

Q: I would like to know what Ayurveda says about fasting. There are many popular programs which basically involve fasting, but I’m not sure if it’s a healthy approach to weight loss and/or detoxification. What is your opinion?

Dr. Apte: There are many factors that need to be considered when it comes to fasting.

My favorite answer is “that depends.” Anything in Ayurveda depends on “who” we are talking about. Once we know that person’s body constitution, state of metabolism, eating habits, life style, etc., it is easy to recommend fasting.
Generally speaking, fasting is good because it gives time for your stomach to digest left-over food. It gives more energy and lightness to body and mind. If the food you eat is not digested properly, it ferments, produces gas and bloating. It is ama. Ama is your enemy, because it produces many diseases.

There are various types of fasting. For example, eating light foods, eating just fruits, skipping one meal, skipping food for the entire day, drinking just water, zipping our lips completely for a day are all different ways you can fast depending on the many factors mentioned above.
For vata constitution people, eating at the right times is fasting because they tend to be very irregular. Pitta people can’t tolerate fasting because their metabolism is very strong. Kaphas are ideal people for fasting. They can skip one meal or go on a “no food for entire day” regimen. As the body starts digesting ama, you start feeling lighter and more energetic and happier.

A word of caution: You have to be very careful about when to stop fasting. If ama is gone but you continue fasting, it starts to break down your good tissues, making you feel weak and fatigued.

You also ask if it good for weight loss. Weight is always dependent on “what comes in and what goes out.” If “what comes” in is restricted, it is easy to lose weight. I haven’t seen you but I would safely recommend to skip a meal (lunch time) on Monday, because we tend to eat a lot on weekend. Follow this for a few weeks and let me know.

 

Jay Apte, BAMS, earned her degree in doctor of Ayurveda (BAMS) in India and is a traditional Ayurvedic physician. Dr. Apte regularly schedules consultations in Los Angeles at Dancing Shiva Yoga & Ayurveda. To make an appointment reach her at (800) 313 – 4372;
www.herbalcare.com

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