Ayurveda Q & A
By Dr. Jay Apte
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: I have two plantars warts on the heels of my feet. I have had them treated for well over a year now and they still haven’t gone away. Is there an Ayurvedic treatment? And if so, where in the Los Angeles area could I receive treatment?
A: Plantar warts are benign cell growths on the plantar side of the feet (soles of the feet). They may appear on the heel or the ball of the foot or on the toes. Depending on the location they may cause mild to severe pain, especially if you stand on your feet or walk for long hours.
They are common in people who may walk with bare feet on rough surfaces (it may put pressure on certain points which may cause warts) or on contaminated surfaces, such as the tile floors of public locker rooms, showers, and swimming pools etc.
Preventive measures are:
Keep feet dry and clean
Change socks often
Do not walk bare foot on rough surfaces
Massage soles of feet with oil once or twice a week
Treatment:
Do not ignore any sign or symptoms of warts. They may get very painful if left alone.
On the newly appearing warts, use a pumice stone to slough off cell growth.
Crush a few papaya leaves and apply a few drops of juice on the warts.
Ayurveda has recommended a use of some plant alkalies such as Snuhi or Arka (one may not find these here in the U.S.).
Severely painful warts may have to be removed surgically.
Check Classified section in LA YOGA for an Ayurveda practitioner nearest to you.
Q: I am a novice and interested in learning about the basics of Ayurveda as an alternative to traditional western remedies. In an article entitled “Discovering Ayurveda” published in the July/ August 2006 issue of LA YOGA Ayurveda & Health, Dr. Vasant Lad’s book Ayurvedic Home Remedies was mentioned. Can you recommend this book or some other written material, workshop, seminar, etc.?
A: Hey! One more person in the Ayurvedic world. Welcome! There are quite a few books about the basics of Ayurveda. Dr. Deepak Chopra’s book Perfect Health is a good start. It is a nicely written book and will give you an idea about Ayurvedic concepts. Prakriti by Dr. Svoboda is another interesting book. He has his own style of writing and you will enjoy that, too. Dr. Lad’s Ayurveda, the Science of Self Healing is a practical guide of Ayurveda. It is also a must.
My suggestion to you is: Don’t just read the book, follow the message. As Gautam
Buddha said, “Knowing is self experiencing it.” Until you follow the Ayurvedic concepts, you will not know what they mean and once you start following them, you will never go back to anything else. You will also start bragging about it to your friends. Good Luck.
Q: I am 55 years old and very thin, around 98 pounds and 5 ft. 4. I think of many things a lot and in general involuntarily lash out at people, friends or classmates in the yoga class. The comments just come out. I do not intentionally upset people around as I would like to have friends. I only eat whole grain, unprocessed food and organically grown produce;
I think everything else is impure and I refuse to go out to restaurants to have a meal. I practice meditation but it does not help as I keep opening my eyes. Any advice on Ayurvedic herbs or any Ayurvedic lifestyle hints to help me with my mental unrest?
A: You have typical vata qualities – thin body, light weight, restless mind, tendency to criticize etc etc. I am glad that you are eating unprocessed and organically grown food. But you need to incorporate vata balancing qualities too. Vata is light, cold and dry so the foods you eat and your daily routine should have heavy, warm and moist qualities. Grains are heavy and are vata balancing. Do eat some kind of grains with each meal. Besides nutrients grains also contain a lot of fiber, which helps to cleanse the system. The food should be warm. Anything cold aggravates vata. Cold water, cold raw salads, ice cream etc. are a “No, No” for vata. Eat steamed, sautéed or stir fried veggies, and chicken or fish. Avoid all dry foods such as pop corn, toasts, rice cakes, etc. Herbal teas, soaked nuts, sweet juicy fruits, warm pieces of pie (occasionally), warm soups, stews, oat meal etc. are vata friendly foods.
Massage the whole body with sesame oil (including your hair and scalp) at least twice or three times per week. You will sleep like a baby on those days and your meditation will be deeper.
Pranayama will be very beneficial. Nadi shodhanam – alternate nostril breathing will help you focus your mind.
Meditate on an object with your eyes open. Meditation is going deeper within. (You are a Yoga student, right? – Then you will probably know the 8 limbs of Yoga – From Yamas to Samadhi).
Let us meditate on a flower. Just focus your mind on all aspects of the flower. Observe the color, the shades, the tones of the color, observe the shape of the flower, the fragrance. Think of how you feel when you smell the flower. What emotion comes to your mind? Observe how the flower is attached to a stem. Notice the color of the stem. Observe the leaves around the flower. Observe how the flower stands out on the green background of the stem and leaves.
Now go deeper. Imagine offering that flower to your friend. Notice how happy you feel just giving it to your friend. Think of you creating happiness in your friend’s mind.
Then think of the Joy it creates in everybody’s life. When you give, you get so much in return. The life span of the flower is so short, maybe for few hours to a few days, but every moment of its life, it is giving away beauty, fragrance, happiness and joy. We can learn a lot from the flower.
See, for all these moments you were thinking of nothing else but about a beautiful flower. Your mind was focused on it and so many thoughts came to your mind, many of which never before. This is how you start meditation. Instead of getting frustrated, start with tiny steps, get a hang of it and then move further.
Try it everyday on different objects and you will notice that your mind is getting grounded, noticing things easily and being in the present moment instead of racing in the future.
One hint: When you tend to pass a comment “breathe” three times. You will forget about it and will not lash out at your friends.
Follow these suggestions and let me know how you feel.
Q: My toddler of two and a half has some whitish spots on the face, does not like to eat much but nuts are a favorite. Any advice? Otherwise he seems healthy except for flatulence in the stomach area.
A: Is your son very active and goes out in the sun a lot? These white spots appear many times in summer. If he swims, the spots get worse. Chlorine in the water makes skin dry and itchy and may cause white spots.
Simple remedies you can use are:
Crush a few basil leaves or fresh cilantro leaves and apply a juice to the white spots twice daily.
Apply a drop of neem oil on the spots.
Apply coconut oil on the body before swim ming (If he does swim).
As always, consult a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner before undergoing treatments or starting medications.
Jay Apte, BAMS, earned her degree in doctor of Ayurveda (BAMS) in India. Dr. Apte schedules consultations in Los Angeles at Dancing Shiva Yoga & Ayurveda. Reach her at
(800) 313 - 4372; www.herbalcare.com
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