I'm sure most of you have seen this "weed" all over the place: medians, roasides, growing out of cracks in the sidewalk...Did you know this weed is actually a major ingredient in many foods? Well it is, and it's name is chicory (Cichorium intybus is the Latin name, which you will need if you want to do research on this little friend). The root of this plant is an essential ingredient in the signature blend of New Orleans coffee at the famous Café Du Monde. Chicory root has many therapeutic properties, many of them due to its inulin content. Inulin is a carbohydrate fiber that is added to many foods, such as ice cream and yogurt. According to James Duke, who wrote The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook, the inulin in chicory gives the root immune boosting properties that supports the action of white blood cells for fighting infection. Chicory root has cardio-protective properties (protects the heart), relieves constipation and indigestion, can lower blood sugar, and has been known to help lower blood cholesterol levels. Drinking herbal "coffee" made from chicory root is a delicious way to get the benefits of this healing plant. Many commercial coffees already have chicory added because it lends a chocolate flavor and smoothness to the blend.
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It has been almost 5 months since I blogged my spring cleanse, so I thought I would give an update on how I am doing. That cleanse really give me an opportunity to reset the balance in my life. Some of you may remember me writing that I had gotten sucked into the romance of my new iPhone before my cleanse begun. My practice was really starting to take off fast and I was over-committing myself to it. I was waking up during the night to check my phone for emails and texts from my patients. I was constantly checking my phone throughout the day for emails, texts, and work- related Facebook postings. I wanted every person to know that I care about their health. I wanted everyone to think, "Wow, Michelle must not be very busy because she always has time for me."
I realized during my cleanse that I needed to make some adjustments that allowed me to maintain my value of providing a personal level of care and still model the whole-life balance that I teach others to cultivate. I needed to create some new boundaries between my work life and my home life. During my cleanse, the vacation I took from electronics of all kinds gave me time to formulate a plan for how to use my new technology in a more balanced way. I decided to take weekends completely off to spend time with my family, meaning absolutely NO emailing, checking voicemail, or work-related texting (unless someone texts me with an emergency, of course). Just this one change has allowed me to have so much more mental rejuvenation on the weekends. Having more quality time with my family is infinitely valuable. We all had kind of accepted that the winter season was just a little crazy and that we would live the chaos and support each other through it. Since my family really ended up cleansing with me, we all grew closer during that time. We have all done a lot of personal growth since my cleanse as well as continuing to grow closer as a family. Another change I have made is only checking my email twice daily: once in the morning before work and once at the end of the day. This change has freed me from feeling like I need to check messages between patients. I have stopped responding to work-related texts sent to me in the evening and late-night hours unless they are truly urgent. It is so vital for each of us to set boundaries around our work, but when you love what you do and care so much about it, it becomes easy to let those boundaries down little by little. Before you know it, you are always working or talking about work! This gradual overtaking of my life with my work is what happened to me over the winter last year. It is one reason why cleansing twice each year is important. Cleansing gives us a chance to evaluate our patterns and decide what needs changing. I should probably mention that my version of "unbalanced" usually seems like balance to others. I say this because I have learned that perspective affects interpretation of what I write here. It wasn't as though my family was suffering before my cleanse, but it was good for me to re-establish my work-life boundaries before it affected my family in a negative way. In short, I am still feeling wonderful! Each time I cleanse I emerge feeling renewed and having had realizations and insights that bring me farther along on my path of spiritual and personal growth. I have accepted that having a better work-life balance means that sometimes it takes longer to get things done. I am a different kind of worker. When I am at work I give my all and when I am home I am wholly present. I will not give up my valuable time with my family to make extra money by having weekend hours. Sometimes my way of balancing means that others get frustrated with me because things don't get done in their time table, and that's okay. I feel blessed to have my job where everyday I get to help others heal. I am thankful for my family who supports and loves me. They are the ones who remind me when I need it: just be here now and... Basically to eat for your body type in Ayurveda, you need to know your dosha. Actually, to make any choices about how to balance yourself you need to know your dosha. The trick is in understanding what a dosha really is. People new to Ayurveda tend to get confused: what exactly is a dosha? Does my dosha change over my lifetime? Is the dosha of my skin different than the dosha of the rest of me? How can I tell what my dosha is? These are the questions I am writing to answer.
In essence, your dosha is the dominant element or elements in your body. Your dosha prakruti is the balanced state of your elements from birth. This dosha is determined at conception and does not change. All people have all the elements just some are more dominant than others. What changes is your dosha vikruti. Dosha vikruti is the current balance of the elements in your body. A person who is balanced will have skin that reflects the dominant element in their dosha prakruti. A person who is not balanced will have skin conditions that reflect the element causing the problem. Everyone has a unique balance of the elements which, if maintained, keeps their mind-body-spirit healthy. The elements exist in a ratio. For example, a person may have 3/3 fire, 2/3 air-space, and 1/3 water-earth. As life happens, the balance of elements in us can shift from our healthy state. When this happens, we become sick because our dosha vikruti is different than our dosha prakruti.
The elements used in Ayurveda are ether(space), air, fire, water, and earth. Each person is composed of all five elements, with some being present to a greater degree than others. The term "dosha" literally means "fault", and not because your dominant elements make you flawed. Our doshas are most noticeable when we are not balanced, as in when they are functioning in "faulty" ways. How do we determine what your dosha is? The only way to conclusively determine your dosha is to have an Ayurvedic practitioner take your pulse. Ayurvedic practitioners can also tell your dosha from looking at you, speaking with you, and taking a good health history. How is a dosha formed? In Ayurveda, we categorize the human body by elements. Vata dosha is composed of air and space. Pitta dosha is fire and water. Kapha dosha is water and earth. Everything in the body that is open is the element of ether, or space. Examples of space are the sinuses, lungs, throat, abdominal cavity, and uterus (obviously just for women on that last one).
The element of air is everything that moves in the body. Air is what allows our bodies to walk, run, and dance. Functions of the body that are classified as air element include the transmission of nerve impulses, hearing (perception of sound vibrations), speaking, circulation of blood and lymph, and movement of food through the digestive tract. Parts of the body dominated by air include the colon and spinal chord. Fire is all the chemistry of the body that takes place in the liquid mediums (the water, or bodily fluids). The chemical reactions inside our bodies generate heat. Fire dominates the digestion, nutrient assimilation, liver function, and red blood cells. The fire is centralized in the small intestine.
Water and earth together make up the structure of the body: muscle, fat, bone, organs. These elements provide moisture and lubrication to the body, inside and out. Water and earth allow the joints to move without cracking and popping. These elements keep us mentally grounded and physically strong. Water and earth are centralized in the stomach and lungs.
Your dosha tells you what systems in your body play dominant roles in your health. For example, someone with Pitta dosha will be dominated by their digestive system. They will tend to get overheated, have diarrhea during stress, and have inflammatory issues and acne. These types will also be intelligent, ambitious, and sucessful. Let's pretend that a person who is 2/3 Pitta, 3/3 Vata, and 1/3 Kapha has a very stressful career. Stress will unbalance air, which will then unbalance fire, which in turn unbalances water-earth. The person has no idea all this is happening inside. One day, they notice they have heartburn. Over time, they begin to gain weight without having changed their diet or exercise habits. This person reads about doshas online and concludes that their dosha must be Pitta because heartburn is heat; and Kapha because they are gaining weight. They begin to try eating a Kapha- balancing diet for weight loss and wonder why their digestive issues worsen. What happened? Since this person's dosha prakruti is Vata, they are treating the wrong problem. Without knowing both prakruti and vikruti, we can only treat symptoms, but never the cause. Once you know your dosha, you can figure out which foods will keep you healthy, which exercises are best for you, and how to structure your life for mental and emotional balance. I hope this has answered some questions. Thanks for reading. Image sources for stones and question mark: 123 royalty free Two weeks ago, my son was beginning to get an ear infection. When he was very small he used to get terrible ear infections that have left him with scarring in his ears. The scarring slightly diminishes his hearing ability. We never got the chance to try any natural remedies for his ears because usually he didn't give any signs of pain until his eardrums burst. He is 13 now, so he is much more capable of recognizing and communicating the early signs of an ear infection. This time as soon as he told me his ears felt congested, I made some garlic oil. I put the oil into both of his ears twice per day for three days. His ear infection improved after the first application and he experienced a decrease in pain and congestion. I am so excited to report that I cured his ear infection entirely with the garlic oil! Here's how I did it:
To make the garlic oil, I took 3 organic cloves of garlic and heated them in 1/2 cup of organic extra virgin olive oil on the stove. [Side note: 1 clove of garlic = 1 piece or section of the bulb. I say this because I have met people who think I mean for them to use the entire garlic bulb when I say 1 clove!]. I took a fork and mashed the garlic cloves while they were heating in the oil so they would release their juice, which has strong antibacterial and antiviral properties. I mashed the cloves up as much as possible and heated the mixture until the oil started to boil. I immediately removed the mixture from heat and let it cool. I strained it through a paper cone coffee filter into a coffee mug. To apply the oil, I made sure it was cool by testing the temperature on the inside of my elbow. I used a cotton ear swab. I saturated the swab with the oil and used it to put drops of oil into the ear canal. You could also use a dropper but all of mine are currently in tinctures. I had my son lie on one side and I added drops of oil until his ear canal was full of oil. I left the oil in for 1 minute, placing a cotton ball over the ear to catch the oil when he switched sides. I repeated the same process on the other side, also leaving the oil in for 1 minute. To store the oil, I just covered the coffee mug it was in with plastic wrap and left it on the kitchen counter. The antibacterial properties of the garlic kept it fresh. If you intend to keep using the oil for longer than 3 days, it will usually be fine. I have kept garlic oil for 2 weeks without having any problems with bacterial growth. Just make sure you always check the oil before you use it. Better safe than sorry. I hope this recipe can help other moms out there whose children are prone to ear infections. Although I prefer the natural route, you can use an anti-inflammatory like children's Tylenol to help with ear pain, and a decongestant (appropriate to your child's age group) in addition to the garlic oil. The decongestant will relieve the pressure in the ear while the garlic kills any bacteria responsible for the infection. *Advice given in this blog is not intended to be medical advice or to replace the recommendations of a qualified healthcare provider. Lavender has benefits for all three doshas in Ayurveda. It's ability to calm frayed nerves make it an essential herb for Vata and Pitta individuals. Vata (air/space) people are naturally nervous, tending to be fearful and insecure by nature. Pitta (fire) individuals develop anxiety due to their perfectionist tendencies and the habit of pushing beyond their limits. For Vata and Pitta people, the scent of lavender calms the mind and provides relief from panic and stress. Lavender tea can also be your ally in the treatment of anxiety and migraines. The benefits of lavender aromatherapy can be gained from adding a few drops of lavender essential oil to a hot bath and by using dried lavender flowers in your home. Lavender flowers can be sprinkled on carpets and then vacuumed, adding freshness to any room of the house.
Lavender essential oil rubbed on the temples relieves tension headaches. This remedy is also helpful for insomnia. A lavender sachet placed under one's pillow at night helps to induce restful sleep. Antiseptic properties make lavender wonderful for external use in natural first-aid kits. Lavender essential oil can be used to heal minor cuts, scrapes, and burns. It is recommended that a few drops of lavender oil be diluted in warm water when using it to clean wounds. Lavender oil can be used full strength on bug bites and insect stings. Rubbing a few drops of lavender oil daily on a burn will help to speed healing. Since bacterial growth results from the interaction of Kapha and Pitta elements (moisture and chemistry), body soaps containing lavender are beneficial for Kapha and Pitta types. Pitta types with overly sensitive skin may have allergic reactions to lavender essential oil when it is used on their skin. Make sure to do a skin test before using it if you have sensitive skin. Imagine for a minute just how many industries depend upon you feeling like you're not good enough. Everywhere we look there are messages telling us what we need: a membership to a fancy gym with a personal trainer, a luxury car, a bigger house, stylish clothes, personal care products, perfume, cosmetics, weight loss programs. These messages are not there for any reason except to sell you something. Many of us realize this truth, but buying things to be happy with ourselves has become so commonplace in our culture that we often forget to question it. Of course we should all try to be gorgeous and thin...right?
Corporate empires are built upon messages of self-doubt. From a very young age, we teach our children to worry about being fat and to value a narrow standard of physical beauty above intelligence, health or happiness. Next time you catch yourself thinking thoughts like, "I could really stand to lose 10 pounds", or, "I am not as good-looking as that person on t.v.", fight back. Love yourself. Be revolutionary. There is a pretty fierce cold virus going around these days. In light of this occurrence, I have decided to write about a spice that balances the two doshas that manifest during a cold (Vata and Kapha). Often when you get a cold virus, you will notice a literal feeling of cold inside your sinuses, with congestion that is relieved by taking a hot shower or bath. During a cold, Vata in the body increases due to cold and dry weather. The body compensates for dryness by creating excess mucous to protect the respiratory passages. This mucous is a form of Kapha in the body. The mucous provides a lovely place for bacteria and viruses to grow. At this point, Kapha and Vata are both imbalanced. These two doshas can be brought back into balance by adding heat. Heat is a quality of Pitta dosha. So when you take a hot shower to clear your sinuses, you are increasing the Pitta in your body, which clears the cold congested mucous of Kapha. The humidity of the steam relieves the dryness of Vata that underlies the viral condition.
Cinnamon is a very powerful healing spice that is helpful when you have a cold. In Ayurveda, cinnamon is used primarily to balance the doshas of Vata and Kapha. These are dominant in the environment in Autumn and Winter. For many of us, the onset of fall brings cravings for apple cider, which contains cinnamon and balances the natural increase in cold and dryness that occurs in the body during this time. Cinnamon is a part of many winter holiday celebrations in the form of candles, wreaths, cinnamon brooms and pine cones, and recipes infused with this delicious spice. We can see that people following their intuitive needs recognize the seasonality of cinnamon, even without trying to follow any kind of Ayurvedic lifestyle. Medicinally, cinnamon supports the heart, blood, plasma, bone marrow, and nerves. It is useful in the treatment of colds and flu because it clears congestion from the lungs and sinuses. I usually recommend taking three teaspoons per day of cinnamon powder mixed with equal parts of raw honey. Taking it with a meal will help it to absorb into your body. For allergies with sinus congestion, many people find benefit from taking 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in honey daily during allergy season. I would recommend checking in with a healthcare practitioner before using cinnamon or any herb to treat any other medical conditions. Cinnamon should not be taken in medicinal doses during pregnancy or if you have bleeding ulcers. Burdock is also helpful in flushing excess Kapha from the body. In these cases, the diuretic properties of the root help to clear lymphatic congestion and flush the kidneys. Burdock root has demulcent properties that provide joint support and soothe irritated respiratory passages. Since this root is strongly diuretic, it is not typically used when the person has and imbalance of Vata, which is the drying element.
Burdock root can be purchased at many Asian markets, where it is called "gobo". It is also sold in tincture form and in capsules. When purchasing herbs, look for standardized extracts or whole herbs. Some manufacturers extract only the active components of herbs. This approach robs the supplement of all the so-called "inactive" components, which often work with the active ones to protect the body from negative side effects or to make the herb more effective. If your digestion is weak, it is a good idea to break open herbal capsules and mix them into honey or yogurt rather than swallowing the capsule whole. To those trying to achieve the picture-perfect lawn, burdock is a spiky nuisance. To herbalists the world over, burdock is an essential component of our practice. In Ayurvedic medicine, burdock root is often used to treat conditions caused by excess Pitta in the body. Such conditions include rheumatoid arthritis, acne, interstitial cystitis, and generally any condition that is caused by internal inflammation. The cooling and soothing properties of burdock make it essential for any Pitta-type person to keep in their herbal medicine cabinet.
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