Question: I crave hot and spicy foods and seem to need them to stimulate my digestive fire. The problem is that they aggravate my hot flashes. Is there anything I can do for my hot flashes that will not dampen my digestive fire?
Answer: I presume from your question that you are in your perimenopausal stage of your life. According to the science of Ayurveda, during this transitional stage there is an aggravation in the vata (air element) along with the aggravated pitta (fire element) in the deeper tissues. The aggravated vata tends to constrict the bloods vessels and other microcirculatory channels and block and hinder the smooth flow of the pitta in the deeper tissues. The aggravated vata and satmya (habit for hot and spicy) or ama (toxins) tends to make you crave for the hot and spicy foods but whenever you take anything hot and spicy, it opens up the constricted channels and then the heat trapped in the body tends to find its outlet giving you hot flashes.
Home Remedy:
- To stimulate the agni (digestive fire) and burn the ama in the body tissues and you must incorporate spices such as cumin, coriander, fennel, cilantro, peppermint, turmeric and fresh ginger in moderation.
- Drink fresh tender coconut water and drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated.
- Take either fresh one teaspoon of aloe vera gel or three ounces of concentrated aloe vera juice three times a day.
- You may take one eight ounce glass of fresh pomegranate juice with eight to ten drops of lemon a day.
- Add lots of green leafy vegetables and sprouted mung beans to your diet.
Ayurvedic Recommendations:
- Eat light and eat on time.
- Practice Ayurvedic self-massage every day.
- Panchakarma (Ayurvedic detoxification): under the guidance of knowledgeable and qualified Ayurvedic physician or practitioner who can personalize your internal cleansing process with pre and post care.
Yoga Asana:
- Practice chandranamaskar (moon salutation) to calm and cool the mind and body.
- Focus more on the restorative asanas, lotus, locust, bow, boat et cetera to balance vata and pitta.
- Practice nadi shodhana (alternate nostril breathing, start from left nostril which is cooling) breathing for five to ten minutes at night.
Question: Every day, I drink hot water with lemon in the morning, scrape my tongue, dry brush and eat a clean diet, but no matter what I do, my tongue is coated. What should be my next step to clear up my tongue and my digestion?
Answer: There are several types of coating that may indicate an individual’s health conditions such as location, thickness, color, odor, et cetera; however, according to Ayurveda, one of the main causes for you to still have the coating on your tongue even after you do your regular oral hygiene and consume a clean diet is the presence of ama (toxins) due to mandaagni (poor digestive fire). Ama can also be formed by bacterial or viral invasions of the gastrointestinal tract leading to the formation of the coating on the tongue.
Home Remedy:
- Include hot spices like black pepper, cloves, fresh ginger and little fresh garlic in your meal
- With a glass of warm water, take one teaspoon of the Ayurvedic herbal blend trikatu (long pepper, black pepper, ginger) just before your heavier meal.
- Take 1½ teaspoon of the Ayurvedic blend of eight herbs, hingwastak churnam with a glass of warm water after your heavy meal.
- You can also try a light fast one day each week as long as there is not much vata aggravation.
Ayurvedic Recommendation:
- Ayurvedic panchakarma (detoxification) can be done under a qualified Ayurvedic physician or practitioner who can assess the underlying cause and customize the treatments in order to help you detoxify the toxins from the systems.
Yoga Asana:
- Practice surya namaskar (sun salutations) regularly.
- Try spinal twist asanas such as bharadwajasanas (legs side sitting pose), marichiasasnas (sage twist), ardhamatsendarasanas(half fish) and revolving stomach pose.
- Pranayama (Breathing exercise):
- Practice kapalbhati (breath of fire).
Question: I tore a portion of my calf muscle and it is healing, slowly, but it is still painful and very swollen. Can you give me an Ayurvedic recommendation on how I can support the healing process?
Answer: The reason for any delayed healing, according to Ayurveda, is due to the lack of circulation or decreased flow of prana (flow of cellular intelligence from one cell to another) around the area of the injury and the cause of your pain is due to aggravated vata and any swelling or inflammation is most likely due to the aggravated pitta.
Home Remedy:
- Rest your calf muscle as much as possible and apply Ayurvedic medicated herbal oils such as dhanwantari oil or muriveena oil and massage without pressure in a circular clockwise motion.
- Wrap the affected area with a paste of equal amount of turmeric, ginger and salt, this will reduce the swelling and inflammation.
- Drink fresh pomegranate or aloe vera juice as they act as anti-inflammatory agents and also speeds up the healing process.
Ayurvedic Recommendations:
- Localized indrabasta basti ( Procedure where warm medicated oil is held by creating a well around the affected area)
Yoga and Pranayama:
- Practice deep diaphragmatic breathing regularly and consciously.
- Practice nadi sodhana (alternative nostril breathing) and avoid stress, eat and sleep well.
- Practice upper body stretches and seated spinal twists even though it might be difficult with the torn calf muscles (research has proven that healing takes place much faster when one works the isolated muscles only).
Question: After having a cold, I’ve been having some lingering clear congestion and post-nasal drip. I’ve been avoiding dairy and still experiencing this issue. What next steps would you suggest?
Answer: According to Ayurveda, lingering congestion and post nasal drip is due to an aggravation of kapha and vata doshas which leads to lack of agni (digestive metabolic fire)
Home Remedy:
- Make a tea with equal parts of fresh ginger, black pepper, cinnamon and cardamom by boiling the herbs in two cups of water for 15 minutes. When cool, add ½ teaspoon of honey. You may take this up to three times a day.
- Take the Ayurvedic herb amalaki with warm water at night. Amalaki contains an easily-absorbed form of Vitamin C.
- You may take eucalyptus essential drops in a hot water and cover your head and eyes and inhale the steam for four to five minutes morning and evening.
- Practice neti pot cleansing (learn this from a knowledge and qualified practitioner)
- Rest up and do very mild exercises.
Ayurvedic Recommendation:
- Abhyanga (Ayurvedic oil massages) with kapha-pacifying (sesame, sunflower with warming herbs herbs cooked in the warm oil.
- Nasya ( nasal treatment)
Yoga Asana:
- Practice Surya namaskar, Forward Bends, Shoulder and Head Stands as these postures to reduce the aggravated kapha and vata dosha. If new to Yoga, please learn these techniques from a qualified Yoga Practitioner
Pranayama:
- Breath of fire and deep alternate nostril breathing will help in eliminating the accumulated toxins via body’s natural orifices.
The information provided here is for educational purposes only and should not be a substitute for medical care. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Before using any Ayurvedic remedies, consult with a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner or healthcare provider. It is important to rule out serious conditions when appropriate. This article represents the opinion and recommendation of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of LA YOGA Ayurveda and Health magazine.
Dr. Ram Tamang is a licensed Ayurvedic Physician & Herbalist (India & Nepal) and a Registered Ayurvedic Specialist in the USA. He is a partner with The Healing Gardens of Ayurveda and serves as the master physician. In addition to his full time clinical practice, Dr. Ram is a lecturer at several, national and international schools and colleges. Dr Ram is involved in many different organizations, associations and publications that help build and sustain a growing community of people passionate about the value of Ayurvedic Medicine. He is a charismatic public speaker and has presented on various health issues and Ayurvedic Topics at events and radio shows around the world. He currently serves on the executive board of the Council of Ayurvedic Research USA: Thehealingardens.com.