You can eat right, exercise regularly, take vitamins and herbal supplements, even meditate to get rid of stress—but in our modern industrial age, this still may not be enough to stay healthy. More and more, research suggests that reducing environmental toxins is a necessity. Hazardous industrial chemicals absorbed by the body have been linked to…

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that affects an estimated 10 million people, mostly women, in the United States alone. It is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, concentration issues, fatigue, sleep problems and mood swings. The severity of the symptoms varies from person to person. The problem is not that people who suffer from fibromyalgia are more…

Menopause occurs when the ovaries stop producing large amounts of estrogen and progesterone, two hormones intimately involved with the menstrual cycle. Modern medicine tends to view this process as an unhealthy state of deficiency. This is because certain diseases have been shown to be related to the lack of hormones in a woman’s body. For…

One of the traditional recommendations of Ayurveda is to drink water from a copper cup. According to the ancient science, water stored in a copper vessel has the ability to balance all the three doshas (Vata, Kapha and Pitta). Ideally water should stay in the copper container for at least eight hours. Ayurveda recommends starting…

Regular eating after 8 PM leads to weight gain, according to modern research. Study after study has shown that those who dine late in the evening typically have waistlines two inches larger than those who dine earlier. The results of these kinds of studies underscore the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda. Ayurveda provides the knowledge of…

What is “Ama”? “Ama” is the Ayurvedic term for toxins and impurities that build up in the physiology, creating blockages to the flow of nutrients, circulation and biological signals. These impurities are most often attributed to poor digestion, but can also come from environmental pollutants and/or stressful experiences. Essentially, Ama is a form of un-metabolized…

Chronic Fatigue syndrome is an illness that consists of a constellation of symptoms lasting for many months. These symptoms are fatigue, joint problems, muscle tissue pain, trouble focusing, and trouble concentrating. It is sometimes related to a preexisting viral illness caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. While there is no established, effective treatment in Western, allopathic…

Ayurveda can give helpful insights into dealing with the common problem of constipation.  It relates constipation to an imbalance in Vata dosha and, more specifically, its sub-dosha, Apana Vata. Apana is downward moving and governs elimination and menses. An imbalance in Apana Vata can cause dryness and a sluggishness of bowel functioning. If you are…

As we grow older, it is common to find that we are not as limber as we once were. Hands, elbows, knees and backs can become sore and stiff. According to Ayurveda, this reflects the natural increase in Vata dosha in the later stage of life. As Vata increases, joints can become more dry and less…