Tag Archives: Ayurveda detoxification

The Ayurveda Approach to Healthy Exercise

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couple-exercising-togetherSpring is the time to get up and get moving. Exercising in the proper manner can improve our resistance to disease and make us stronger and more vital. Improper exercise, however, can actually weaken our system.

As we have discussed previously, when the weather warms, the toxins that have been “frozen” in the physiology all winter begin to melt and enter the circulatory system. Exercise plays an important role in increasing circulation and thus helping to remove toxins (referred to in Ayurveda as “ama”). Since ama is a major factor in the breakdown of the disease-resistance of the body, exercise is a key activity for supporting the body’s natural internal cleansing processes.

Exercise also increases mind-body coordination. Disease and disorders occur when the body loses contact with the underlying intelligence responsible for its maintenance and repair. Exercise involves the coordinated activity of body and mind and is helps the physiology stay in lively contact with it’s underlying biological intelligence.

One important point to remember is that Ayurveda recommends exercising to 50% capacity. Fifty percent capacity is usually when strain begins to appear in the body — breathing through the nose is no longer easy, sweat begins to appear on the body and it becomes difficult to maintain proper form and focus during exercise. Going beyond 50% capacity stresses the body and demands energy to be diverted into repairing and rebalancing the effect of straining. This takes away from our efficiency in action in whatever sport we are participating in.

Exercise should energize the physiology, resulting in feelings of exhilaration and vitality. Exercise should not leave us feeling exhausted and needing extra rest.

Ideally one should be able to breath through the nose while exercising. The brain and physiology are balanced by breathing through the nose. If you find yourself having to breath through your mouth, slow you pace until nose breathing becomes possible again. Over time you will be able to extend you the degree of activity that you can take on while breathing through the nose more and more.

Dangers signs in exercise are feeling the heart pounding, panting, sweating heavily and any feeling of weakness or a “rubbery” sensation in the muscles. All these indicators turn on the “fight or flight” response and deplete the body’s reserves. When we exercise we want to strengthen the body, not to weaken it.

Next week we’ll look at the different exercises recommended different body types.

Learn more about the Ayurveda approach to health at The Raj Ayurveda Health Spa and Treatment Center:

http://theraj.com/ayurveda/ayurvedic-yoga.php

 

 

( Picture man and woman in workout attire. Source: Google Advance Image Search.
Creative Commons. The image is used under the terms of Googles Creative Commons rules:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en. This photograph and credit do not constitute an endorsement of this blog or products mentioned.)

DDT and Alzheimer’s — Ayurveda Can Help!

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A recent study published in JAMA Neurology found that patients with Alzheimer’s had four times as much blood levels of DDT as healthy people. While the findings are not conclusive, researchers believe the chemical increases the chance of Alzheimer’s and may be involved in the development of amyloid plaques in the brain, which contribute 6a00d83451e0d569e201156e4f87e6970c-800wito the death of brain cells. Even though DDT has been banned in the US since 1972, the average American still ingests small amounts of the toxic chemical every day.

The good news? The ancient science of Ayurveda provides a means to remove this harmful chemical from the body.

Current mainline thinking is that the only way to eliminate DDT from the body is to let nature take its course. DDT’s half-life — the time it takes to naturally fall to half it’s original value — is 2 to 15 years. But a published research study conducted on the traditional Ayurveda detoxification treatments at The Raj Ayurveda Health Spa and Treatment Center in Fairfield, IA showed that 50% of DDE levels (DDE is the by-product of DDT found to be linked to Alzheimer’s) can be eliminated through a 5-day treatment program. A good investment in one’s future! To read more about the study visit http://theraj.com/rajresults/index.php

(If PK is not in your budget, daily massage with organic sesame oil can be helpful. See more tips at the end of the blog.)

DDT

DDT is harmful to the nervous system and is a known carcinogen. It belongs to a group of chemicals (along with PCBs and dioxins) that are fat-soluble. This means the chemicals adhere to the fat in insects, animals and people. The chemicals remain stored in the fat until their natural dissolution. This can take from 4 to 30 years. Although DDT is no longer made or used in the US, our water, air, soil are so contaminated that the chemical still poses a threat to our health.

Exposure to DDT

DDT and its by-products are persistant, bioaccumulative and can be transported long distances through the atmosphere. They can travel in the water systems and can end up in produce, dairy and meats through irrigation. DDT can build up in sediment in rivers, lakes, and coastal areas, and then accumulate in fish and shellfish. It is still in our soil and can be absorbed by some plants and by the animals or people who eat them. The largest fraction of DDT in a person’s diet comes from fish, meat, poultry, and dairy products. Leafy vegetables generally contain more DDT than other vegetables, possibly because DDT in the air is deposited on the leaves. DDT also comes to us in food from other countries. Infants may be exposed by drinking breast milk.

Removing DDT

The purification treatments of Ayurveda start with a week of “home-prep”, an individually recommended protocol that primes the body to get the most out of the up-coming treatments. One aspect of home prep is a fat-free diet. When the detox treatments begin, pure oils are massaged into the body day after day, penetrating deeper and deeper into the tissues and organs of the body. Because the restrictive diet has reduced the body’s natural fat saturation, the fat-soluble chemicals respond joyously to the pure lipid infusion, detaching from the cells and attaching to the new lipids.  These then get flushed out of the body with daily elimination therapy. To date this is the only proven way to remove fat-soluble toxins from the body.

Avoiding DDT

1. Begin each day with a warm oil massage. Sesame oil is the most penetrating of the oils but those with a more pitta constitution may develop itchy skin or a rash. If you have sensitive skin, try using sweet almond oil, olive oil or coconut oil. Warm the oil slightly before using. Sit for 10 minutes after application and follow with a warm shower.

2.  Favor organic foods, especially organic foods grown in the U.S. Many countries still use DDT to contain malaria. The run-off from spraying can contaminate the water systems and get onto food through irrigation (even into so-called organic farms).

3. Wash all fresh produce thoroughly in water, especially leafy greens, beans, root vegetables, and fruits and berries, to remove soil and any residues of DDT or DDE on the surface of the food.

4. If you are not a vegetarian, choose lean cuts of meat, poultry and fish. Trim excess fat from meat and poultry.

5. Consider a yearly commitment to Panchakarma treatments. A five-day treatment can accomplish what nature takes 2 to 15 years to do.

To learn more about Ayurveda detox and purification programs, visit The Raj website:

www.theraj.com

(Photo of older man with younger woman. Source: Google Advance Image Search.
Creative Commons. The image is used under the terms of Googles Creative Commons rules:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en. This photograph and credit do not constitute an endorsement of this blog or products mentioned.)