Modern medicine developed in the West, and takes pride in its numerous achievements. It is equipped with sophisticated diagnostic techniques, a growing arsenal of drugs and vaccines, and highly refined surgical procedures. Many diseases that were once fatal have been tamed. Others are being investigated at a molecular level with a thoroughness that was once only dreamed of.

But modern medicine is bounded by several constraints. It focuses more on the treatment of disease than on the promotion of health in general. Many of the drugs it employs have adverse side effects. And its excessive reliance on the analytical approach has led to extreme specialization of medical practices.

In response a growing number of people are seeking holistic health care – care that is based on the integrated view of the whole person. So it may surprise many in the West that a holistic medical system that originated in ancient India is offering an answer to these needs today.

The system is called Ayurveda, from the Sanskrit words ayu (life) and veda (knowledge), which may be translated as the "science of life". Its origins, though difficult to pinpoint, have been placed by scholars at around 6000 BC [see essay by G.B. Lee in Medicine throughout Antiquity, F.A. Davis, ed. (1949), p. 313]. It forms a large part of the Vedic scriptures, on which Hinduism is based, and has been integral to Indian history and culture. Its teachings were transmitted orally for thousands of years, then written down in melodious Sanskrit poetry. Many of the roots of modern medicine lie in this tradition, as well as in the medical systems developed by the early Persians, Greeks, and the Chinese.

Ayurveda and Emotional & Mental Health

Ayurvedic principles concerning emotional or mental health are consistent with those applied to physical health, because Ayurveda does not look at the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of an individual as being separate, but as a unified whole. In Ayurveda the mind and all of its characteristics (emotions, memory, ego, and intellect), and the six senses (mind being considered as a sixth sense) make up the Purusa or supreme soul.

The mind receives and processes information from the sense organs, ego and the intellect and is therefore considered the most important aspect of Purusa. The mind analyzes the information it receives and in time this results in understanding. And so proper understanding is dependent upon how information reaches the mind, and how well the mind is able to digest the information and arrive at meaningful perception. When the channels of information coming from the senses are indistinct, or the ego and intellect are disturbed and out of balance (which is the case in psychiatric conditions), then there is either no comprehension at all, or reality is perceived in a distorted form. The mind is where our emotions and memory originate. Emotions and memory are an important part of understanding when in balance, or lack of under standing when out of balance.

In Ayurveda the mind is described as a material form, in contrast to the immaterial absolute soul, which is called Prana. And as a material form, the mind is corruptible and subject to deterioration by various diseases.

The mind is where our emotions and memory originate. Emotions and memory are an important part of understanding when in balance, or lack of understanding when out of balance.

The five senses and their attributes are listed in Ayurveda in specific order: sound, touch, vision, taste and smell. These provide important information about the external world. The senses are listed in ascending order based on the number of characteristics that are intrinsic to that particular sense. The sense of hearing has one characteristic – that of sound, while succeeding senses have attributes added upon from preceding senses. For example, in addition to the characteristic of smell, the sense of smell also has characteristics of sound, touch, vision, and taste. All of us have experienced this reciprocity between the faculties of the senses (e.g. having food taste a certain way based on how it is visually presented.)

It is this reciprocity that allows people who have suffered the loss of sense organs to make use of other senses to communicate with the outside world. Blind people for example, develop other senses that have characteristics of vision, such as sound and touch.

Freudian psychiatric models identify three characteristics of the mind; the Superego, Ego, and the Id while Ayurveda considers the mind a unified whole. This reflects the Ayurvedic philosophy of looking at the individual and the universe holistically. The ego and intellect are considered inseparable in Ayurveda. Implementing the comprehension provided by the mind is intellect, the governing branch of Purusa. The intellect reports back to the mind continuously on the implementation and the outcome of comprehension. This feedback is sometimes referred to as an internal source of information. In Ayurveda, ego is understood as resulting from the intellect. A consequence of the ongoing self-evaluation and validation process. Ego is often seen as the cause of misery in Ayurveda. A selfish ego, combined with the incapacity to draw strength from intellect and patience, is blamed for unhappiness and, therefore, fails to learn from past experiences, which are stored as memories. In our Western culture, we have to understand that there is no need to act defensive or protective of our ego. In fact ego, in the Western understanding of a healthy, integrated and rationally functioning personality is not lost, but strengthened, by the loss of what in Ayurveda is called selfish ego, infantile craving, attachment and anxiety. Ego should be limited to a useful, and not a disturbed, function.

Humans have been carrying virtually the same DNA information for millions of years, passing it on from generation to generation. We each have a built-in sense of responsibility to pass this valuable information on to our children intact. But tragically, our widespread use of chemicals such as pesticides and formaldehyde are changing our DNA patterns and unraveling the very fabric of humanity. These environmental pollutants are having an immeasurable effect on humanity. They are altering us mentally, emotionally and physically. We are affecting future generations in unforeseeable ways. We are irresponsibly fooling around with the future of all life on this planet and creating a generation of people and other creatures who are sick! Of course no parent wants his or her child to be ill. We all want the best for them and must really look at what we are putting into our bodies, water and air.

Ayurveda teaches that our body types are determined by our parents’ constitutions. The relationship between our parents before and during pregnancy, the time of day and year we were born and the placement of the planets during our birth. If either parent or their relationship to one another is unhappy or unhealthy in mind, body or spirit, we may be born with an unbalanced constitution. This is why Ayurveda stresses the importance of marriage and a solid family life. Very few of us realize that when we have sexual relations, our cells are shared and combined with the other person’s. Resulting in profound and lasting effects to our whole being. Unlike the popular myth of the one-night stand, it is not really possible to meet someone, have sex and be done with it. Instead, every sexual union creates lasting effects in both people. Also, if a child should result from the union, then that child not only receives these genes, but also is also deeply affected by the mental, emotional and physical states of the parents during the time of conception. This is why Ayurveda views mating as something that requires careful consideration and long-term commitment.

The creation of a child begins as early as the moment the parents first meet. In order for a truly healthy child to be born, there needs to be a lot of love and affection between the parents in the beginning as well as throughout their relationship. Even prior to conception, this love or lack of it will affect the child in a profound way. The child will strongly be affected by the parental relationship at the time of conception, as these thoughts and emotions will be directly transferred to the child. There have been numerous studies revealing that children born of rape or sexual abuse have deep and continuing mental and emotional problems.

The atmosphere between your parents is one of the primary factors that affect your unique body type. However, the individual body types of both your mother and father also determine your constitution. For example, if your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were all under five-feet-five inches tall, you aren’t likely to grow to a height of six-feet-ten inches. It is simply not in your genetic makeup.

Unfortunately, many of us are dissatisfied with ourselves. We compare ourselves to computer enhanced photographs in magazines and regret that we do not have perfectly smooth skin and firm thighs. We wish we were either taller, shorter or thinner or that we have curly hair instead of straight. In this country plastic surgery is at an all time high, in spite of both its high cost and unpleasant side effects. Why? Why are we so dissatisfied with our bodies? Perhaps it is partly due to the fact that we constantly compare ourselves to the magazine images. What most of us don’t know is that these images have been greatly manipulated by electronic equipment that can not only erase blemishes and enhance colors, but can actually reshape limbs. Thus we end up comparing ourselves to a nonexistent idea. Pie in the sky. This of course amplifies feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy causing a great deal of unnecessary misery, even leading us to self-loathing. And to what end? The ideal is unreal!

We need to learn to respect ourselves for who we are and what we have and realize that it is beautiful. The irony is that dissatisfaction is the first step in creating a perfectly healthy, beautiful you. For example, people with weight problems find that once they come to terms with themselves as they are, their excess weight drops off more easily revealing yet another aspect of their beauty. There has never been a study to prove that having straight hair or a long nose will make you a poor employee or cost you friends. But, your attitude about your traits will make you either pleasant or unpleasant to be around and significantly affect your health.

Your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual characteristics, i.e. your body type, is partly a result of your parents’ genetic traits. However, the relationship between your parents and their actions and thoughts toward you while you were a fetus also determined your constitution. This is a fact recognized by many cultures. In India, for example, it is believed that telling a fetus tales of spiritual individuals will instill their particular spiritual qualities in the fetus. My mother tells me that while I was in her womb, she would read me stories of the Buddha. She insists that I have characteristics similar to those of Buddha and that my actions reflect his teachings. If this seems surprising, just think of the scientific studies showing that a mother’s unhealthy habits, such as smoking, drug and alcohol abuse have direct adverse effects on her fetus. This is a known and accepted phenomenon but what isn’t so widely accepted is that the mother’s nutritious diet and positive mental, emotional and spiritual states during pregnancy also have good and lasting effects on her child.

As mentioned earlier, your parents’, especially your mother’s, actions, thoughts and feelings, their genetic makeup and their relationship to one another as well as the time of day, month and year that you were born all work together to determine your body type. These factors also influence whether or not your constitution was in a balanced state when you were born. So, now you know how your got what you got, but how do you learn what it is that you got? What is your constitution and why should you care to find out?

Effects of Boswellia Serrata gum resin in patients with ulcerative colitis. Gupta I, Parihar A, Malhorta P, et al. Eur J Med Res 1997; Jan 20:37-43.

42 patients ranging in age from 32 to 66 years, with grade II and III ulcerative colitis were invited to participate in this non-randomized study. 34 were given one 550 mg. capsule of the powdered gum resin of Boswellia serrata three times a day over a six week period. The remaining eight patients received 1 g. sulfasalazine three times a day over the same six week period. Subjects in both treatment groups exhibited an increase in weight (two to four kg). A reduction of symptoms of abdominal pain, loose stools, mucous blood, and necrotic material was reported to be 100% in the sulfasalazine group, while the Boswellia treated subjects noted a 91.7%, 88.9%, 80%, 86.5%, and 79.2% reduction in symptoms in each of the aforementioned categories respectively. Sigmoidoscopic examination showed, for patients in both groups, significant improvement in the pathological grading of the disease such that 75% of all the patients with grade III ulcerative colitis reverted to grade 0 or grade I regardless of the drug employed.

Overall 82% of the patients receiving Boswellia, and 75% of the patients taking sulfasalazine went into remission. Thus, due to the seriousness of ulcerative colitis, and the negative side effects, the use of Boswellia in a standardized form is entirely justified.

Comments:

Boswellia Serrata is another wonderful Ayurvedic herb which has been used for centuries. Commonly known in English as frankincense, it is commonly burned in temples, churches, or mosques to purify the air. In Sanskrit it is called Shalai Guggul and has been used for all kinds of inflammatory conditions. (Continued on page 4.)

Its effectiveness in treating osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ulcerative colitis, has been well established in many studies.

I have used Boswellia serrata with much success in fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, acute traumas, ulcerative colitis, crohn’s disease, asthma, and allergies. Patients who has been on prednisolone have been able to reduce or quit prednisolone and are doing remarkably well on Boswellia extract formulations containing turmeric extract, bromelain, and Ashwagandha. Boswellia seems to have a synergistic effect with turmeric extract, pineapple extract and Ashwagandha. We have seen remarkable improvement in patients who have been given these herbs. I have treated approximately 400 hundred patients with fibromyalgia with an almost 100% success rate, as well as many patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease who are now in remission.

Effect of Turmeric oil and turmeric oleoresin on cytogenic damage in patients suffering from oral submucous fibrosis. Hastak K, Lubri N, Jakhi SD, et al. Cancer Letters 1997; 116: 265-9.

Patients suffering from submucous fibrosis were given an oral dose of turmeric oil (TO) (600mg) three times a day of TO with 3 g of turmeric extract (TE) per day), turmeric oleoresin (TOR) (600mg plus 3g of TE per day), and 3g of turmeric extract per day as a control for three months. All three of the modalities decreased the number of micronucleated cells both in exfoliated oral mucosal cells and in circulating lymphocytes. The turmeric oleoresin was found to be more effective in reducing the number of micronuclei in the oral mucosal cells, but in circulating lymphocytes the decrease in micronuclei was comparable in all three groups. TOR contains turmeric oil, curcumin and other resinous material. Both turmeric oil and turmeric oleoresins are excellent scavengers of free radicals in vitro. Turmeric oleoresin has been shown to decrease lipid peroxidation and increase catalase activity. Turmeric oil and turmeric resin appear to act synergistically in protecting against DNA damage.

Comments:

Turmeric is the yellow ingredient in many Indian spices which you find in the grocery store and is my favorite spice. It is also a very common ingredient in curry powders. Turmeric has been used in home recipes for centuries by Indians. It is one of the best herbs for treating traumas, and burns and studies have shown its effectiveness in speeding the healing process. Turmeric also has very powerful antioxidant antiinflammatory, anti-HIV, and antibacterial properties. It can very effectively kill salmonella and I believe it can also be effective against E-coli. So if you like hamburgers turmeric may decrease your risk of infection.

Mechanism of action of NIM-76: a novel vaginal contraceptive from neem oil. Sharma SK, SaiRam M, Ilavazhagan G, Devendra K, Shivaji SS, Selvamurthy W. Defense Institute of physiology and Allied Sciences, Timarpur, Delhi, India. Contraception 1996, Dec; 54(6): 373-378.

The study was undertaken to elucidate the spermicidal mechanism of NIM-76, a fraction isolated from neem oil. The spermicidal activity of NIM-76 was confirmed using a fluorescent staining technique. NIM-76 was found to affect the motility of the sperm in a dose-dependent manner. Supplementation with pentoxifylline, which is known to enhance the motility of the sperm, could not prevent the spermicidal action of NIM-76. There was a gradual leakage of cytosolic LDH from the sperm in the presence of NIM-76. Electron microscope studies revealed the formation of pores and vesicles over the sperm head, indicating damage to the cell membrane.

Bacopa monnierra Linn. As an antioxidant: mechanism of action. Tripathi YB, Chaurasia S, Tripathi E, Upadhyay A, Dubey GP. Indian J Exp Biol 1996 Jun; 34(6): 523-526.

For the first time the effect of alcohol and hexane fraction of Brahmi has been studied on FeSO4 and cumene hydroperoxide induced lipid peroxidation. Alcohol fraction showed greater protection with both inducers. Results were compared with known antioxidants tris, EDTA, and a natural-antioxidant vitamin E. The response of Brahmi was dose dependent. Tris, an hydroxyl trapper did not show any protection in comparison to Brahmi where as EDTA and vitamin E did protect against FeSO4. In experimental conditions 100 micrograms of Brahmi extract (alcoholic) was equivalent to 247 micrograms of EDTA (0.66 microM) and 58 micrograms of vitamin E. Interestingly Brahmi only lightly protected the auto-oxidation and FeSO4 induced oxidation of reduced glutathione on lower doses, 100 micrograms/ml and below, but at higher concentrations it enhanced the rate of oxidation.

Comments:

For centuries Bacopa Monnieri has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for memory enhancing, insomnia, epilepsy,

and as a sedative herb. The mechanism of how Bacopa monnieri works is still not completely understood. This study may shed some light on how Bacopa Monnieri works as an antioxidant. Bacopa is shown to increase brain circulation and according to other studies, Bacopa monnieri also enhances the seratonin level in the brain. The applications of Bacopa monnieri can be wide depending upon what condition we are treating. It can be used for memory enhancement, epilepsy, insomnia, as a mild sedative, depression, anxiety, and ADD & ADHD. I have personally used Bacopa monnieri in many of these cases with excellent results.

Hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects of Commiphora mukul as an adjunct to dietary therapy in patients with hypercholesterolemia. Singh RB, Niaz MA, Ghosh S. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther 1994 Aug;8(4):659-664.

The effects of the administration of 50 mg of guggulipid or placebo capsules twice daily for 24 weeks were compared as adjuncts to a fruit and vegetable enriched prudent diet in the management of 61 patients with hypercholesterolemia (31 in the guggalipid group and 30 on the placebo group) in a randomized, double-blind fashion. Guggalipid decreased the total cholesterol level by 11.7%, the low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) by 12.5%, triglycerides by 12.0%, and the total cholesterol/high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ratio by 11.1% from the post diet levels, whereas the levels were unchanged in the placebo group.

The combined effect of diet and guggalipid at 36 weeks was as great as the reported lipid lowering effects of modern drugs.

Comments:

Guggul has been used for centuries for its cholesterol lowering effects, antirheumatic and artery cleansing effects. Many preparations are available on the market for lipid lowering, but not without their share of side effects. I believe these side effects make people ill faster than if they had not taken any drugs at all. Negative effects on the livers metabolism are just one of the side effects a lot of these drugs have so we end up not helping these people at all. Guggul has shown in repeated studies its cholesterol lowering effects without serious side effects. I have used Guggul in my practice for almost seventeen years and have seen patients lower heir cholesterol levels remarkably using standardized extract of Guggul. One of my patients had a cholesterol count of 438 and her cholesterol fell to 167 after taking one capsule (300 mg) Commiphora mukul three times a day for three months. She was in a lipid control study for many years, and none of the other drugs tried did anything for her.

My experience has been that sometimes you have to use liver herbs to support the liver to aid the removal of LDL cholesterol from the liver. Also studies have shown that Guggul has improved patients recovery who have experienced strokes due to it’s So artery cleansing effects. I think Guggul has been underutilized for lipid management.

Systemic administration of defined extracts from Withania somnifera (Indian ginseng) and Shilajit differentially affects cholinergic but not glutamatergic and GABAergic markers in rat brain. Schliebs R, Liebmann A, Bhattacharya SK, Kumar A, Ghosal S, Bigl V. Neurochem Int 1997 Feb; 30 (2): 181-190.

The investigation was conducted to assess whether the memory enhancing effects of plant extracts from Withania somnifera and Shilajeet are owing to neurochemical alterations of specific transmitter systems. Therefore, histochemistry to analyze acetylcholinesterase activity as well as receptor autoradiography to detect cholinergic, glutamatergic and GABAergic receptor subtypes were performed in brain slices from adult male Wistar rats, injected intraperitoneally daily with an equimolar mixture of sitoindosides VII-X and withaferin-A (prepared from Withania somnifera) or with shilajit, at doses of 40mg/kg of body weight for 7 days. The data suggest that Shilajit and the defined extract from Withania somnifera affect preferentially events in the cortical and basal forebrain cholinergic signal transduction cascade. The drug-induced increase in cortical muscarinic acetylcholine receptor capacity might partly explain the cognition enhancing and memory improving effects of extracts from Withania somnifera observed in animals and humans.

Inhibition of morphine tolerance and dependence by Withania somnifera in mice.

Kulkarni SK, Ninan I. J Ethnopharmacol 1997 Aug;57(3):213-217.

Chronic treatment with Withania somnifera (Ws) (family: Solonaceae, 100 mg/kg) commercial root extract followed by saline on days 1-9 failed to produce any significant change in tailflick latency from the saline pretreated group in mice. However, repeated administration of Ws (100 mg/kg) for 9 days attenuated the development of tolerance to the analgesic effect of morphine (10mg/kg). Withania somnifera (10mg/kg) also suppressed morphine-withdrawal jumps, a sign of the development of dependence to opiate as assessed by naloxone (2mg/kg) precipitation withdrawal on day 10 of testing.

Withania somnifera Dunal (Ashwagandha): potential plant source of a promising drug for cancer chemotherapy and radiosensitization.

Devi PU. Indian J Exp Biol 1996 Oct;34(10): 927-932.

Study of antitumor and radiosensitizing properties of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha), a well known medicinal plant, have yielded encouraging results. The alcoholic extract of the dried roots of the plant as well as the active component withaferin A isolated from the extract showed significant antitumor and radiosensitizing effects in experimental tumors in vivo, without any noticeable systemic toxicity. The studies so far indicate that Withania somnifera could prove to be a good natural source of a potent and relatively safe radiosensitizer / chemotherapeutic agent.

Comments:

Ashwagandha is one of the most famous adaptogen herbs from India. It has been prescribed for children as well as adults as a very safe nontoxic herbal medicine. The antitumor activity of Withania somnifera is known and that it also enhances the effects of radiation in chemotherapy. I have personally treated individuals going through radiation and chemotherapy with Ashwagandha with excellent results. In another recent study it was interesting to see Ashwagandha in an animal model demonstrating its effectiveness in treating morphine addiction. I have personally treated patients who have been addicted to narcotics and when I put them on Ashwagandha their withdrawals symptoms were more manageable and enabled them to gradually stop using narcotics. This is a very safe herb and may be tried in treating not only morphine but other addictions.

People with Vata constitutions should not eat raw salads too often. When you do eat salads sprinkle with Cardamom, Ginger, Cummin, Coriander seeds, Cloves, Fennel & black salts or use R.U. Ved PROVATA™.

THE PITA CONSTITUTION

People with Pita constitutions should avoid coffee, alcohol, & hot spicy food.

If you have a Pita constitution I recommend cooking with Coriander leaves, Fresh mint leaves, Pomegranate seeds, Fennel, Basil & Mango powder, or use R.U.Ved PROPITA™.

THE KAPHA CONSTITUTION

As many people have noticed the staff of our clinic has been working very hard to provide the best service. Many of our patients order herbal medications over the phone just as they are running out. It takes us a couple days to process an order. Please try to plan ahead so that you do not have to do without your medication. Sometimes we receive more orders than we can possibly process in one day. Thank you in advance for all your patience and understanding.

Until next time feel good!

Table of Contents

These wastes can include moldy, rancid, or spoiled processed meat as well as tissues too severely riddled with cancer to be eaten by people. In addition to these diseases, so called foods also contain large doses of hormones. Similar amounts given to lab animals have produced cancer. Hormonal levels in these animals also reflected the synthetic hormones fed to food animals to artificially stimulate their growth and the fact that some of the meat meal comes from the glandular waste and the fetal tissue from pregnant cows which is naturally very high in hormones. Processing and cooking does not inactivate these hormones. They have the most severe effect on cats, which are extremely sensitive to hormones. For example hormone implants given to chickens and cattle to better preserve them when frozen are very toxic to cats at even the lowest levels. The types of farm animals that are most likely to get cancer are chickens, hogs, beef cattle, and some dairy cows which are fed meat products. Rather than the turkeys, ducks and sheep, which are fed mostly plant protein. It makes a lot of sense to assume that any animal eating meat will have a higher risk of getting cancer, but it is not unheard of to see animals that are vegetarian develop cancer. There are also controversial additives like ethoxyquin, and BHT’s, which are added as a food preservative. Currently most of the commercial diets being made available as pet food to the public are without ethoxyquin and BHTs and naturally preserved with vitamin E. In order to make healthy pet food the presence of natural products like vitamins is necessary, but what is involved in the pet food industry is basically what I call are the three D’s; which are dead, disabled, and diseased or dying animals.

Food is made palatable by adding flavor enhancers, preservatives to keep it on the shelf, and also to make it appealing they add a lot of coloring agents which are coal tar derivatives. Sodium nitrate has been used as a red coloring agent and a preservative in pet food. When used in food it can produce a powerful carcinogenic substance called nitrosamine. So in brief, to understand cancer in general we must look into our environment and food.