It’s been such a wonderful summer, with lingering evening twilights in which to enjoy time with family and friends. It is a time when Auckland earns its reputation as one of the world’s most liveable cities. But as we all know this sunshine will not last forever and that is why we need to start preparing for autumn.

This is where Ayurveda, the ancient health science of India, can provide some valuable insights in managing this seasonal transition. It helps us understand that each season brings different qualities to the environment and it is these qualities that have a direct impact on our bodies. Ayurveda’s unique message is that it is important to live our lives in harmony with the seasons by making changes to our diet and lifestyle to keep the body in balance as it is balance that is the key to health and happiness.

Ayurveda recognises that each season has unique characteristics and qualities. In autumn, the environment is dominated by cold, rough, dry and erratic qualities. Because we are exposed to these qualities every day, it is natural that they will have an impact so our bodies start feeling cold, dry and rough. These qualities start manifesting in the body with problems like dry and rough skin, chaffed lips, thin, dry hair, stiff and tight muscles, feelings of anxiety, fatigue and tiredness, particularly in the afternoon and disturbed sleep.

In our bodies, these qualities are also the principle characteristics of Vata, one of the three intelligences that govern all bodily functions. Vata is the energy of movement in the body. It operates like a benevolent director of transportation causing everything in the body to move in a smooth and orderly fashion so that it arrives in the right place at the right time.

However, when these qualities start accumulating in the body, it can aggravate the Vata Dosha. When Vata becomes aggravated, it can become hyper-active, manifesting in a restlessness in the body and a mind that won’t slow down. It can also, due to its erratic nature, become hypo-active, resulting in sluggishness in the body and mind. This is further compounded by our busy, stressful and erratic lifestyles that further aggravate Vata so unless we are able to bring this intelligence back in to balance we will start to suffer serious health problems.

When we start experiencing these problems we wonder how they have come about and naturally look for a remedy. Some of us will reach for a multi-vitamin or herbal supplement. Others will increase their workout time in the gym or increase their water intake to try and address these health concerns. Unfortunately, many of these remedies only have a short term benefit because they only treat the symptoms. Ayurveda, on the other hand, can explain why these problems develop in autumn and provide us with some simple, yet effective routines to address these health concerns.

All Ayurvedic treatments are based on the simple principle of introducing lifestyle and diet changes with opposing qualities to bring the body back into balance while avoiding things that can cause further aggravation. Therefore in autumn, Ayurveda recommends the following routines to keep the body in balance:

• Prepare an autumn de-tox drink. Each morning drink a glass on warm water in which you add, ½ teaspoon of grated ginger,1/2 teaspoon of honey, ½ teaspoon of lemon juice and ¼ teaspoon of Ajwain powder. This will help to flush out toxins from the body and counter any sluggishness in the stomach in the gut.
• Take 10 long, deep slow breaths at least 3 times a day. When Vata becomes aggravated our breathing can become shallow. Regular deep breathing will help balance this.
• If your digestion is feeling sluggish or constipated (which is common during autumn), soak 5 prunes overnight. Around morning tea time the next day, mash and drink them in a cup of warm water.
• At least three times a week, massage yourself with warm, cold pressed black sesame oil or Planet Ayurveda’s Vata Oil. This will sooth dry, rough skin and counter stiff and tight muscles. It will also help to improve circulation.
• Eat only warm cooked foods and easily digestible proteins and steamed or stir fried green vegetables.
• Avoid cold, dry, rough foods like salads, corn chips
• The two principle organs that are governed by the Vata Dosha are the nose and ears so it is particularly important to give them special attention during autumn. Each morning, lightly apply warm sesame oil to both ears and nasal passages with a cotton bud.
• During the day, snack on a handful of soaked and peeled almonds and raisins.
• At night, warm a glass of non-homogenised milk and add ¼ teaspoon each of cardamom and cinnamon powder. Drink about an hour before bed. This will help relax the nervous system and give you a good night’s sleep.

If you are able to incorporate some of these routines into your daily life, you will find that you will remain unaffected by the seasonal changes and keep you body in balance during this time of transition.

A shared post from Donna Farhi's newsletter (Nov 21012) (www.donnafarhi.co.nz):

Late this year when I told several close friends that I was going to do Panchakarma, the ancient Ayurvedic cleansing practices, many were surprised.  “But you have such a good diet already!” one exclaimed.  “You’ve been doing Yoga your whole life!” said another.  “You’re already so strong and fit!” And while all these claims are more or less true, like any mortal being no matter how good my diet is, or how many hours I spend on a yoga mat, “stuff” can accumulate not only in the physical body, but in one’s mental, emotional and spiritual self.  The last ten years have been the most challenging time of my entire life.  Establishing a home on a 30-acre block of bare land with no electricity, water or septic system has been an all consuming and oftentimes back-breaking task.  Long and arduous international teaching tours with radical changes in season, climate, and time zones combined with noisy hotels and jet lag induced insomnia had progressively undermined any semblance of a sound sleep pattern.  And then who could predict when the Gods ordered up one major quake that would destroy the city center of Christchurch that we would get over 17,000 (and counting) aftershocks since!  Being shaken awaken to a racing heart sometimes multiple times in a night had reset my nervous system to a new state of high vigilance. 

Ayurveda has always been a part of my lifestyle but I decided to make a renewed commitment to this ancient sister science of Yoga and see what would happen.  I had already trialed a whole series of state of the art herbaceuticals and vitamin supplements.  I’ll admit, I was also motivated by some of the less than pleasant symptoms of menopause and the beginnings of some arthritis in my hands.  But as someone who spends a good part of the year on the road I could not wrap my mind around the 48 odd hours it would take me just to get to India.  What great good fortune then to discover Dr. Ajit, arguably the most experienced Ayurvedic doctor in Australasia right at my door step with the Planet Ayurveda clinic being located in the heart of Auckland, New Zealand.  For some months now I’ve been religiously following some simple lifestyle practices that Dr. Ajit suggested that have already made a profound difference to my overall health.  Based on those palpable results I decided to undergo ten days of Panchakarma.  Conducted in a sacred atmosphere with incredibly sensitive, well-trained practitioners, my panchakarma experience made a profound impact on me.  And while I’ve only just returned to the farm I already can feel a big difference.  There is a deep inner relaxation that is supporting unbroken, restful sleep.  I have had a complete cessation of any menopausal symptoms whatsoever.  There has been a 90% reduction of inflammation in my hands and I feel an inner calm that is helping me keep my mind clear to face the ongoing challenges and decision making that is the stuff of everyday life. 

What I would most like to share with my friends is that the foundation of Ayurveda is developing a healthy lifestyle that is in harmony with nature.  Simple right?  Well not quite.  With Ayurveda one cannot circumvent the fundamental issue of how we live our lives.   My sense over the years is that more and more our health strategies seem designed to throw things on top of our already entrenched life style imbalances which for most of us boils down to being in a chronic state of stress.  No amount of superfoods, antioxidants or expensive herbal formulations can counter the deleterious effects of overwork, irregular meals, poor diet, lack of exercise, conflictual relationships, unsatisfying work, or unrelenting mental and emotional stress.  When I was completing my training as Yoga teacher I worked part time in the health food industry, and the biggest change I’ve seen since the original bring-your own-container and bulk bins of lentils and rice, is the way in which the industry has adapted to serve the pathology of the culture with highly processed and packaged fast “health” foods, jaw-dropping expensive isolated nutrient hype and entire isles now delegated to meal replacement power bars.  Is this the stuff that health is made of . . . I think not.

So I’d like to share with you some of the simple and inexpensive life style practices that have helped me improve my health.  Don’t be fooled into thinking that something simple can’t make a BIG difference.  Like any science you can’t know whether it works unless you give it a try. I invite you to little-by-little incorporate these practices into your routine and see whether they make a difference to you. Every few months I’ll send another suggestion for you to consider.  Let’s make 2013 a year to reclaim the simple supportive wisdom of nature.

Many blessings!
Donna

There is no doubt that our hectic lifestyle creates a great deal of stress, which can impact on our physical and mental states. In simple terms, stress occurs when we are not able to effectively cope with the day’s work load, either at a physical or mental level. Due to this stress, our bodies start becoming stiff and tight while our minds become hyperactive. This hyperactive state leads to disturbed sleep and insomnia, leaving us tired and exhausted.  This is further exacerbated when we skip regular meals and eat fast foods on the run.

In this state, our inclination is to reach for a stimulant like coffee or chocolate but while we get a quick burst of energy from such stimulants, they quickly leave us feeling more exhausted than before.  If we continue with this lifestyle we can quickly find ourselves taking multi-vitamins and so called “stress buster” medications without success.

In times of stress the body secretes a number of hormones, the most important being adrenaline. This hormone is responsible for what is known as the ‘fight or flight’ response. Adrenaline increases the heart rate and breathing and prepares the body to either fight or flee an external threat.

While hormones such as adrenaline help us to cope with stress for short periods, it can cause health problems if we are subjected to long-term exposure. Constant stress causes the body to secrete adrenaline on a continuing basis and this prolonged exposure can force the heart and lungs to work overtime and keep blood pressure above normal which are contributing factors in strokes or heart attacks.

If you have read this blog before you know that Ayurvedic medicine’s great point of difference is to discover and treat the root cause of an ailment, rather than just treat the problem symptomatically. However, in the case of stress, this is sometimes very hard to remedy.  You are well aware of the reasons for your stressed situation and if you could, I am sure you would have already made the changes you need to reduce your stress level.

Thankfully, Ayurveda gives us some simple, yet very effective daily routines that we can follow to help nourish and support the mind and body to help us better manage our stress levels:

• To counter a stiff and tight body you should massage yourself every day for 5-10 minutes with warm cold pressed black sesame oil, either before your shower in the morning or before bed at night.

• The most significant impact of stress is on our breathing. When we become stressed, our breathing becomes shallow, meaning that cells are denied precious oxygen. This makes us feel even more fatigued so at least three times each day take 5-10 long, deep breaths.

• To counter disturbed sleep, have a cup of warm non-homogenised milk before bed. For extra benefit, add 1 teaspoon of Herbovit, a milk supplement especially formulated at Planet Ayurveda.

• Try Planet Ayurveda’s Vata Tea, a unique blend of Ayurvedic herbs to calm and relax the mind and the body.

• Take Planet Ayurveda’s Stress Guard, a natural and safe herbal formulation to support and nourish the nervous system.

• One of the most effective Ayurvedic treatments for stress is Shirodhara. In this profound treatment warm medicated oil is poured over the 3rd eye chakra to balance and calm the mind.

The liver is one of the most important organs in the body. When the liver is sluggish, digestion suffers, which leads to problems like fatigue, indigestion, high cholesterol, psoriasis, chemical sensitivities and constipation. And Spring is considered by most holistic medical systems to be the right time to cleanse the liver so it seems timely to give you some advice.

The liver has two main functions. It’s primary job is to act as a filter, removing harmful toxins from the body. There are five main sources of toxins and wastes that the liver deals with: toxins from food (preservatives and pesticides) and alcohol; external toxins (drugs and environmental pollutants); internally produced waste, such as hormones that are no longer needed and nitrogen waste products from protein metabolism. These are converted into less harmful substances by the liver and then eliminated from the body.

The liver is also a manufacturer. It produces bile that is used to break down and digest fatty acids; it converts sugar into glycogen, which it stores until the muscles need energy; it synthesises proteins and cholesterol and converts carbohydrates and proteins into fats, which are stored for later use; it also produces both blood clotting and anti-clotting factors as well as hundreds of enzymes needed for digestion and other bodily functions.

From an Ayurvedic perspective, the liver is one of the seats of Pitta, the fire element in the body and plays a major role in digestion. The Pitta intelligence is responsible for all metabolism in the body so as a site for Pitta, the liver’s role in digestion is to help break down nutrients into their most elemental forms.When this digestive capacity is compromised, the body has a hard time metabolising the food we eat. When the food is not broken down sufficiently by the digestive process, not only is the body unable to access the nutrients it needs but this partially digestive food clogs the circulatory system leading to lethargy and sluggishness.

With all these important functions, you can see why we need to take care of our liver. Ayurveda recommends the following routines to support liver function:

•       Every morning, scrape your tongue to remove waste products that accumulate over night (otherwise they will be re-absorbed)
•       Every morning, drink a glass of warm water with 1tsp of honey, 1/2 tsp of grated ginger, ½ tsp of powdered fennel and a 1/2 tsp of lemon juice to flush out toxins from the digestive tract.
•       Massage yourself at least 3 times a week with warmed sesame oil. Better still is to use Planet Ayurveda’s Pitta Oil, a medicated sesame oil infused with herbs to help the body release trapped heat.
•       Avoid heavy foods that place pressure on the metabolism, like red meat, cheese, tinned foods, peanut and almond butter, carbonated drinks, coffee and alcohol and fried and fatty foods like fish and chips.
•       Eat warm, light foods that are easy to digest. Consider lentils and Paneer (a form of cheese) as light protein replacements for meat.
•       Eat regularly during the day and avoid late night snacks.
•       Use spices like cumin, turmeric, fennel and coriander in your cooking.
•       Eat with a calm mind
•       Avoid hot showers, particularly on the head.
•       Use Planet Ayurveda’s Livgood, a blend of Ayurvedic herbs like Kutuki, (Picrorrhiza kurroa), Aloe (Aloe barbadensis) & Punarnava (Boerhaavia diffusa) that all support liver function. Taken with Stress Guard, a preparation to support the nervous system, you will give you liver the opportunity to do its job properly.

Finally, as a seat of Pitta, the liver is affected by emotions such as anger, rage, hatred and jealousy. Ayurveda believes that when our mind does not process our emotions properly, they get trapped in the body and can upset its delicate balance. Unresolved emotions that cause us to “flare up” produce excess heat which can settle in the liver, placing an added burden on its important work.

So every night before you go to bed, spend 10 minutes reviewing your day. Acknowledge on your achievements and reflect on the occasions where you feel you could have done better. Such a practice will not only give you a good night’s sleep but will allow you to “let go” of those negative thoughts and feelings before they have a chance to deposit in the body.

So take the opportunity as spring comes into full bloom and before the Pitta aggravating heat of summer, to give your liver some extra care and attention.

The Indian Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry recently held their 4th Annual Summit on Medicinal & Aromatic Products at the NSIC Exhibition Complex in New Delhi.

This annual conference was established to bring together Indian cultivators, traders and manufacturers of medicinal plants to showcase local, regional and national expertise in this industry and to facilitate their export to the world market.

I was invited to attend this prestigious conference as an international speaker where I addressed the opportunities and problems associated with marketing Ayurvedic products in the global marketplace.

Complimentary health is one of the fastest growing modalities in the world today. The World Health Organization estimates that between 65 to 80 percent of the world's population (about 3 billion people) rely on traditional (complimentary) medicine as their primary form of health care.

Herbal treatments that support this are the most popular forms of medicine and are highly valued in the international marketplace. For example, annual revenues from the sale of herbal products in Western Europe reached US$5 billion in 2003-2004.

Through Ayurveda, India has a strong pharmacopeia of herbs and herbal formulations which are gaining acceptance worldwide. However, there are a number of difficulties that are preventing these products from reaching the international market. These include:

• Lack of effective quality control in Indian manufacture
• Lack of standardisation in herbal formulations
• Lack of published, scientifically rigorous, clinical research
• Western Government’s increasing regulation of herbal “medicines”
• Western Practitioner’s preference for Oriental Herbs.

I was honoured to have the opportunity to address this conference and meet with Government officials, growers and manufacturers to discuss my concerns. My belief is that the Indian Government is very keen to encourage this local industry into the international marketplace, not just for its economic benefits but for the benefits the world can experience from this ancient healing science.

It is estimated by Diabetes New Zealand that almost 7% of the population are affected by this disease, making it an endemic problem in the community.  Thanks to a great deal of community education we all know about Diabetes, its causes and symptoms.  However, what we don’t understand is why, despite the millions of dollars spent on research and community education, are the incidences of this disease increasing?

Diabetes mellitus is called “Madhumeha” in Ayurveda, which literally means “excessive urine with a sweet taste like honey.” When the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin, it inhibits the cellular uptake of glucose, causing sugar levels to rise in the body to a point where the excess glucose must be excreted, giving the urine a sweet taste.

In Ayurveda, Type 2 Diabetes is considered to be an imbalance of the Kapha Dosha, one of the bodily intelligences that govern all metabolic functions. A combination of the elements of earth and water, Kapha provides lubrication and support. It gives strength and stability, both physically and psychologically. It enhances resistance to disease and promotes the healing process. It also has a sweet taste. However, when the earth and water elements accumulate in the body, the Kapha Dosha can become imbalanced and lead to diseases such as Diabetes.

In the case of Type 2 Diabetes the buildup of Kapha in the body manifests in the production of excess mucous, one of its principle functions. This excess mucous not only impedes the digestive ability of the stomach (meaning food is not sufficiently metabolized) but can also block capillaries that release secretions, particularly the Langerhans islets in the pancreas responsible for the production of insulin. Also because of its sweet taste, a Kapha accumulation increases the amount of sweetness in the body which places pressure on the pancreas to produce more insulin.

All Ayurvedic treatments are based on the principle of introducing lifestyle and diet changes to bring the aggravated Dosha back into balance while avoiding things that can cause further aggravation. For the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes and other Kapha type diseases, Ayurveda recommends the following:

Diet:

Avoid:   Yeasted Breads, cheese, cold meats, muffins and cakes, chocolate, sweets, carbonated drinks, fruit juice, potatoes, kumara, pumpkin, potato and corn crisps,  tinned and processed foods, excessive water intake, ice cream, tomato or soya sauce, peanut or almond butter, microwaved, foods, vegemite, eating on the run or late at night, and excessive or emotional eating.

Eat more:  Green vegetables, black gram, channa flour pancakes with ajwain, bitter gourd (Karela), long grain brown basmati rice, mung dhal, garlic, onion, curry leaves, hing, paneer cheese, unripe banana, fresh almonds, honey, turmeric, fenugreek & cinnamon

Lifestyle:  

• Start each day by scraping your tongue
• Drink a cup of hot water each morning with 1/4  tsp of honey, 1 tsp of fresh grated ginger, 1tsp of lemon juice and 1/2tsp each of  Karela or Fenugreek powder;
• Breakfast on either Channa flour pancakes (made from Black gram) with onion, ajwain and turmeric or a combination of millet, buckwheat and barley flour pancakes with cinnamon and cardamom;
• Eat a warm lunch, such as steamed or stir fried vegetables or soup;
• Eat warm, cooked foods for dinner, including at least three meals of kitchari (made from mung dahl and rice). Avoid all meats, except for fish a couple of times a week if you wish;
• Use more ginger, garlic, black pepper, fenugreek & turmeric in your cooking as all these spice have hypo-glycaemia properties;
• Every morning, apply warm medicated sesame oil to each nostril.
• Daily self massage with warm sesame oil or Planet Ayurveda’s Kapha Oil.
• Take a brisk 30 minute walk at least three times a week.
• Regular De-tox: Ayurveda offers a unique de-toxification programme called Panchkarma, which releases waste products from the body, collects and removes them gently, leaving the body cleansed and balanced.

An idea that is gaining currency in allopathic medicine is that of genetic disposition. It believes that if our parents suffer from diseases like diabetes, heart attack or bowel cancer, then it is inevitable that we will suffer from them too. However, Ayurveda’s unique insight into Prakruti, our individual body type, challenges this belief and gives us a better understanding of how imbalances in our body can lead to diseases like Diabetes.

Ayurveda also teaches that these imbalances can be addressed by means of diet and lifestyle to return your body to a balanced and healthy state. The profound promise of Ayurveda is that through changes to diet & lifestyle, not only can we prevent disease but live a long, healthy life in balance and harmony.

The Indian Government's Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) is pleased to announce the 4th World Ayurveda Congress, to be convened in Bengaluru, Karnataka from 9th to 13th December 2010.

With nearly half a million visitors and about 5,000 delegates expected to be in attendance this year, the Congress is reinforcing its identity as a global summit that brings together the diverse stakeholders of Ayurveda. 

Listed below are the themes identified for the plenary sessions at this year's Congress:.

1. Ayurveda for All
2. Public Health
3. Ayurveda Research and Education
4. Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine
5. Food and Nutrition in Ayurveda
6. Ayurveda Medicine for Animals and Plants

I have been appointed the Congress Co-ordinator for the Australasia region.  People interested in attending should contact Planet Ayurveda.

For more information visit: www.ayurworld.org

Seasonal regimes for Winter
 

I am sure all of you must have enjoyed the wonderful summer but now the time has come to welcome Winter. At the same time, everyone starts getting a little concerned about the idea of months of cold, wet, damp, moist & cloudy weather. Thoughts too turn to the inevitable illness’s that winter brings: chest infection, runny nose, cough, hay fever,  migraines and stiff shoulder joints and we start shivering in anticipation!

Specifically, those who have children can understand what I am trying to share – the restless nights with a constantly sick child and the regular visits to the GP for a quick fix to these problems. Those who are elderly approach winter with horrible thoughts of a season of painful & stiff joints while those suffering from arthritis know they have to spend many restless nights in constant pain. Soon we will receive letters from our GP’s advertising flu accines and many of us will endure this because we feel we don’t have a choice. But those who understand the principles of Ayurveda and have experienced its benefits in the past know that by following Ayurvedic easonal regimes one can enjoy a healthy winter free from the suffering of seasonal ailments.

According to Ayurveda, Winter is the time when the  Kapha Dosha is dominant (one of the three primary intelligences that govern all bodily functions). In simple terms, this means that the Kaphaqualities of coldness, dampness, moistness, heaviness, cloudiness and thickness will manifest in the environment. Unfortunately, these external qualities start impacting on us, causing them to accumulate in the body and causing the Kaphaintelligence to become aggravated. It is when Kapha becomes imbalanced in the body that health problems such as colds, coughs, runny nose, hay fever, headache, migraine, stiff & painful joints, asthma start manifesting.

From an Ayurvedic point of view our focus will be to mininise the accumulation of Kapha in the body by changes to our diet & lifestyle. Ayurveda gives us a clear message that whatever problems we suffer do not come for anywhere else but are created by us when we make incompatible diet, lifestyle & environmental choices. Below is a list of seasonal routines to follow in Winter so that all our valued clients, their family & friends can enjoy the benefits of good health during this season:

I am sure that many of you have been as shocked as I to read about the sudden deaths of a number of children, including:

• the death of a 3 year old child from Asthma;
• the sudden death of a 14 year old boy in his sleep while at Boarding School;
• an 18 year old girl who died in her sleep after coming home from a party.

These are just a few of the many incidents of death we hear about each day in our national media. We all feel sad for a moment and perhaps shed a few tears but after that we forget about these misfortunes and get on with our lives. I wonder if any of us stop to think, why is this happening so frequently these days?

If we paused to ask this question, I believe we would see that problems such as this arise from a lack of awareness. This lack of awareness dis-connects us from our own spirit, allows us to mask the symptoms of ailments rather than treating the root cause & prevents us from helping our children by giving them the right advice at the right time. It can even cause a shattering of the bond that holds a family together, which in turn leads to the further disintegration of our society.

Despite this period of darkness we can still see the light from one of the world’s oldest systems of healing. We all know that Ayurveda is not just a health modality but a complete philosophy of life. Ayurveda is known as the science of awareness as it gives us the tools to live in balance with ourselves, our society and our environment.

Ayurveda’s approach to wellness also gives us the opportunity to take responsibility for our own health in such a way that every family member can benefit.

For example, if you have a child who is suffering from asthma or even the common cold, rather than giving them antibiotics and putting them on an inhaler, you can easily incorporate Ayurvedic principles into their healing programme. The benefits will be immediate as you will be addressing the root cause of their problem by changes to their diet & lifestyle rather than masking the symptoms with antibiotics or inhalants, which can also compromise their immune system.

In the same way an elderly person who is suffering from joint pain is normally prescribed cortiozone or natural products with glucosamine or shark cartilage but they still seem to suffer from pain. By introducing them to Ayurveda, where minor changes in lifestyle & diet can help them to address the root problem, they can enjoy a higher quality of life.

Finally, you have seen your own life or those of our mothers, sisters, wives or female friends affected by hormonal imbalances or fertility issues. Most of the time we have seen them struggling with these problems using various hormonal treatments but they only serve to mask the symptoms so the problem persists.

If we can share with all these people how we have benefited from following an Ayurvedic programme and encourage them to do the same, we are able not only to help these children, elderly & women but society as a whole. By encouraging as many people as possible to embrace Ayurveda we can play a role in creating healthy families, a healthy society & healthy environment.

At the same time it gives us a great deal of satisfaction to know they have played a role in helping our loved ones on the path to health.

Become part of this effort and introduce others to Ayurveda by encouraging them to try our free online consultation or the Path to Health  programme.

There is a growing concern in the West about the heavy metal content in Ayurvedic products and a perception that these products are not safe for consumption. While it is true that some specific Ayurvedic preparations contain heavy metals, it is misleading to suggest that all Ayurvedic products are therefore unsafe.

Ayurveda, like Western Medicine produces pharmaceutical products with varying degrees of potency. In the West, many preparations that contain paracetamol can be freely purchased from supermarket shelves as they simple preparations that provide low doses of their active ingredient. Medications with more complex chemical formulations and containing higher doses are only available on prescription.

This implies that some medication can only be prescribed by qualified practioners as only they have the experience and knowledge to know the prescription dose, the length of time that the medication needs to be taken and any potential side effects from prolonged usage of the medicine.

In the same way Ayurveda has a vast range of products at its disposal, the majority of which are simple herbal preparations that provide low doses of their active ingredients. However certain products do contain powdered stones, gems and heavy metals but these should only be taken under the supervision of a qualified Ayurvedic doctor who understands the correct dosage.

Unfortunately, such Ayurvedic medicines can be purchased easily over the Internet. When people buy and use these products without appropriate supervision and the inevitable side effects occur, they tend to blame the product rather than the supplier and question the efficacy of Ayurveda as a health care system.

I believe it is the responsibility of everyone who wishes to follow Ayurveda for their own health and welfare that they should ask the following questions before purchasing any Ayurvedic products:

• Is the company accredited to manufacture Ayurvedic products?

• Does the company have anyone with clinical Ayurvedic experience on staff?

• If they are a supplier, do they distribute products from a reputable manufacturer?

Unfortunately, many people selling Ayurvedic products in the West have no knowledge of Ayurvedic Herbology & Pharmacology and are unable to determine the therapeutic value of Ayurvedic products. They are not able to identify fresh, good quality herbs from those that are stale and adulterated. Instead, they determine the value of the product or herb based on price.

In a further effort to cut costs, some suppliers buy Ayurvedic products manufactured for domestic consumption in India, rather than those manufactured for specifically for the export market. These export grade products undergo rigorous testing to satisfy the requirements of the international market and the additional cost of this stringent quality control is incorporated into the price.

For example, the levels of heavy metals permissible in products for sale in the domestic market in India are much higher than those of many Western countries. When Ayurvedic products are purchased in the domestic market in India and than offered for re-sale in the West, the level of heacy metals in the product is noticed by the purchaser who then feels Ayurvedic medicine is unsafe which causes irrerarable damage to the reputation of Ayurveda.