Kapha dinner, detox for various diseases

[Guest guest]

This post attempts replying message 5723, 5750, 5795, 5809 regarding

CFS problems, Mercury detoxification attempt, severe liver/gall

bladder congestion problems and Kapha diet.

 

The occurrence of cough, cold, flu, low fever coincides with starting

of March to June period, but due to global warming, seasons are

changing without much notice to mankind. Sudden increase of

temperature, need to open windows and increase fan or A/C settings

signals change of season. Vaidyas have alert senses to detect change

in seasons and warn people to change the lifestyle. The reason is,

Vaidyas do not see Christian calendar, they observe nature.

 

In every spring, earth sheds her winter coat of ice in northern

lattitudes. This molten ice water meets sea. Since we are a part of

this environmental plan, we too should think about "spring cleaning"

the toxins from our body. Ayurveda recommends rutucharya, described

on site ayurveda-foryou.com. Detoxifying in spring is an important

part of this ayurvedic rutucharya. Spring is the Kapha season,

because the wet and cool weather reflects the moist, cool, heavy

qualities of Kapha dosha predominate during this time of the year

(March-June). The accumulated excess Kapha leaves the body during

these months.

 

Biologically too, nature supports cleansing of the body in spring. In

winter the digestive agni is high, and people eat more sweet and

heavy food. Most of the time they aren't able to assimilate these

hard-to-digest foods, causing accumulation of ama, the sticky, toxic

product of indigestion.

 

Warm weather of March to June melts the snow in spring, it has a

similar effect on the body. In spring the ama melts and due to its

large volume, the microcirculatory channels of the body, become

clogged. Now people staying in tropics or near equator do not see

snow, but its effect they experience. When there is a snow fall in

Kashmir, we get a cold wave in Mumbai, a harbour city.

 

Symptoms of Excess Ama

 

If ama does not move out of the body, one can experience either of

following:

1. flu (Are Pharam taking advantage of creating avian flue)

2. colds and cough,

3. allergies, low fever.

4. fatigued, sluggish or drowsy after lunch,

5. loss of appetite, flatulance,

6. Sharp headaches, dizziness,

7. Mild tremors in the limbs,

8. Unexplained muscle aches, arms,thighs, calf, etc, not

responding to pain killers.

9. Coating on tongue, sore throat.

10. less radiant, heavier, more oily skin.

11. Prone to sunburn, dry patches on skin.

12. exacerbation of eczema, psoriasis, blemishes

13. Swellings become more, no action of allopathy medicines

 

 

Spring is the best season for detoxification, because nature is

already trying to clear out the toxins. The way trees shed old

yellowish leaves in preparation of new leaves, it's the time to help

the body to efficiently detoxify the channels and the dhatus. Most

Panchkarma procedures purify the colon and the digestive tract, but

that is not enough. Cleansing the liver and blood, purifying the

sweat glands and the organs of elimination, preventing buildup of ama

in the fat and muscle tissues, and paving the way for more energy,

health and vitality.

 

A Kapha pacifying diet and lifestyle is best. If eating heavy, cold,

hard-to-digest foods is avoided, the sweet, sour, and salty tastes

are reduced, digestive system will be more efficient in burning away

the accumulated Ama. On this ground soy items are to be avoided.

 

Sweet juicy fruits can help cleanse the body, but they should be

eaten before sunset, as they have a Kapha-increasing effect after the

sunset. Citrus fruits, apple (boiled in water for few minutes if

digesting raw is difficult) are also available plenty. Spices that

can be added to food -- such as coriander, cumin, turmeric, and

fennel -- help stimulate the digestion and detoxify the skin. Hot

water will help melt the Ama that has accumulated (if your a Pitta

body type or have a Pitta imbalance then drink warm). Daily exercise,

and avoiding day sleep will also help. You can take steam bath, if

available nearby. To show the importance of these purification

procedures, let us read a paragraph from Messagge 4931 by where

Parkinson disease cure was tried:

 

"In the above studies the patients that receieved maximal benefit

were those that had undergone pancha karma prior to treatment - this

demonstrates that the traditional methodologies of Ayurveda are

important to consider"

 

Since Panch Karma procedures are always undertaken under the

supervision of an ayurvedist, we have very little sharing of

knowledge despite MD (panchkarma ) on our list (message 4431). Author

requests him to share a little of his experience.

 

Panchakarma includes a full program of ayurvedic massage, steam baths

and intestinal cleansing treatments, to rid your body of ama

accumulated during the previous season. Panchakarma also strengthens

agni, or digestive fire, so more ama won't be accumulated.

 

What follows next is the result of most of the patients asking "can't

we do it at home, or with some herbals mixtures/decoctions? Already

some enema packs are available, wherein you just insert a

cream/wick/suppository and next morning you have clean bowels". This

happens because of allopathic mind set, an enama is given whenever

hard constipation exists. Enema for colon cleanse as a notion, will

take at least a decade to sink in mind. If one can't visit ayurvedist

for internal cleansing, he can still follow an ayurvedic regimen at

home to cleanse the body of ama during the transition between the

seasons. Speed of ama elimination will be slower without

intestinal/lever/Gall Bladder cleanses, but this will be better

option for weak/elderly patients:

 

1. Eat warm, light, nourishing foods such as

soups, or light meals of mildly spiced vegetables with grains. Eating

a lighter diet for a few weeks while the weather is changing will

help burn away ama rather than accumulate it. Also be careful to get

proper rest, drink plenty of warm fluids, and take daily walks or do

other exercise that is suitable for your body type. Most ideal

exercise for general health is walking. It gives all round movement

to all muscles. and safe exercise too, even for heart patients.

 

2. Less hungry feeling at mealtimes and feeling of heavy

and dullness in two hours immediately after a meal, are

indications that your digestive fire is burning low.

Food cooked with immune-enhancing spices such as cumin, fennel,

coriander, turmeric, ginger and black pepper is also an important way

to enhance agni and reduce ama. Spices, if available fresh and in

green form are to be given preference. Finally, it's important to

always avoid the factors that cause ama to accumulate, in any season.

Stay away from leftovers, processed foods, ice-cold foods and drinks,

and heavy foods such as fried foods. Vegetables from the nightshade

family (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, and sweet peppers) should also

be avoided, as these create ama. As an exception, if potato has to be

used, use it with skin, and in juice form for alkalizing.

 

3. For those who can carry out the detoxification procedure under

supervision of an ayurvedist or naturopath, author has stored it in

folder `articles' under the file name `Eight Day Detox Programme'.

Any doubts can be asked on/off-list. But if you can not take the

Basti and Basti+enema+probiotics at an ayurvedic clinic, just follow

all the food recommendations, and just take about 5 gm. Trifla powder

with water before bedtime, instead of Milk+Ginger+Castor oil

decoction on all seven days. YOu may notice that all 'fats' are

avoided, since preferred fat, i.e. 'cow ghee of Indian cow' is not

available plenty in India itself! all such ghee goes inmaking brain

and endocrine system medicines.

 

The procedure stored in group file is a general. For every

individual, the dosages can be made specific and fruit choices can be

altered, if taking it under supervision.

 

Detoxification is a must, if embarking on a 'weight-loss' program. Ideal time

for starting weight-loss program of about a 8 month duration is NOW! We have a

group member who lost 12 kg in a fortnight by being on soups only. Author

requests this member to share the experience and post-loss feelings with group.

Knowledge and experiences of others is a 'light' for all.

 

Dr Bhate

 

ayurveda, tracey_rao <no_reply

wrote:

>

> I am looking for some ideas on what to cook for my husband in the

> evening. He is kapha body type and significantly overweight. Are

beans

> ok at night? what grains would be ok?

>

> or should he have salad?

>

> I have also read that Kapha body type should not eat tofu. Why is

> this? and are other soy products ok for Kapha? like soy cheese,

tvp,

> soy flakes etc.

>

> thank you

> tracey

>

[Guest guest]

Dr Bhate, thanks for this info.

Why in particular are soy products to be avoided? Does this include

soy milk? many guides say Kapha body type can drink soy milk.

 

Also, when eating soup, can Kapha body type have some kind of toast?

(my husband says eating soup feels like drinking water and doesn't

fill him up).

 

thanks again,

Tracey

 

 

 

ayurveda, "Shirish Bhate"

<shirishbhate wrote:

>

> This post attempts replying message 5723, 5750, 5795, 5809

regarding

> CFS problems, Mercury detoxification attempt, severe liver/gall

> bladder congestion problems and Kapha diet.

>

> The occurrence of cough, cold, flu, low fever coincides with

starting

> of March to June period, but due to global warming, seasons are

[Guest guest]

Tracey

The legumes are considered heavy for digestion, but once digested

they give much more energy. If digestion is not complete, the toxins

produced are in increasing order when vegetables, fruits,

carbohydrates, plant proteins and animal proteins are consumed. You

may note that for completeness, 8 day detox program is not without

proteins, but the easiest to digest plant protein of moong beans.

Author may write a special post on moong beans some other time. This

is the protein, in suitable form (Khitchri, moong bean soup etc) can

be digested by even a one year old child suffering from mild fever.

For high fever, he will be given rice water rather than moong bean

soup.

The Soy is better avoided since it is heavier to digest, produces

more toxins if improperly digested. More important, its estrogenic properties

which contribute to weight gain, do not diminish by cooking, as noted by Todd in

message 5660. Perhaps weight gain of your husband can be attribted to soy?

 

Author takes this opportunity to present one more principle of

judging the food items for every INDIVIDUAL. Each food item has

different water requirement for its digestion. The foods which are

heavier to digest take longer time in the stomach, and also require

more water, since they consume more digestive juices and body demands

water for compensation of cellular fluids lost in releasing digestive

juices. Keep the amont of water drunk during lunch dinner constant.

Similarly, the weight of the item consumed also should be kept

constant. Note the thirsty sensation one hour after lunch/dinner. If

you find a particular food makes you more thirsty, that food is

needing more water, energy and digestive enzymes for digestion. ONe

more test is how light/heavy you feel one hour after lunch/dinner.

Needless to say, this is integrated test for the receipe rather than

a specific grain, legume etc. The reason is, if your receipe already

has enough water (e.g. soups) body will not make you thirsty and

digestion will be easy. In that case lightness/heaviness test will

come handy.

 

The list given by Noel applies to every individual basic component of

the food, not to final product in many cases. As ayurveda is not

analytical but synthesizer, final product matters more. To cite an

example in this particular case, milk is a cooling food, Kapha

enhancer, but when one boils it with ginger, turmeric, black pepper,

tulsi leaves etc, its Kapha enhancing quality is lost, rather

absorbed by ginger etc and their Pitta enhancing qualities reduce due

to milk. Ayurveda becomes difficult to understand when you come to

this kind of synthesis. Todd has written something about proteins in

milk protecting you from toxic substances in herbs such as

Kapikachu in one post. Acharyas already thought over such aspects and

have given a series of Ksheerpaka (receipe in which milk and herbs

are decocted together), and Indian Vaidyas do not worry about the

scientific reasons why these formulations were made. Tradition, faith

and respect to acharyas is the basis. Western vaidyas, due to

scientific mindset, approach everything from curious

mindset, "Why", "Any previous results" questions hanging al the time

in mind. Sour curd or buttermilk is "bad" due to high growth of acidic culture

in it, but Indians intelligently use it in receipe which requier fermentation by

that culture. The acid added to legume floors makes them easily digestible, by

chemical decomposition.

 

Ayurveda is being maligned in India itself by this scientific

mindset. Author cant suppress temptaion to provide a piece of recent interview:

 

Baba Ramdev, in an inteview was asked by a science journalist:

"Why do you preach ayurveda when the herbs etc are not well

proven by double blind randomized trials, strict manufacturing

standars, reproducible results etc?"

"Are you married and have children", asked Baba Ramdev.

"Yes, Two", answered journalist.

"Did you know that you will be getting children, while marrying?"

"Yes, that is traditional knowledge, coming from ancestors. I dont

have to doubt it"

"So is ayurveda, handed down from generation to generation, we do not

doubt ayurveda, however practitioners you can doubt" answered beaming Baba

Ramdev.

 

Returning to Soymilk, you can take it if you are prepared to boil it

with (1/4 to 1/2 tsp ginger powder or turmeric 2 pinches, or 3-4

black pepper per glass of milk, or 11 fresh tulsi leaves), soymilk

will not cause any harm. Same way, as Noel suggests, buttermilk can be taken.

But buttermilk will be much less problematic as compared to milk. Already so

much debate on milk.

 

One more example in order. In ayurveda, many a time incompatible

foods are mixed to get a special cure. The decoction of

milk+turmeric, when added a little salt makes a cough cure for all!

What is more, Milk, incompatible with citrus fruits, when lemon juice

is added, gives us whey and cheese raw material. While whey is "good"

for health, "cheese" is Kapha enhancer, as included in Noel's list

too.

 

Vegetable Soups have mainly vitamins, minerals and enzymes (if 1

whistle in pressure cooker, else some enzymes lost by heating), not

many calories. Hence soups are vitalizers but hunger does not get

satisfied. Raw vegetables/fruits should not be combined with wheat

products; also do not combine vegetables with fruits. They are taken

best one item at a time, with 2 hours gap to next item. Vegetables

soups digest so rapidly, that even 30-45 minutes gap between soup

and wheat bread/rice/khitchri adequate.

 

In 8 day detox program wheat is avoided altogether due to protein

content, gluten allergies to some, need to prepare rotis (bread), an

additional labour for Indian housewives. Protein and fat content

comes from two sources: protein in wheat (10-15%), fat added at time

of making dough. Detox program avoids all proteins and fats except

bedtime milk, castor oil and a little indian cow ghee in Khitchri.

Liver is given as much rest as possible. On an average, 5 pounds weight loss is

noted in just 8 days!

 

Dr Bhate

 

ayurveda, tracey_rao <no_reply

wrote:

>

> Why in particular are soy products to be avoided? Does this include

> soy milk? many guides say Kapha body type can drink soy milk.

>

> Also, when eating soup, can Kapha body type have some kind of

toast?

> (my husband says eating soup feels like drinking water and doesn't

> fill him up).