| The Maharishi Ayur-Veda
Approach to Vibrant Health by Nancy Lonsdorf Ayur-Veda is the oldest and most comprehensive system of natural medicine in the world. Much of the Ayurvedic knowledge was lost during the foreign domination of India. However, during the last decade, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (founder of the Transcendental Meditation program) has worked closely with leading Ayurvedic experts to revive the complete and authentic practice of Ayur-Veda, called Maharishi Ayur-Veda. This revival is crucial, as our modern medical expenses per person in the U.S. are the highest in the world, yet over 100 million Americans suffer from chronic disorders and one-third contract a serious disease before old age. And this says nothing about those who live day-to-day without full energy and vibrancy, or what we can call optimum health. Maharishi Ayur-Veda holds that health is more than the absence of disease, but rather is a state of mental and physical wellness leading to wholeness. Or in other words, the individual is cosmic in his/her inherent design. To achieve this cosmic status, we must create balance. To achieve balance, Ayur-Veda focuses on digestion and diet as the central engine and force to energize and balance the physiology. Diet and digestion are areas of health care that Western medicine is only now beginning to seriously investigate. The ancient health science of Ayurveda, on the other hand, has long considered problems of diet and digestion to be among the central causes of all disease -- and it has considered improvement of diet and digestion to be critical to almost any therapeutic regime. There is an ancient Ayurveda saying: "Without proper diet, medicine is of no use. With proper diet, medicine is of no need." Maharishi Ayurveda focuses not only on what one eats, but also on how one digests it. Excellent digestion is considered a prerequisite to robust health and wholeness. The Ayurvedic techniques for improving digestion and dealing with digestive disorders center around the concept of agni, which literally means "fire" and refers to metabolic and digestive activities that convert food into bodily substances. When agni is low, the digestive process is compromised, reducing the effectiveness of digestion, absorption and assimilation. The result is the creation of toxins in the form of ama, a sticky, noxious residue that gradually clogs up the cells. Ama is identical to the cellular debris that has been observed by Western Medicine to build up in the body over time, impairing cellular functions and accelerating aging. One example of ama build-up can be seen in arthritis where the ama starts to accumulate in the joints. This creates an inflammatory and immune response that creates the symptoms of arthritis. Ama can also block the channels of circulation and elimination throughout the body, therefore diminishing the natural cleansing processes of the body, further contributing to the accumulation of impurities. The classic Ayurveda texts recognize the need to remove toxins on a regular basis to maintain balanced health. They recommend seasonal rejuvenation treatments that provide a series of purifying and eliminating therapies to dislodge the toxins from the cells and then flush them out through the organs of elimination. These are the type of treatments I supervise in-residence here at The Raj in Vedic City, Iowa. Winter colds, spring-time allergies and chronic disorders such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, menopausal discomfort and more are all viewed by Ayurveda as either being initiated or exacerbated by an accumulation of toxins that disrupt or block the expression of the body's inner intelligence. The body has a matter level and an intelligence level. The deeper intelligence level creates and controls the matter level. The matter level of cells, tissues and organs functions in a precise and orderly way because the intelligence level guides it. Any obstructions in this matter/intelligence relationship create dis-ease in the physiology. We then get sick, age quickly and do not experience wholeness and all the joy life has to offer. Modern medicine diagnoses and treats the matter level. Maharishi Ayur-Veda diagnoses and treats the intelligence level. Another way of saying this is that Ayur-Veda enlivens the body's natural healing and balancing ability as its approach to preventing and treating disease. Maintaining the connection between the body's inner intelligence and the physiology is the basis of health. The Maharishi Rejuvenation Program helps to restore the connection between the intelligence of the body and its material structure by eliminating impurities or ama that create blockages in the all the body's connecting points between its intelligence and matter levels. To help restore and maintain balanced digestion at home, Maharishi Ayur-Veda recommends the following simple suggestions: --Eat your main meal at noon. --Avoid heavy, oily and hard-to-digest foods at night (including cheese, meat and processed foods) --Favor fresh, cooked foods --Take meals at regular hours. Don't eat until the previous meal is digested. --Drink warm/hot water throughout the day. --Avoid iced foods and beverages. --Get to bed by 10 p.m. According to Ayurveda, the body has its own internal repair processes that go into effect from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. --Enjoy a regular exercise program. Exercise helps maintain good agni. These simple tips will help you to create balance in your life. And through balance comes ease and enjoyment of life. Enjoy! Nancy Lonsdorf, M.D., is medical director of The Raj. She is an expert in Ayurvedic pulse diagnosis and has more than 16 years of experience in practicing Maharishi Vedic Medicine. For more information on the Ayurvedic treatments at The Raj, call toll-free 1 (800) 248-9050 or visit wwwtheraj.com Copyright (c) 2002 Nancy Lonsdorf, M.D. |
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