Better Health Newsletter
Issue 2: Summer 2004
1. Three Special Talks and Afternoon Treatments
2. New Maharishi Ayurveda Catalogue 'Health and Beauty Through
Timeless Knowledge'
3. Dr Donn's Seasonal Tips (a-d)
a) Summer
b) Cool Down the Intensity of Pitta
c) Be in Your Element - Water
d) Where Does Pitta Reside in the Body
4. Pitta Has Five Subdoshas - Where Are They?
5. Pitta Pacifying Diet
6. Oils - A Great Friend or Enemy
7. Your Brain Needs Oiling. Don't Let it Dry Out
8. Which Oils are Best?
9. Organic GM-Free is Best
10. Cook the Ayurveda Way - Making Friends with Oils and Spices
11. Start With the Biggest
12.
Oil-Friendly Spices
13. Ayurvedic Recipes - A Sweet Lassi and a Digestive
Lassi
14. New Book Now Available
15. Rose: The Gift of Summer - Baancing Sadhaka Pitta
16. Love in A Jar
17. Health News from Around the World
1. Three Special Talks and Afternoon Treatments
This year's National Summer Course at the Maharishi European Sidhaland will feature three special talks by Dr Donn Brennan and an optional programme of afternoon treatments at the Maharishi Ayurveda Health Centre.
For those attending the course, which runs from 6-30 August, Dr Brennan will be giving a presentation on Wed August 11 th on The Health of the Heart', on Fri August 20 th on 'Blissful Sleep' and on Saturday August 28 th on 'What is Ojas?'
The Maharishi Ayurveda Health Centre will offer short treatments from a range of Abhyangas, Abhyanga plus Shirodhara, Pizzichilli, Netra Tarpana.
2. New Maharishi Ayurveda Catalogue - 'Health and Beauty Through Timeless Knowledge'
Published in June, this free 68-page catalogue is a handbook of Ayurveda products and includes in-depth information ranging from the fundamentals of Ayurveda, products, treatments, spices and foods, cosmetics, aroma therapy, music and an extensive glossary of ayurvedic terms. A must-read and essential reference.
To order your free copy call +44 (0)1695 51015 or go to www.maharishi.co.uk.
3. Dr Donn's Seasonal Tips
a) Summer
Now the sun is high. Nature is in full bloom. Garden shows in Chelsea, Holker Hall and Tatton Park have the limelight. It is pitta season. Time to enjoy.
The qualities of pitta predominate at this time of the year, from May to August. So the kapha aspect of our nature, which had reached its height in May, starts to spontaneously decline. The mood lifts as the fine weather arrives. We want to get out and enjoy.
b) Cool Down the Intensity of Pitta
Naturally as pitta arises within us we take steps to keep it balanced. Pitta is intense. So it is now essential for us to chill out. Otherwise we may suffer road rage or other pitta imbalances as the season progresses. Take a holiday. Get out and enjoy nature. Also enjoy family and friends. Organise a picnic with friends. Golf. Walk the hills. Do plenty of whatever you enjoy. Swim.
c) Be in Your Element - Water
Now there is something special for summer. Water. Pitta is the element of fire. So water is best for cooling pitta. Walk by water. Swim. Sail. Surf. Or even just sit and look at it. Be by a waterfall. Above all drink it. We need more fluids in summer and water is the best. Your daily shower should be cool now, not hot and consider a second cool shower on a very hot day.
d) Where Does Pitta Reside in the Body
There are special locations in the body where pitta predominates and these warrant special attention in summer. Stomach and liver are two and they are kept balanced by choosing the appropriate foods for pitta. These are all the foods you are naturally drawn to in summer. Salads, sweet fruit and fruit juices, etc. Looking at the pitta food list now is just confirming what you would most enjoy in summer. Another site of pitta is the skin. So protect it from the intense sun. Another, the eyes, so wear your sunglasses. fAnother, the heart, which is soothed by your enjoying life.
Nature is in full bloom now. It is time for you to do the same.
4. Pitta Has Five Subdoshas - Where Are They?
a) Pachaka Pitta
Located in the stomach and small intestine.
Governs digesting of food and separating waste products from nutrients.
Imbalance created by too much bitter, sour hot and salty food, alcohol, excessive fasting.
Imbalance linked to heartburn, ulcers, irregular digestion.
b) Ranjaka Pitta
Located in the red blood cells, liver and spleen
Regulates blood chemistry, blood cells and distribution of nutrients through the blood stream
Imbalance created by too much bitter, sour hot and salty food, alcohol, excessive fasting
Imbalance is linked to toxicity in the body, blood disorders, skin inflammations and anger
c) Sadhaka Pitta
Located in the heart and in the brain
Controls the heart's function, contentment, courage and memory
Imbalance created by too much bitter, sour hot and salty food, alcohol, excessive fasting
Imbalance linked to heart disease, emotional upset and indecisiveness
d) Alochaka Pitta
Located in the eyes
Associated with good or bad vision and connects eyes with emotions
Imbalance created by too much bitter, sour hot and salty food, alcohol, excessive fasting
Imbalance linked to bloodshot eyes, vision and eye problems
e) Bhrajaka Pitta
Located in the skin
Controls states of the skin
Imbalance created by too much bitter, sour hot and salty food, alcohol, excessive fasting
Imbalance linked to rashes, acne, boils and skin disorders
5. Pitta Pacifying Diet
a)Most important principles:
Favor juicy, cooling foods with high water content. Avoid hot spices (chillies, cayenne, jalepeno peppers, etc.), alcohol, vinegar, fried foods, tomatoes, yogurt and cheese.
Also, food should be fresh and organic if possible. Avoid leftovers, packaged, canned or bottled foods, processed foods, preservatives, artificial ingredients and salty foods.
b) Favor the Following Foods
An asterisk * after the item means it is especially helpful to favour or to avoid that particular food.
GENERAL Cool to lukewarm drinks according to preference. Favour sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes.
GRAINS Wheat, white rice (basmati, jasmine, etc.) barley, oats, quinoa, kamut, amaranth, cous-cous.
LEGUMES Mung beans, small kidney beans, non-fermented soy bean products (tofu is OK, avoid tempeh). All others OK in moderation.
VEGETABLES Asparagus, artichokes, yellow squash*, zucchini*, okra, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, green beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, cilantro*, sprouts, lettuce, chard*, brussel sprouts, parsley, cucumber*, kale*, bok choy*, winter squashes*, sweet corn, all green leafy vegetables* except spinach.
DAIRY Milk* (boiled and served cool to warm), butter, ghee*, sweet lassi*, cream, panir (homemade cheese from milk).
SWEETENERS Whole, natural sugar cane (in small amounts,) date sugar.
OILS Ghee* is best. Olive or coconut oils.
NUTS & SEEDS Pumpkin seeds. Blanched almonds in small amounts.
SPICES Coriander*, cilantro*, cumin, turmeric, saffron, fennel*, cardamom, parsley*, fresh basil.
FRUITS Sweet grapes, avocado, sweet mango, coconut, melons*, sweet plums, persimmon, pomegranate, sweet apples, sweet pears, raisins, dates.
c) Reduce the Following Foods
An asterisk * after the item means it is especially helpful to avoid that particular food.
GENERAL Pungent* (hot, spicy), sour and salty tastes. Vinegar*, alcohol* and acidic* foods.
GRAINS Corn, millet, rye, buckwheat, brown rice.
VEGETABLES Tomatoes* and tomato sauce*, radish, onions, carrots, beets, spinach*.
FRUITS Grapefruit*, olives*, orange*, peach, sour grapes*, pineapple*, berries*, prunes, banana*, lemon*, lime*, cherries. Avoid any sour fruits.
DAIRY Yogurt*, cheese* (especially aged and salty such as feta or blue cheese,) sour cream, cream cheese.
SWEETENERS Molasses, brown sugar, honey.
OILS Almond, corn, safflower, sesame*, canola.
SPICES Chili peppers*, cayenne*, onion, garlic*, mustard seeds*, cloves, celery seeds, fenugreek, catsup*, mustard*, asafoetida (hing.)*, ginger, black pepper, soy sauce.
6. Oils - A Great Friend or Enemy
The most important of all food groups to get right in your diet are oils. Cardiovascular disease is the number one disease in the Western world, and the incidence of overweight people in our society, including children, is a major current topic for both the press and our legislators.
A major contributing factor in both overweight and cardiovascular disease is the improper digestion and metabolism of oil in our diet.
Making the plot even more confusing is the fact that modern science is also becoming aware of the good qualities of oil for our health, a fact Ayurveda has espoused for thousands of years.
7. Your Brain Needs Oiling. Don't Let it Dry Out.
Vaidyas (Ayurvedic physicians) have talked about how Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Dementia and other neurological disorders seen in Westerners in old age are due to 'dry brain'.
As we become older, Vata increases in the body causing it to lose its lubrication and dry up inside.
This can be especially devastating to majja, nervous system tissue, which is mainly composed of oils. Ayurveda holds that when majja loses its nourishment from oils the result can be neurological problems in later life.
The Vaidyas report there is much less incidence of neurological disorders during old age in cultures where the traditional diet includes many spices sauteed in oils.
The brain is over 50% fat and needs oils to be properly nourished. Studies are ongoing as to the positive effects of alpha omega 3 oils in reducing the risks of Alzheimers and cardiovascular disease.
This is a big change in the literature from 10 years ago, when fat free diets where being touted as an essential component for health.
It seems oils can kill us and they can make us more healthy.
8. Which Oils are Best?
Maharishi Ayurveda provides the theoretical knowledge of how to include oils in the diet and yet not have them turn into excessive fat and cardiovascular degeneration.
There are two things we have to get right to have oils nourish us rather than hurt us.
First we must start with the right oils.
Second we must cook the oils in a way that helps the body process these heavy and concentrated foods.
According to Ayurveda the best oils to include in the diet are:
a) Ghee
Ghee, or 'clarified butter', is made by bringing butter to a slow boil for 45-60 minutes and scooping the precipitated milk solids off the top. In Ayurveda the nervous system tissue is called "majja" and the food that nourishes majja best of all is ghee.
However if you do have high cholesterol or are overweight it is better to have olive oil be the main oil in your diet.
b) Olive oil
It is important to try to use extra virgin olive oil if possible. Extra virgin means there has only been one pressing of the oil, virgin means there has been two pressings and if it doesn't say extra virgin of virgin it could have been processed even more heavily.
c) Sesame oil
While nowhere near as essential as ghee and olive oil sesame oil has many beneficial effects. It is very Vata pacifying so one recommendation is to have it be the oil used in the evening meal where we want to settle the nervous system in preparation for sleep.
However, sesame oil is quite hot and potentially Pitta aggravating in its influence and should be used sparingly if you have an unpleasant heating reaction to it.
9. Organic GM-Free is Best
Another major consideration in 'what' oils we use is that it is very important to use organic oils. If the label does not say organic then the seeds from which the plants come could also have been genetically engineered.
Many pesticides are fat-soluble and concentrate in the oils of the plants they are sprayed on.
This is especially an issue if you use corn or soybean oil (which we do not recommend anyway) as these crops often have heavy pesticide use.
The current custodians of Ayurveda, with their belief in the wisdom of nature and natural processes, are deeply concerned that genetically engineered foods could have many powerful, unhealthy side effects if ingested in large quantities over years.
In the natural world it is not allowed to mix the genetic material of different species, yet this is a common practice in genetically engineered foods.
10. Cook the Ayurveda Way - Making Friends with Oils and Spices
It is not enough to use only proper and pure oils in our diet.
If they are to end up having a healthy effect in our body, oils also need to be refined and transformed by the cooking process
a) Cook oils more slowly over lower heats.
Excessive heat can break the molecular bonds in oils turning them from slender
molecules that slip through tiny pores in our cells to large molecules that
get stuck in pores and clog the body.
Heat also can bend and twist the 'backbone' of oil molecules, again increasing their clogging properties. If your mange touts explode when you drop them in your pan then your oil is definitely too hot.
This is especially an issue with olive oil, which is very heat sensitive.
Olive oil should be cooked slowly over lower heat. This is also why it is so important to get single-press, extra-virgin olive oil, as each pressing increases the amount of heat the oil has been subjected to, disrupting its natural molecular geometry.
b) Sautee spices into oils.
It is our strength of Agni, the fire of digestion and metabolism, that determines whether even good oils end up as fat or healthy tissues in our bodies.
Sauteeing spices into the oil is the main Ayurvedic technique to have Agni enhanced so the body properly processes the oil.
Ayurveda is clear that even good oils will be turned into fat and blockage in the body without proper spices being cooked into the oils.
11. Start With the Biggest
To get the most taste and health benefit from our oils and spices.
a) Start with whole seeds instead of ground powders.
Most spices are aromatic in nature and much of their potency and taste is lost when they are ground into powders causing their aromatic compounds to evaporate into the air.
Buy organic spice seeds, store them in tight glass containers and grind them in a spice grinder right before use.
b) Spices need to be heated to bring out their properties
Spices can be placed directly in a frying pan and dry fried. However, the most potent way to enliven the spices through heat is to sautee them in oil.
Sauteeing spices in oil not only helps the Agni of the body properly digest and metabolize the oil, but it also can help the oil to be carried across the blood brain barrier where it can nourish the brain tissue.
Black pepper is especially helpful in carrying nutrition across the blood brain barrier.
The classic way to include sauteed oils and spices in dishes are: 1. Sautee oils and spices then add them to your soups and dhals as they are cooking.
2. Sautee oils and spices then add chopped up vegetables, tofu or other high protein source.
12. Oil-Friendly Spices
Following are some spices and the main properties they have in helping oils to be nourishing and not unhealthy in their effect:
1. Strengthen Agni of digestion and metabolism
fresh ginger root, cumin, black pepper, asofoetida, coriander, fenugreek
2. 'Sweet' spices that are added to carbohydrate dense foods like desserts prevent unhealthy fat accumulation. Excess sugars and carbohydrates are turned into fat deposits in the body.
Ayurveda recommends fenugreek, cardamom (use especially with milk products), clove, cinnamon and saffron be used with nutrition dense dishes.
3. Turmeric cleanses all the tissues
Turmeric has a powerful cleansing effect on all the tissues and is an important spice to include in your diet.
However, it should not be sauteed with oil but rather added the watery portion of the cooking process. Add turmeric to soups or vegetables during the middle of their cooking process.
In summary, oils can be a great friend or enemy of our health.
13. Ayurvedic Recipes - A Sweet Lassi and a Digestive Lassi
Lassi
Yogurt and lassi are not considered the same thing in Maharishi Ayurveda. So if yogurt is restricted, you may have lassi. Yogurt or lassi are best taken after lunch or late afternoon rather than evening.
Lassi is a yogurt drink, which is considered to be a healthful digestive aid. It is made by diluting yogurt and adding some spices, to taste, for the desired effect.
Enjoy this drink at room temperature at the end of your luncheon or as an afternoon treat.
Sweet Lassi
3 parts water (room temperature)
1 part yogurt
sugar
rose water
(fresh) cardamom powder
Digestive Lassi
3 parts water (room temperature)
1 part yogurt
pinch salt to taste*
2 pinches cumin
1/4-1/2 tsp chopped cilantro (the fresh form of coriander) or mint
(Digestive lassi is also considered helpful for gas problems)
*Black salt in lassi is very effective as a digestive aid. It has a sulfur smell and taste - not everyone enjoys it. However it does provide the best aid to gas and digestive problems.
Pay Attention to the Rhythm of Pitta
Pitta 10am - 2pm Digestion is strongest so have lunch as your largest meal
Pitta 10pm - 2am Sleep, Metabolic "housecleaning"
For optimal health and healing, we need to align our behaviour to gain maximum support from the natural, rhythmic swings of Vata, Pitta and Kapha activity. Simply stated we want "support of nature" for our most important physiological activities.
Eat you largest meal at lunch when Pitta makes digestion strongest.
Go to bed in Kapha time when your sleep will come more easily and deeply.
Sleep through Pitta time so as not to disrupt your natural internal cleansing cycle and to allow full rejuvenation of your mind and senses.
Disregarding the laws of nature leads to illness. Living in accord with natural law brings the full support of the healing power of nature that underlies the growth and development of all living things. This is one of life's basic lessons and a guiding principle of Ayurveda.
14. New Book Now Available 'The Ageless Woman' Natural Health and Beauty after 40 with Maharishi Ayurveda
Paperback. 250 pages
'The Ageless Woman' weaves timeless wisdom and the latest modern medical discoveries into a unique, highly effective anti-aging guide for women.
In 'The Ageless Woman' Dr. Lonsdorf uses an interactive format to help you individualize a vast array of practical Ayurvedic recomendations to help prevent disease and promote longevity.
'The Ageless Woman' is a comprehensive, beautifully researched, accurate guide to creating health before, during, and after menopause. I highly recommend it."
Christiane Northrup, M.D. Author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom and The Wisdom of Menopause
Table of Contents
1.The Search for a Natural and Healthy Menopause
2.Achieving Balance Through Nature's Intelligence
3.The Wisdom of Doshas: Understanding Your Midlife Symptoms
4.Creating Balance for Relief of your Mild Symptoms
5.Your Metabolism: Key to Resolving Your More Serious Symptoms
6.Purification for Relief of Your More Serious Symptoms
7.Your Heart: Healthy and Happy, Naturally
8.Your Bones: Strong without Drugs or HRT
9.Your Mind: Out of the Fog and into the Light
10.Your Emotions: Transforming Blues to Bliss
11.Your Skin: A Program for Ageless Beauty
12.The World is Your Family
15. Rose: The Gift of Summer - Balancing Sadhaka Pitta
Grown across the world by many cultures, the rose has been revered not only for its unsurpassed beauty and fragrance but also for its healing and nourishing qualities. Early man quite possibly ate the sweet petals and tasty hips for sustenance. Because many medieval cultures attributed medicinal value to the rose, it was traditional to plant roses with herbs in medieval gardens in Europe.
Roses have long been used to make teas, potions, jellies, potpourri and aromatic oils and fragrances. A pure natural rose oil is available as 'Rose Absolute, 5% in Almond Oil' from Maharishi Ayurveda Products at www.maharishi.co.uk
Maharishi Ayurveda places the rose at the pinnacle of the flower kingdom. The essence of roses contains over 3,000 different bio chemicals, making it the most complex of all aromatic oils. Rose oil has been prized throughout the ages as a way to calm the emotions, soothe stress, cool frustration, and cultivate love.
"The rose has been used in India for a long, long, time," says Vaidya R.K. Mishra, Director of Research at Maharishi Ayurveda Products International. "In Maharishi Ayurveda it is used to help alleviate depression, anxiety, insomnia, irritability, and memory loss. It is also used to enhance beauty."
According to the ayurvedic texts, it is not a coincidence that the rose is associated with romance, because it balances Sadhaka Pitta, the subdosha of Pitta that governs the emotions and their effect on the heart.
Sadhaka Pitta can go out of balance more easily in summer, when the hot, humid weather increases all aspects of Pitta dosha, the mind-body operator that governs heat, digestion, and metabolism in the body.
So there's a physiological reason that roses have been the ideal gift to express love and forgiveness for thousands of years. They literally soothe the heart and emotions.
What may surprise you is that the rose also balances the mind. It enhances the coordination between Sadhaka Pitta and Prana Vata (the subdosha of Vata that governs the brain, head, chest, respiration, sensory perception, and the mind).
16. Love in A Jar
One traditional preparation of the rose is found in Rose Petal Conserve. Rose Petal Conserve contains dozens and dozens of dried rose petals, making it a concentrated, potent means for balancing the emotions.
The recipe for this delightful confection can be traced back to a time when royalty gave jars of Rose Petal Conserve to their beloved if they wanted to inspire unconditional love. Later, the tradition evolved into our present-day habit of giving roses on Valentine's Day or just to say "I love you."
Rose Petal Conserve actually acts as a powerful tonic for the heart. By balancing Sadhaka Pitta, it enhances positive emotions, and intensifies the experience of happiness and bliss. It is sometimes called "Love in a Jar," because, even if you are angry with someone, you can take a teaspoon of Rose Petal Conserve, and it will help you to start thinking more loving thoughts.
Rose Petal Conserve can also be added to milk or can be added to sweet lassi to make a delicious summertime drink.
Try these recipes:
Sweet Rose Petal Lassi
3 parts water 1 part freshly made yoghurt 1 heaping tsp. Rose Petal Conserve. Blend together for a soothing summer drink, or to pacify Pitta all year round.
Rose Petal Milk
1 cup milk 1 tsp. Rose Petal Conserve
Be sure to boil the milk and let it cool before adding the conserve. Boiling the milk makes it more digestible, but if it's too hot when you add the conserve, it will destroy the rose's delicate properties. You can drink this before bed to help balance Sadhaka Pitta and produce a more restful, sweeter, deeper sleep.
Rose Petal Thirst Quencher
If you are feeling the effects of the hot summer sun, have to skip a meal for some reason, or naturally have Pitta dosha predominating, it can be challenging to keep cool. Any time you feel extra thirsty and dry-mouthed, even when you keep drinking water, try this summer thirst quencher.
2 cups milk 1/2 tsp. fennel 1 pod cardamom seeds (crushed but not powdered) 1 small piece of licorice root 1 Tbsp. Rose Petal Conserve
Boil milk and other ingredients, except the conserve, for five minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Mix in one tablespoon of Rose Petal Conserve. Sip the milk throughout the day. If you are lactose insensitive, you can use water instead of milk.
The Rose Petal Thirst Quencher is inexpensive and simple to make, but it has many benefits. It works quickly, because you inhale the aroma of the rose as you drink it, injecting every cell of your body with rose essence. It can also soothe hyperacidity.
It's a good drink to sip before going to bed in summer, or any time Sadhaka Pitta is out of balance, which can cause you to toss, turn, and wake up before you are fully rested. Anyone who is feeling irritated all the time could benefit from this drink. They could drink it twice a day.
This mixture can also support memory, because it enhances the coordination between heart and mind and nourishes the mind with its pleasant flavour and aroma.
So it's a healthy drink for people of all ages, from children to the elderly. For women, sipping this drink before and during menstruation can help stabilize the emotions.
It also has a long-term effect, because the Rose Petal Conserve enlivens all the body tissues by enlivening the cell-regeneration process, and especially regenerates the reproductive (shukra) tissues.
Finally, because the rose is one of the best sources for water soluble fibre, Rose Petal Conserve and any of the drinks that contain it help cleanse the intestines and alleviate constipation.
So the next time you feel the overheated effects of summer, reach for the nearest rose. You will feel not only feel cooled, soothed, and nourished, but you might find yourself dreaming sweet dreams of the heart as well.
17. Health News from Around the World
Note - Information provided in this newsletter is meant solely to educate readers about Ayurveda. It is not meant to cure, diagnose, treat or mitigate any disease. If you have a medical condition, please consult a health professional.
With special thanks to Dr Nancy Lonsdorf for several newsletter topics reproduced here and to Dr Donn Brennan for 'Dr Donn's Seasonal Tips'.
