Hey, hi there.. what's your dosha?

Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word that means “the science of life and longevity”. Although Western medicine classifies Ayurveda as ‘alternative/complementary’, the practice started in India over three thousand years ago and one can argue that Western medicine is the one that is ‘alternative’.  According to this science, every person is a creation of cosmic energies and a unique phenomenon, and we all have a constitution, or balance of doshas. The five universal energies are Space, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. From these energies, three doshas are created; Vata (Space and Air), Pitta (Fire and Water), and Kapha (Water and Earth). It is believed that your dosha is determined at the moment of your conception, made up of the vata-pitta-kapha factors most active in your parents’ bodies at that time.

According to Ayurveda, health is a perfect state of balance among the body’s doshas (three fundamental energies). By balance I do not mean have all three doshas being equal but rather maintaining the proportion of each based on your constitution. To figure out your constitution, here is a good test http://www.yogajournal.com/health/498 and there is an even better one in any book by Dr. Vasant Lad, the founder of the Ayurvedic Institute.

I first became interested in Ayurveda about six years ago from my friend Claudia, who is a yoga teacher. When Claudia and I first became friends I had mentioned that I was recently recovering from pneumonia. The next day she brought me a bunch of her Ayurvedic books to borrow plus some essential oils to help with my breathing. I was hooked from there. Ayurveda is so complex that there is way too much information to fully explain in a blog post, or by someone like me who has not fully studied it. I am hoping to explain a bit of the concepts and encourage you to learn more on your own.

My constitution is Vata-Pitta, but the two doshas are so close that on some days I am Pitta-Vata like my husband John. Glancing at me, one would think I was mostly Pitta due to my Mesomorph body-type (Vatas tend to be more Ectomorph and Kaphas more Endomorph). My green eyes and the redness I sometime get around my nose are strong Pitta traits. However, those who know me realize that I am very energetic, bordering on hyper (Vata), needs to be constantly moving (Vata), and my joints crack (Vata), and my skin tends to be dry (again Vata). When asked a question, I tend to answer really quick and sometimes I am not correct (Vata), while John takes his time to think first and says the correct answer (Pitta). I wear Uggs all winter long, not for the fashion, but because I am always cold (Vata), while John wants to put the A/C on in March! (Pitta). Although, when John is under a lot of stress he tends to feel anxious (Vata), while I need to work a bit more on my temper (Pitta).  John also has the Vata dark eyes and hair.

Our daughter is also a Pitta-Vata mix. From her green eyes and light gold hair I definitely see Pitta, and she is already has some lean muscles, so I suspect a Mesomorph body like her parents. I also see a lot of Vata in her since she is definitely a ‘Wind’ child being so energetic and breezy. In all children, Kapha is very prevalent and I see it in her smooth dewy skin and her shiny hair. She is also so warm, loving, kind, and compassionate which are strong Kapha traits. Kaphas naturally have a sweet, loving disposition and tend to be stable, faithful, and religious. Kaphas also tend to be larger, heavier bones and may be prone to weight gain if not careful. But, due to their strong water energy, tend to have beautiful skin and hair.

I hope this created interest in some of you. There are many resources on the internet as well as books. Many ailments, diseases, and emotions are the results of your doshas being unbalanced. Each dosha responds to different diets, exercise, and times of day. As an example, sometimes when I feel like I am losing my temper, I realize that my pitta may be a bit too high and that I need to add some kapha to create patience and compassion. I will look for foods and drinks that are high in kapha but low in pitta. If someone has too much kapha and is holding too much weight, they may want to eat foods that lower kapha and increase vata. If you really stop to think about it, the ‘magic’ of Ayurveda is balancing energies! Pretty simple, right?

Om Shanti (peace and tranquility)

XOX

This blog is for informational purposes only.  It’s not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem, nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician.  No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website.  Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health. It is advised see your physician before changing your diet, starting an exercise program, or taking any supplements of any kind.

"The best soy latte that you ever had, and me"

Every time I hear Train’s ‘Drops of Jupiter’, I automatically want to go to Starbucks. However, soy lattes and I have a somewhat complicated relationship. I don’t like regular milk so, when at Starbucks, I order my coffee with a splash of soymilk. At home I only use almond milk. I am afraid of having too much soy since I believe it can affect hormones and may lead to a risk of breast cancer. Soy contains phytoestrogens, however studies have not yet proven any link between breast cancer risk and soy intake. In fact, some studies show that soy consumption can help reduce the risk of breast cancer in Asian populations.

My theory is, in Asian populations the primary forms of soy are miso, which is fermented, and edamame, which is the unprocessed soybean. In Western countries we have soy protein shakes, soy burgers, soy turkey, soymilk, tofu ice cream, soy baby formula, soy fillers, etcetera and ad nauseam! It is our culture to learn that something may be good for us and then to over process it and take it so far removed from the natural state. A great example of this is the acai berry craze of recent.

In Japan, the women who have low breast cancer rates from a soy diet are not eating tofurky nor are they actually eating that much of the natural or fermented soy anyway. They are eating real food in moderation, keeping calories low, and eating foods in the natural state. I think this way of eating can prevent much disease regardless of whether that diet includes soy or not.

Within just the past 4 months, two different women confided in me that they think their breast cancer was caused by a very high soy intake. One woman was a vegetarian who figured she used about one half-gallon of soymilk every two days. The other woman was living on diet soy shakes and edamame. I am not a doctor nor do I pretend to be, but to me it sounds like they have a valid assumption

Many babies are given soy-based formula. This can be dangerous for baby boys as far as hormonal development. This may be too much estrogen for their little bodies. This is also a danger for girls as well since having too much estrogen in the body is not a good thing.

That being said, everything is moderation is usually fine unless you have, had, or you are at high risk for breast cancer. If that is your case, talk to you doctor about any concerns you have with soy. Personally, I limit my soy intake to a minimal.  As I said before, when at Starbucks I get a splash of soy milk, I have edamame sometimes when we go out for sushi, some tofu, and I will have the occasional veggie burger (although that is about as rare as when I have an actual beef burger). And if you have read some previous posts of mine, you will know that, in the past, I followed a vegan diet for quite awhile too! There are so many better sources of vegan protein than soy (beans, quinoa, nuts, brown rice, to name a few).

I hope to give you some ‘food for thought’ in this post. I think this ‘soy debate’ can also be applied to almost anything. If a little of something may be good for you, often a lot of that same thing can have the opposite effect and may be dangerous.

Have a compassionate, kind, and happy week

XOX


UPDATED: I received the below email from a very strong and very brave friend of mine. Suzanne was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer which she fought and conquered. Right after she was also diagnosed with thyroid cancer which she bravely fought and overcame. She is very well informed and had the following to add to this post. After reading this, I no longer want any more tofu!

This was an awesome article on soy.  And I've read that in Asia, after being fermented, is fine.  That would be miso, tempeh, natto, (soy sauce) and tamari-  on occasion.   But, here in America the soy typically isn't fermented and it is processed in a way that makes their proteins impure and increases the amount of carcinogens.  An example would be tofu.   Read labels!  You should also stay away from anything with soybean oil and soy protein isolate-- which is in a lot of food!  Soy isoflavones have been shown to reduce the testosterone levels of animals and men (which decrease libido and sperm count), and disrupt normal hormone levels in women.  An old "wives tale" in Japan says that women punish straying husbands by feeding them a lot of tofu.  Soy isolates are in a lot of protein bars and snacks.  They can cause hypothyroidism.  Throw out anything containing :  soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, texturized vegetable protein, or soy (or soybean) oil.  They are probably in packaged energy bars, crackers, veggie burgers, and vegetarian look-alike products.  If you have been taking soy for a long time, get your thyroid checked. Thought you would like to know!  Thanks for all your wonderful blogs! Take Care, Suzanne

This blog is for informational purposes only.  It’s not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem, nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician.  No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website.  Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health. It is advised see your physician before changing your diet, starting an exercise program, or taking any supplements of any kind.