In the energy science of Ayurveda there are basically two ways to deal with clinical problems such as the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstital cystitis, fibromyalgia, chronic prostatitis, vulvodynia, and irritable bowel syndrome) The first is palliative treatment
The second level of treatment to deal with clinical problems involves balancing procedures which correct the imbalances that produce the tissue disturbance leading to the symptoms in the first place I’ve covered these methods in detail in previous blogs and will touch briefly on them again But I think it’s useful for you to understand why and what methods are available in order to get an overview of the energy science methods of treatment
These methods can be lumped into a broad category of doing lifestyle behavioral changes such as the use of nutritional formats according to energy constitution Many people who I have seen over the years who have mild IC flares on occasion can be helped by this change alone as many IC bladder pain syndrome patients have experienced Having said that no matter how far along one chooses or needs to go with respect to treatment methods nutritional change is necessary as it becomes foundational to all other therapies If one is not willing to change one’s nutritional choices it is best to not go farther or one will be wasting time and money
Herbs as I’ve talked about in other blogs are supportive and adjunctive to other therapies and at any point can be beneficial in supporting the process of healing at any level The common antiinflammatory herbs that I’ve talked about in the past like aloe vera gel, tea(cumen, coriander, fennel or CCF). turmeric used in formula or in cooking are common herbs to reduce the heat in the system causing IC flares
Marma therapies can be both diagnostic and therapeutic in terms of helping with symptoms during a flare used with essential oils such as sandalwood with castor oil Acupuncture is most often palliative and is akin to the marma therapy that I’ve discussed in the past
When you pay attention to proper rest and sleep, reducing stress, eating habits(such as no snacking, eating at appropriate times of the day, avoiding ice, stimulating digestion), and exercise, it can be amazing how such simple things can make a big difference in the flare rate, length of flare, and severity of the flare
As I’ve discussed in the past therapies that deal with the imbalances of qualities in the pelvic nerves that are often associated with most of the symptoms that revolve around the interstitial cystitis syndrome such as IC, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis
These therapies deal with imbalances in the peripheral tissues(nerves primarily) that have disseminated from the GI tract and are lodged in these tissues As I hope you can appreciate palliative methods address not aggravating the condition and further
But procedures directed at the causative agency leading to the symptoms are unique and not for the average health consumer to undertake but they do offer patients the opportunity to eliminate the IC bladder pain syndrome completely These techniques and methods are not for everyone but represent a clear divergence from what is presently available for IC
As I’ve talked about in the past thepelvic bladder pain of IC is related to the hot and mobile qualities being stuck in the pelvis But why do some 60% of IC patients not go on to severe chronic symptoms? The answer in short form is toxic load in the urinary system that prevents the qualities from naturally being released Kavala is an ancient energy science technique of swishing sesame oil in the oral cavity for a period of time It is mentioned in Ayurvedic texts written 1000’s of years ago Recently this sesame oil swish...
read moreThe debilitating bladder pain of an IC(interstitial cystitis) flare requires you to pull all stops and do everything to get comfortable As I’ve talked about in the past chronic management is baseline work(nutrition, incompatible food combination avoidance, use of cooling herbs in cooking, CCF tea, etc) These therapies help begin release and at times flares are an aspect of release The treatment of flare in this setting takes the management to another level of pain management One of the mainstays of acute treatment is the use of...
read moreOver the last 20 years the interstitital cystitis(IC) complex of pelvic and bladder pain has been successfully treated by urologists with botox Initially used as a way to focally paralyze muscle fibers in the face as a cosmetic application, it quickly crossed many lines of therapy for use in other organ systems in the body to include the bladder The use of the agent in bladder injection therapy is that the bladder and pelvic pain is related to muscle spasm in these respective areas that paralysis of the muscles would reduce the pain Matter...
read moreInterstitial cystitis(IC) is a chronic disease with an unknown cause from the currently practiced matter or molecular science medical discipline And the treatments are random due to this reason From an energy science medical view IC is a painful pelvic syndrome not necessarily localized to the bladder due to the failure of the body to eliminate the hot and mobile qualities from the pelvis usually due to toxic load also localized in the pelvis This disease as in all diseases according to the energy science tradition originates in the gut...
read moreCurrently you live in a society where speed is a treasured gift and impatience becomes an acceptable emotion If something doesn’t happen fast then you can become uncomfortable And it’s not surprising that people with IC can become impatient After all the qualities stuck in the pelvis giving rise to the disease are the mobile and hot qualities These combine to make the mind impatient with the hot quality even leading to frustration and anger For example, if you are plagued with painful interstitial cystitis(IC) bladder flares...
read moreWhen a doctor says, “You have interstitial cystitis(IC) bladder pain syndrome and it’s treatable but not curable”, a depressing cloud of sadness might descend over you at that moment But usually it takes time for this kind of medical opinionated attitude to sink in and it’s an attitude that is pervasive in the matter science medical community And since the expert tells you this, it must be true! But in such a situation of dogma, you have to be like the fish caught in the net and find a hole and swim out Otherwise...
read moreHave you become interstitial cystitis? So bound to the diagnosis, so consumed that health does not factor into your thinking? When you suffer from the debilitating symptoms of interstitial cystitis, there’s a tendency for any one of us to begin identifying with the symptoms of any disease process, and that includes IC In the end often what happens is you take on the identity of IC as if you have become IC The often phrase “I’m an IC patient”, indicating that the “I” is equivalent to the disease In...
read moreIC(interstitial cystitis) bladder pain like any chronic disease produces a described “drain on the body” Symptoms such as those of muscle and joint aches(aka fibromyalgia), vulvodynia, depression,chronic fatigue all begin to show up as the chronicity wears on the mindbody This observation shows our intuitive connection with the energy body which acts like a car battery When the car lights are left on overnight, the battery is drained of its stored energy To see the mindbody as an energy field opens us up to a wide variety...
read moreOne of our readers asked “what is energy work? This very important question because it’s important to know for confidence as to why you are doing what you are doing There are two ways to manage IC pain in my mind The first is the matter science approach which is what everyone in the IC community has experienced You go to the family doc, internist, or urologist and they prescribe pharmaceuticals for your pain These drugs are molecules that have anticipated effects on your body, like a sedative or antidepressant This...
read moreIn acute conditions you know you feel poorly because of the sudden onset of symptoms and because of the short term illness you know what it feels like to feel better But what about the scenario with chronic diseases like IC bladder pain where you get used to feeling poorly I liken the experience to pressure applied to the arm If you apply a sudden blow to the arm it hurts But what about the same pressure applied to the arm over an extended period of time It’s different, right? You see the arm’s sensory...
read moreMind and body are intimately spliced We cannot separate them physically What happens in the mind happens in the body and vice versa But we do separate them because the symptoms of mental stress seem different than physical stress But anyone with a painful bladder flare will tell that it’s intimately associated with mental duress Chronic disease such as the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystistis, vulvodynia IBS, fibromyalgia, chronic prostatitis, and GERD) no matter how minor the symptoms takes a toll on mental function
Also as our population ages, declining mental faculties can take first place on the list of one’s health concerns. Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of senile dementia affect some 25 percent of all people over 80.1 Research, though, is revealing Ayurvedic approaches in helping to support the natural strength of the mental faculties.
Medhya is an Ayurvedic concept that implies intellect, or wisdom. Medhya remedies promote mental development and act as mental rejuvenatives, and they also suggest a mind that is mighty, vigorous and pure.
There are many ways to bring medhya into play in the mind. Anything that promotes the sattva guna can help in our quest, and the yamas and niyamas of Patanjali are aimed at this. Ayurvedic herbal medicines also play a role. They engender and summon intelligence, memory and mental perception. They make the mind worthy of sacrifice to higher consciousness.
Bitter taste is made from air and space energies, and these forces predominate in the mind. Bitter foods and herbs open the mind, increase sensitivity, awareness and mental functioning. Since bitter herbs are cooling and calming they combat mental dullness, allowing us to reach our full potential, becoming radiant and elevated.
Mind supplements include a large array of herbs and foods recommended to rebuild body tissues and restore lubricating juices.2 Five of these mind-nourishing herbs stand out as pillars of an Ayurvedic lifestyle.
Ashwagandha, sometimes named “winter cherry” or “Withania”, is a top mental rejuvenator. Ayurvedic herbalists use the herb to reestablish long-term sleep rhythms. Ayurvedic herbalism also uses ashwagandha for general strength for support in times of occasional fatigue and exhaustion; and to support healthy memory and a strong nervous system.
This tonic herb, a relative of tomatoes and potatoes, is not stimulating, but rather relaxing. That allows one to use this in larger amounts on a regular basis without concern for overstimulation, so this root is a superb remedy for nervous system support.
Study after study continues to confirm the benefits of this herb on stress tolerance, performance and endurance.3,4,5 One study indicated that the herb supported the brain in times of stress.6 In another, ashwagandha was shown to support strength and physical working capacity.7,8
Ayurveda considers it a “grounding” herb, one that nourishes and regulates metabolic processes and supports a naturally balanced mood. Ashwagandha also supports memory, helping those such as students for whom learning and testing are priorities.9 One recent study looked at sleep and stress. Ashwagandha was effective in supporting naturally healthy sleep patterns.10
As well as being a slow-acting tonic herb, ashwagandha is a superb herb for balancing elevated vata, a common problem as age advances and in chronic disease. It takes about a week to work up to an appropriate amount, and about another week for the herb to reach maximum effectiveness. Since ashwagandha is a slow-acting herb, you may take your daily serving at any time during the day.
A typical serving of ashwagandha is about a gram per day, taken over long periods, up to many years, as a rejuvenator, but, since ashwaganda is very safe, larger quantities are often used short term. In India, Withania is given with pungent, heating herbs (ginger, pepper, etc.) to ensure that it gets sufficiently digested.
Conscious communication is the essence of yoga. From your chakras to your nervous system to the words you speak, your very molecules are vibrating with the energy of your being, and transmitting that energy to all the other parts of our bodies and to people in your life.
Yoga exercises, pranayama and lifestyle practices all support conscious communication, and there is one special herb that yoga reveres above all others for clarifying and expanding that special spiritual voice we all share.
Calamus root is a major herb for the mind. Though it is not clearly allowed for internal consumption in the US, it can be used topically, either as a dry powder, paste, or as part of an herbalized oil. As a historical and international perspective, ancient yogis and seers used this herb, and it was said to stimulate the power of self-expression and to enhance intelligence.
This herb was often combined with gotu kola, which is cooling and mild. The complementary energetics made the combination suitable for a wide variety of people. To support attention and focus, it was combined with gotu kola, shankpushpi and licorice. Over the long term, calamus warms the body and pacifies the mind. Vacha was also combined with triphala as a general rejuvenative that bestows intelligence, longevity and good memory.11
Vacha has a long and very special history in Ayurveda.
Thinking about thinking? Feel like you’re about to max out your personal hard drive? Gotu kola is an herb with a long history of brain support. Gotu kola, also called Mandukaparni, is a mainstay of herbal medicine in Ayurveda. Widely considered a superior herb for the nervous system, gotu kola has a host of benefits.12
Gotu kola supports healthy memory, concentration and intelligence, as well as the voice, physical strength and the complexion.
Gotu kola is a jungle creeper that grows in hot moist climates. After all, it’s the food of the elephants, and we all know about their memories! Fresh, it’s a delicious salad vegetable. The juice of the fresh leaves is available at some juice bars.
More recently, a study out of Korea shows that components in gotu kola show potential for supporting healthy memory, a very promising direction.13
Since gotu kola is basically a mild salad vegetable, the serving can be a larger quantity. Try one to four teaspoonfuls of fresh juice every morning. Many people use a modest amount of 1 gram per day in capsules or tablets for daily rejuvenation. Try a cup of gotu kola tea with honey.
Water hyssop (Bacopa monniera), also refered to as brahmi in certain parts of India, is a steadfast mainstay of traditional Ayurvedic medicine. An indication of the respect for this herb is the name: “brahmi” means “god-like”. It’s used in Asia for support of the nervous system, mental energy, and healthy memory—it’s a powerful brain food. Use it to increase comprehension, concentration and recollection. Because it traditionally supports a person’s natural ability to solve problems effectively, it is often found in Ayurvedic formulas to cope with stress.
With nearly 300 studies in the scientific literature, it has built up a solid base of scientific support for its many functions.
In support of the traditional use for promoting healthy memory, Australian researchers recently gave Bacopa to seventy-six adults, aged 40 to 65 years, in a double-blind randomized, placebo control study in which various memory functions were tested. Numerous memory tests before and after taking the brahmi showed that the herb significantly supported the learning process.14
Brahmi has traditionally been used for children as well. Indian schoolchildren take it at home. In 1987, Indian scientists gave brahmi to 40 schoolchildren aged 6-8 in a single-blind trial. The study showed support of learning, memory and perception. The dose was 1 gram per day for three months, of the dried plant extracted into a syrup form, and no side effects were recorded.15
The traditional serving can be up to two grams of the whole herb, in capsules, tablets or tea, twice a day with warm water.
When we need mental peace and sleep, we may call upon shankhapushi to help restore clear quality of the mind and relaxation. Its flowers resemble the shankha or conch shell, thus the name. It usually is a foot tall plant, with dome of flowers, in open fields in North India.
This herb is an outstanding rejuvenative tonic for the mind and nerve tissue. The plant is said to have profound mystical properties, with an affinity for the heart, throat, third eye and crown chakras.
The herb is especially effective for mental peace and tranquility. Often taken with or prepared in ghee, it promotes serenity without dulling the mind. As it is balancing, its effect can be both uplifting and calming. Students traditionally use it to support a calm mind during exams. For support of focus and attention, it combines well with brahmi and licorice. For support of healthy sleep patterns, use shankpushpi at bedtime (traditional use allows for up to 6 grams). According to the Astanga Hridyam, ghee, cooked three times with shankpushpi juice and milk, makes even the dullest mind sharp.
Ayurveda places special attention on the health of the mind, and fundamentally teaches that, ultimately, all physical imbalances start in the mind, so a healthy mind is at the forefront of Ayurvedic practices. These five herbs form the core of a superb mental rejuvenative chest. They are waiting to help us stay calm, centered, intelligent and exalted, so now might just be the time to give this collection of herbs a try.
Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa is the lead instructor of the nutritional therapy and professional herbalist training programs at Portland Community College, where students pursue their credential online or in classrooms study, and on the founding faculty of Bastyr University Department of Ayurvedic Sciences. Khalsa is the President of the American Herbalists Guild and on the board of directors of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association. He is the first person to be board certified in herbalism and Ayurveda.
http://www.pcc.edu/climb/health/
http://www.kpkhalsa.com/
http://www.internationalintegrative.com/
As I’ve talked about in the past thepelvic bladder pain of IC is related to the hot and mobile qualities being stuck in the pelvis But why do some 60% of IC patients not go on to severe chronic symptoms? The answer in short form is toxic load in the urinary system that prevents the qualities from naturally being released Kavala is an ancient energy science technique of swishing sesame oil in the oral cavity for a period of time It is mentioned in Ayurvedic texts written 1000’s of years ago Recently this sesame oil swish...
read moreThe debilitating bladder pain of an IC(interstitial cystitis) flare requires you to pull all stops and do everything to get comfortable As I’ve talked about in the past chronic management is baseline work(nutrition, incompatible food combination avoidance, use of cooling herbs in cooking, CCF tea, etc) These therapies help begin release and at times flares are an aspect of release The treatment of flare in this setting takes the management to another level of pain management One of the mainstays of acute treatment is the use of...
read moreOver the last 20 years the interstitital cystitis(IC) complex of pelvic and bladder pain has been successfully treated by urologists with botox Initially used as a way to focally paralyze muscle fibers in the face as a cosmetic application, it quickly crossed many lines of therapy for use in other organ systems in the body to include the bladder The use of the agent in bladder injection therapy is that the bladder and pelvic pain is related to muscle spasm in these respective areas that paralysis of the muscles would reduce the pain Matter...
read moreInterstitial cystitis(IC) is a chronic disease with an unknown cause from the currently practiced matter or molecular science medical discipline And the treatments are random due to this reason From an energy science medical view IC is a painful pelvic syndrome not necessarily localized to the bladder due to the failure of the body to eliminate the hot and mobile qualities from the pelvis usually due to toxic load also localized in the pelvis This disease as in all diseases according to the energy science tradition originates in the gut...
read moreCurrently you live in a society where speed is a treasured gift and impatience becomes an acceptable emotion If something doesn’t happen fast then you can become uncomfortable And it’s not surprising that people with IC can become impatient After all the qualities stuck in the pelvis giving rise to the disease are the mobile and hot qualities These combine to make the mind impatient with the hot quality even leading to frustration and anger For example, if you are plagued with painful interstitial cystitis(IC) bladder flares...
read moreWhen a doctor says, “You have interstitial cystitis(IC) bladder pain syndrome and it’s treatable but not curable”, a depressing cloud of sadness might descend over you at that moment But usually it takes time for this kind of medical opinionated attitude to sink in and it’s an attitude that is pervasive in the matter science medical community And since the expert tells you this, it must be true! But in such a situation of dogma, you have to be like the fish caught in the net and find a hole and swim out Otherwise...
read moreHave you become interstitial cystitis? So bound to the diagnosis, so consumed that health does not factor into your thinking? When you suffer from the debilitating symptoms of interstitial cystitis, there’s a tendency for any one of us to begin identifying with the symptoms of any disease process, and that includes IC In the end often what happens is you take on the identity of IC as if you have become IC The often phrase “I’m an IC patient”, indicating that the “I” is equivalent to the disease In...
read moreIC(interstitial cystitis) bladder pain like any chronic disease produces a described “drain on the body” Symptoms such as those of muscle and joint aches(aka fibromyalgia), vulvodynia, depression,chronic fatigue all begin to show up as the chronicity wears on the mindbody This observation shows our intuitive connection with the energy body which acts like a car battery When the car lights are left on overnight, the battery is drained of its stored energy To see the mindbody as an energy field opens us up to a wide variety...
read moreOne of our readers asked “what is energy work? This very important question because it’s important to know for confidence as to why you are doing what you are doing There are two ways to manage IC pain in my mind The first is the matter science approach which is what everyone in the IC community has experienced You go to the family doc, internist, or urologist and they prescribe pharmaceuticals for your pain These drugs are molecules that have anticipated effects on your body, like a sedative or antidepressant This...
read moreIn acute conditions you know you feel poorly because of the sudden onset of symptoms and because of the short term illness you know what it feels like to feel better But what about the scenario with chronic diseases like IC bladder pain where you get used to feeling poorly I liken the experience to pressure applied to the arm If you apply a sudden blow to the arm it hurts But what about the same pressure applied to the arm over an extended period of time It’s different, right? You see the arm’s sensory...
read moreFrom an energy science view symptoms that occur in the physical body such as those with the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, fibromyalgia, IBS, and GERD) are expressions of physiologic imbalance in the energy body In the energy science world of healing it’s all about balance or harmony in the mindbody When there is no disease or imbalance then there is no expression of qualities Everything is good
These imbalances are expressed in a qualitative way, that is, too much hot or too much mobility or movement in the physiology This imbalance of quality leads to expression either in the GIT(gastrointestinal tract) or peripherally In IC the imbalances of these qualities lead to the symptoms of burning in the bladder vulvar area, prostate in men, and frequency of urination, most notable during flares
But the qualities expressed in the body as disease such as the IC bladder pain syndrome are merely the tip of the iceberg because they represent the imbalance that is occurring throughout the mindbody…..but oh by the way they are showing up in the pelvic area specifically the pelvic plexus of nerves
So when you undergo techniques and methods to reduce the imbalance of these qualities you are actually reducing the imbalance of the qualities throughout the mindbody not just in the pelvis
A bandaid is something that covers up a problem There are many drugs that serve as bandaids Yes they take away symptoms but don’t get to the heart of the matter which is being caused from the qualities being expressed At least that’s the way the energy science views the disease process
It’s important to understand that methods such as nutritional formats and supplements such as aloe are energy science bandaids They like pharmaceuticals make life reasonably comfortable because they prevent further loading up of the qualities that brought about the disease in the first place
So when you engage in specific techniques in energy science healing you are participating in real healing….not a bandaid but healing that gets to the heart of the problem This is because qualities are REMOVED rather than simply preventing more qualities to accumulate
These specific techniques fall into 5 broad categories The first we heard about last week called oleation, either internal or external as in shirodhara The second is basti which we have discussed in previous blogs Thirdly nasal therapies remove excess qualities particularly in the central nervous system but is a great technique to help remove the excess qualities of Kapha the energy pattern of stability The fourth technique is removing excess mucous from the stomach and lastly removing excess Pitta by blood donation(women do this on a monthly basis when menstruating)
So real healing requires very specific energy science techniques to clear the IC bladder pain syndrome Or there’s always bandaids
To health as a Skill DB
As I’ve talked about in the past thepelvic bladder pain of IC is related to the hot and mobile qualities being stuck in the pelvis But why do some 60% of IC patients not go on to severe chronic symptoms? The answer in short form is toxic load in the urinary system that prevents the qualities from naturally being released Kavala is an ancient energy science technique of swishing sesame oil in the oral cavity for a period of time It is mentioned in Ayurvedic texts written 1000’s of years ago Recently this sesame oil swish...
read moreThe debilitating bladder pain of an IC(interstitial cystitis) flare requires you to pull all stops and do everything to get comfortable As I’ve talked about in the past chronic management is baseline work(nutrition, incompatible food combination avoidance, use of cooling herbs in cooking, CCF tea, etc) These therapies help begin release and at times flares are an aspect of release The treatment of flare in this setting takes the management to another level of pain management One of the mainstays of acute treatment is the use of...
read moreOver the last 20 years the interstitital cystitis(IC) complex of pelvic and bladder pain has been successfully treated by urologists with botox Initially used as a way to focally paralyze muscle fibers in the face as a cosmetic application, it quickly crossed many lines of therapy for use in other organ systems in the body to include the bladder The use of the agent in bladder injection therapy is that the bladder and pelvic pain is related to muscle spasm in these respective areas that paralysis of the muscles would reduce the pain Matter...
read moreInterstitial cystitis(IC) is a chronic disease with an unknown cause from the currently practiced matter or molecular science medical discipline And the treatments are random due to this reason From an energy science medical view IC is a painful pelvic syndrome not necessarily localized to the bladder due to the failure of the body to eliminate the hot and mobile qualities from the pelvis usually due to toxic load also localized in the pelvis This disease as in all diseases according to the energy science tradition originates in the gut...
read moreCurrently you live in a society where speed is a treasured gift and impatience becomes an acceptable emotion If something doesn’t happen fast then you can become uncomfortable And it’s not surprising that people with IC can become impatient After all the qualities stuck in the pelvis giving rise to the disease are the mobile and hot qualities These combine to make the mind impatient with the hot quality even leading to frustration and anger For example, if you are plagued with painful interstitial cystitis(IC) bladder flares...
read moreWhen a doctor says, “You have interstitial cystitis(IC) bladder pain syndrome and it’s treatable but not curable”, a depressing cloud of sadness might descend over you at that moment But usually it takes time for this kind of medical opinionated attitude to sink in and it’s an attitude that is pervasive in the matter science medical community And since the expert tells you this, it must be true! But in such a situation of dogma, you have to be like the fish caught in the net and find a hole and swim out Otherwise...
read moreHave you become interstitial cystitis? So bound to the diagnosis, so consumed that health does not factor into your thinking? When you suffer from the debilitating symptoms of interstitial cystitis, there’s a tendency for any one of us to begin identifying with the symptoms of any disease process, and that includes IC In the end often what happens is you take on the identity of IC as if you have become IC The often phrase “I’m an IC patient”, indicating that the “I” is equivalent to the disease In...
read moreIC(interstitial cystitis) bladder pain like any chronic disease produces a described “drain on the body” Symptoms such as those of muscle and joint aches(aka fibromyalgia), vulvodynia, depression,chronic fatigue all begin to show up as the chronicity wears on the mindbody This observation shows our intuitive connection with the energy body which acts like a car battery When the car lights are left on overnight, the battery is drained of its stored energy To see the mindbody as an energy field opens us up to a wide variety...
read moreOne of our readers asked “what is energy work? This very important question because it’s important to know for confidence as to why you are doing what you are doing There are two ways to manage IC pain in my mind The first is the matter science approach which is what everyone in the IC community has experienced You go to the family doc, internist, or urologist and they prescribe pharmaceuticals for your pain These drugs are molecules that have anticipated effects on your body, like a sedative or antidepressant This...
read moreIn acute conditions you know you feel poorly because of the sudden onset of symptoms and because of the short term illness you know what it feels like to feel better But what about the scenario with chronic diseases like IC bladder pain where you get used to feeling poorly I liken the experience to pressure applied to the arm If you apply a sudden blow to the arm it hurts But what about the same pressure applied to the arm over an extended period of time It’s different, right? You see the arm’s sensory...
read more
When I first heard about how shirodhara can induce maximum relaxation when I was just a budding Ayurvedic student, I skeptically thought to myself, “Who wouldn’t find warm oil slowly being poured onto their forehead relaxing?” But what seemed to me at the time as simply a luxurious pampering has amazed me both in its broadness in application as well as the beauty behind the mechanism of how it works.
What It Is
For those who are not so familiar with shirodhara, it is a therapy wherein a liquid substance, usually a warm oil or herbal oil, is slowly and steadily poured onto the third eye and then allowed to percolate through the hair. The name itself comes from the Sanskrit words shiro (head) and dhara (flow).
Shirodhara falls into the category of snehana of the shodhana (purifying) therapies in Ayurveda. While snehana means the application of oil, sneha means love and compassion. As such, oil has been glorified in the scriptures for providing the qualities of nurturing and nourishment.1 When the skin absorbs the oil, it also takes in these qualities into the body.
One of the great beauties of shirodhara lies in the fact that the forehead and scalp, of all parts of the body, has greater absorption than any other part of the body, aside from the pubic areas. 2 The skin absorbs many substances, including oil, as well as any herb that may be infused into the oil, such that they directly pass through the epidermis and dermis, into the blood stream and tissues that lie beneath. Since the brain and the main sense organs are in such close proximity to the scalp, shirodhara has its greatest and most direct effects there. For this reason, great care is taken to ensure that the highest type and quality of herbs and oils are used in the therapy.
Why It Works
Marmani. A marma is a “vital energy point on the surface of the body.” 3 The oil first pours directly onto ajna marma. Synonymous with the third eye, this marma is central to all brain function, hormone glands, and above all, consciousness. The oil then spreads over a number of other marmani. By doing so, we are powering these energetic hot spots with vata and pitta calming qualities through the qualities of the oil and therapy, itself. The qualities access the mano vaha srotas, the channel for the mind and senses, directly through the marmas, sending the same soothing and nurturing qualities throughout the channels. 3
Sensory Nerves. Not only is the head and face one of the greatest areas of absorption, but they also have the greatest number of sensory nerves. In fact, over half of the sensory cortex in the brain is dedicated to just the face and the head! There are a variety of sensory nerves- some that sense position, some sense temperature and pain, some sense pressure. The interesting connection here is that the pain and temperature nerves, specifically, course through the brain not only to the cortex, but also to the limbic portions of the brain, which are centers for processing emotions and managing conflict, motivation, learning, and attention, amongst other important functions. 4 Thus, by stimulating these nerves with anti-vata and anti-pitta qualities, we are bringing those same qualities to the limbic centers of the brain, unfolding a sense of ease and peace to an often disturbed part of our consciousness.
Further, through the somato-autonomic reflex, simply the soft and spreading touch of shirodhara and the subtle vibration throughout the cranial cavity sends an inhibitory signal to the sympathetic nervous system. 5 This results in a decrease in heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and induces an overall sense of calmness and rest. 6,7,8 It is no wonder, then, that many clients fall into deep sleep during shirodhara.
A small randomized-controlled study done in Japan studied the above mechanisms amongst others, and proposed the mechanism shown in Figure 1. As demonstrated, numerous pathways have been found, all centering around calming the sympathetic nervous system and balancing the neurochemistry in the brain. 6 In plain Ayurvedic language, the therapy calms vata and pitta rooted in mano and majja vaha srotas, thereby affecting the same doshic imbalances in other srotamsi.
Figure 1. Kazuo U, et al. Psychoneuroimmunologic Effects of Ayurvedic Oil-Dripping Treatment. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
Shirodhara is the king of Ayurvedic therapies for the mind and is a wonderful complement to herbs for achieving optimum mental balance and peace. Watch for our next newsletter with herbal recommendations for supporting the mind.
As an Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Vrinda Devani, M.D. has a passion for women’s health and empowering women towards vibrant health and living. She is a believer in unfolding the human body’s potential through a blend of complementary and allopathic medicine. She has studied Ayurveda extensively under Dr. Vasant Lad and furthered her studies in Ayurvedic women’s health with travels in Nepal with Dr. Sarita Shrestha. In addition to being a physician and certified Ayurvedic practitioner, she also has a love for yoga and is a certified AyurYoga teacher.
As I’ve talked about in the past thepelvic bladder pain of IC is related to the hot and mobile qualities being stuck in the pelvis But why do some 60% of IC patients not go on to severe chronic symptoms? The answer in short form is toxic load in the urinary system that prevents the qualities from naturally being released Kavala is an ancient energy science technique of swishing sesame oil in the oral cavity for a period of time It is mentioned in Ayurvedic texts written 1000’s of years ago Recently this sesame oil swish...
read moreThe debilitating bladder pain of an IC(interstitial cystitis) flare requires you to pull all stops and do everything to get comfortable As I’ve talked about in the past chronic management is baseline work(nutrition, incompatible food combination avoidance, use of cooling herbs in cooking, CCF tea, etc) These therapies help begin release and at times flares are an aspect of release The treatment of flare in this setting takes the management to another level of pain management One of the mainstays of acute treatment is the use of...
read moreOver the last 20 years the interstitital cystitis(IC) complex of pelvic and bladder pain has been successfully treated by urologists with botox Initially used as a way to focally paralyze muscle fibers in the face as a cosmetic application, it quickly crossed many lines of therapy for use in other organ systems in the body to include the bladder The use of the agent in bladder injection therapy is that the bladder and pelvic pain is related to muscle spasm in these respective areas that paralysis of the muscles would reduce the pain Matter...
read moreInterstitial cystitis(IC) is a chronic disease with an unknown cause from the currently practiced matter or molecular science medical discipline And the treatments are random due to this reason From an energy science medical view IC is a painful pelvic syndrome not necessarily localized to the bladder due to the failure of the body to eliminate the hot and mobile qualities from the pelvis usually due to toxic load also localized in the pelvis This disease as in all diseases according to the energy science tradition originates in the gut...
read moreCurrently you live in a society where speed is a treasured gift and impatience becomes an acceptable emotion If something doesn’t happen fast then you can become uncomfortable And it’s not surprising that people with IC can become impatient After all the qualities stuck in the pelvis giving rise to the disease are the mobile and hot qualities These combine to make the mind impatient with the hot quality even leading to frustration and anger For example, if you are plagued with painful interstitial cystitis(IC) bladder flares...
read moreWhen a doctor says, “You have interstitial cystitis(IC) bladder pain syndrome and it’s treatable but not curable”, a depressing cloud of sadness might descend over you at that moment But usually it takes time for this kind of medical opinionated attitude to sink in and it’s an attitude that is pervasive in the matter science medical community And since the expert tells you this, it must be true! But in such a situation of dogma, you have to be like the fish caught in the net and find a hole and swim out Otherwise...
read moreHave you become interstitial cystitis? So bound to the diagnosis, so consumed that health does not factor into your thinking? When you suffer from the debilitating symptoms of interstitial cystitis, there’s a tendency for any one of us to begin identifying with the symptoms of any disease process, and that includes IC In the end often what happens is you take on the identity of IC as if you have become IC The often phrase “I’m an IC patient”, indicating that the “I” is equivalent to the disease In...
read moreIC(interstitial cystitis) bladder pain like any chronic disease produces a described “drain on the body” Symptoms such as those of muscle and joint aches(aka fibromyalgia), vulvodynia, depression,chronic fatigue all begin to show up as the chronicity wears on the mindbody This observation shows our intuitive connection with the energy body which acts like a car battery When the car lights are left on overnight, the battery is drained of its stored energy To see the mindbody as an energy field opens us up to a wide variety...
read moreOne of our readers asked “what is energy work? This very important question because it’s important to know for confidence as to why you are doing what you are doing There are two ways to manage IC pain in my mind The first is the matter science approach which is what everyone in the IC community has experienced You go to the family doc, internist, or urologist and they prescribe pharmaceuticals for your pain These drugs are molecules that have anticipated effects on your body, like a sedative or antidepressant This...
read moreIn acute conditions you know you feel poorly because of the sudden onset of symptoms and because of the short term illness you know what it feels like to feel better But what about the scenario with chronic diseases like IC bladder pain where you get used to feeling poorly I liken the experience to pressure applied to the arm If you apply a sudden blow to the arm it hurts But what about the same pressure applied to the arm over an extended period of time It’s different, right? You see the arm’s sensory...
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When you subscribe to our site, you’re sent a short list of questions in order to get to know your interests One of the questions specifically asks about whether the topic of sour and pungent tastes interests you 50% of you have responded that you wanted to hear more…so here goes
In the energy science foods play a predominant role in creating imbalances which in turn produce disease such as the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, irritable bowel syndrome, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, GERD, and fibromyalgia) Of course not all foods will produce imbalance but HOW DO WE KNOW WHICH FOODS are good and those that are not good for our disease state
The energy science provides the answer in the form of food lists that have foods that you should avoid(NO column), those that can be taken in moderation, and those that can be used all the time See foodsheal.com or icdiet.com to review these formats
There are 6 energetic tastes that are recognized: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent Each of these are composed of specific qualities but for our IC bladder pain syndrome interest the ones that stand out are sour, salty, and pungent These are important because all 3 have the hot quality among others that will produce the imbalance that leads to the disease complex of the IC bladder pain syndrome
This is why the tastes of the sour and pungent can be provoking for those with IC The sour taste is the acid taste in Nature(bitter being the alkaline taste) and the pungent taste is the sensation we have when we eat a hot chili or horseradish
The importance of the lists is that they have built within them what predominance of tastes are within the food being evaluated, that is what qualities are present that may be provoking There are two benefits here 1 tells you which foods are imbalancing to you seeing your body as an energy field and 2 tells you which foods will produce disease for you And included within this construct is whether the foods are heating, that is have the hot quality or the sour and pungent tastes
1 As discussed we would want to follow the nutritional formats described at foodsheal.com(should take the questionnaire to determine your energy pattern constitution) or simply follow the icdiet format at icdiet.com The advantage of the former is that it gives you a broader choice range But both get the job done by cutting out the excessive hot quality
2 Avoid incompatible food combinations that are outlined at either of the above sites One of the fundamental principles of this list is the avoidance of fresh fruits in combination with other foods This is because the fruit with other foods can interfere with digestion and create as a byproduct toxic load called ama Ama is part of most disease processes and has to be cleared as a part of the IC syndrome
3 The use of a churan will give you all 6 tastes necessary for having healthy digestion but not giving the excess hot quality that will produce imbalance
Until next week To Health as a Skill Love DrBill
As I’ve talked about in the past thepelvic bladder pain of IC is related to the hot and mobile qualities being stuck in the pelvis But why do some 60% of IC patients not go on to severe chronic symptoms? The answer in short form is toxic load in the urinary system that prevents the qualities from naturally being released Kavala is an ancient energy science technique of swishing sesame oil in the oral cavity for a period of time It is mentioned in Ayurvedic texts written 1000’s of years ago Recently this sesame oil swish...
read moreThe debilitating bladder pain of an IC(interstitial cystitis) flare requires you to pull all stops and do everything to get comfortable As I’ve talked about in the past chronic management is baseline work(nutrition, incompatible food combination avoidance, use of cooling herbs in cooking, CCF tea, etc) These therapies help begin release and at times flares are an aspect of release The treatment of flare in this setting takes the management to another level of pain management One of the mainstays of acute treatment is the use of...
read moreOver the last 20 years the interstitital cystitis(IC) complex of pelvic and bladder pain has been successfully treated by urologists with botox Initially used as a way to focally paralyze muscle fibers in the face as a cosmetic application, it quickly crossed many lines of therapy for use in other organ systems in the body to include the bladder The use of the agent in bladder injection therapy is that the bladder and pelvic pain is related to muscle spasm in these respective areas that paralysis of the muscles would reduce the pain Matter...
read moreInterstitial cystitis(IC) is a chronic disease with an unknown cause from the currently practiced matter or molecular science medical discipline And the treatments are random due to this reason From an energy science medical view IC is a painful pelvic syndrome not necessarily localized to the bladder due to the failure of the body to eliminate the hot and mobile qualities from the pelvis usually due to toxic load also localized in the pelvis This disease as in all diseases according to the energy science tradition originates in the gut...
read moreCurrently you live in a society where speed is a treasured gift and impatience becomes an acceptable emotion If something doesn’t happen fast then you can become uncomfortable And it’s not surprising that people with IC can become impatient After all the qualities stuck in the pelvis giving rise to the disease are the mobile and hot qualities These combine to make the mind impatient with the hot quality even leading to frustration and anger For example, if you are plagued with painful interstitial cystitis(IC) bladder flares...
read moreWhen a doctor says, “You have interstitial cystitis(IC) bladder pain syndrome and it’s treatable but not curable”, a depressing cloud of sadness might descend over you at that moment But usually it takes time for this kind of medical opinionated attitude to sink in and it’s an attitude that is pervasive in the matter science medical community And since the expert tells you this, it must be true! But in such a situation of dogma, you have to be like the fish caught in the net and find a hole and swim out Otherwise...
read moreHave you become interstitial cystitis? So bound to the diagnosis, so consumed that health does not factor into your thinking? When you suffer from the debilitating symptoms of interstitial cystitis, there’s a tendency for any one of us to begin identifying with the symptoms of any disease process, and that includes IC In the end often what happens is you take on the identity of IC as if you have become IC The often phrase “I’m an IC patient”, indicating that the “I” is equivalent to the disease In...
read moreIC(interstitial cystitis) bladder pain like any chronic disease produces a described “drain on the body” Symptoms such as those of muscle and joint aches(aka fibromyalgia), vulvodynia, depression,chronic fatigue all begin to show up as the chronicity wears on the mindbody This observation shows our intuitive connection with the energy body which acts like a car battery When the car lights are left on overnight, the battery is drained of its stored energy To see the mindbody as an energy field opens us up to a wide variety...
read moreOne of our readers asked “what is energy work? This very important question because it’s important to know for confidence as to why you are doing what you are doing There are two ways to manage IC pain in my mind The first is the matter science approach which is what everyone in the IC community has experienced You go to the family doc, internist, or urologist and they prescribe pharmaceuticals for your pain These drugs are molecules that have anticipated effects on your body, like a sedative or antidepressant This...
read moreIn acute conditions you know you feel poorly because of the sudden onset of symptoms and because of the short term illness you know what it feels like to feel better But what about the scenario with chronic diseases like IC bladder pain where you get used to feeling poorly I liken the experience to pressure applied to the arm If you apply a sudden blow to the arm it hurts But what about the same pressure applied to the arm over an extended period of time It’s different, right? You see the arm’s sensory...
read moreFrom my experience with the IC bladder pain syndrome over the last almost 40 years it appears that two thirds of patients will have intermittent symptoms that appear last for a period of like a year or so and then there is a long hiatus where they are free of symptoms But one third of patients may have preceding symptoms but then come to a time when they have unrelenting symptoms and become debilitated by the symptoms So for two thirds of the patients identified as IC many don’t suffer chronic debility
Those with the chronic disease of the IC bladder pain syndrome(fibromyalgia, chronic prostatitis, vulvodynia, and irritable bowel syndrome) will suffer due to the unrelenting symptoms that are associated with not just interstitial cystitis but with its other attendant “sister disease labels” listed above Usually it’s the IBS that becomes a major problem because as I’ve written in the past, from an energy science view all disease begins in the gastrointestinal tract(GIT) and this is the major driving force for the development and perpetuation of IC in the first place
So healing IC is not so hard for two thirds of IC patients if they are fortunate to fall into the remission category but for the one third of patients it’s frankly a difficult but not impossible job
There will be a few brave souls who will embark on a healing journey because they are so miserable or so incapacitated that life is not worth living if they have to be unemployed and lose their social network
But to do so requires courage, determination, and discipline to stay on task because as I’ve talked about in the past real healing using the energy science approach takes time It requires a gentle correction of the quantitative imbalances that have occurred over time that gradually need to be resolved
1 Belief One of the sole purposes of this blog is to defeat the aphorism that is repeatedly stated in the IC community, “treatable but not curable” So a patient embarking on taking on the healing of IC must at least in part overcome this negativity that nothing can be done This mindset is probably the most difficult in healing any chronic disease That realizing that life will be better and that there is hope is the best medicine This belief then supports the next two requirements
2 Time/patience The imbalance of Vata/Pitta creates an impatient mind…..I want the result yesterday One can support the healing process but not rush it Expecting more often sabotages the process since energy science healing requires persistent and consistent work And it’s not like one doesn’t get positive reinforcement along the way There will occur improved quality of life and lessening of symptoms as one does the work but there will be ups and downs This is why journaling can be so valuable One is able to see that there is improvement as one marks the way
3 Peeling an Onion Even though no two imbalances are exactly alike the process of healing chronic IC requires that when one symptom seems to get better and resolve that there will be another that seemingly comes up for healing as one peels the onion This is true of any chronic imbalance that is created in the body and is corrected To realize this reduces the risk of discouragement as one goes forward in the healing process Some long time readers may remember the graph depicting the wave form of creating and healing disease
To Health as a Skill Dr Bill Dean
As I’ve talked about in the past thepelvic bladder pain of IC is related to the hot and mobile qualities being stuck in the pelvis But why do some 60% of IC patients not go on to severe chronic symptoms? The answer in short form is toxic load in the urinary system that prevents the qualities from naturally being released Kavala is an ancient energy science technique of swishing sesame oil in the oral cavity for a period of time It is mentioned in Ayurvedic texts written 1000’s of years ago Recently this sesame oil swish...
read moreThe debilitating bladder pain of an IC(interstitial cystitis) flare requires you to pull all stops and do everything to get comfortable As I’ve talked about in the past chronic management is baseline work(nutrition, incompatible food combination avoidance, use of cooling herbs in cooking, CCF tea, etc) These therapies help begin release and at times flares are an aspect of release The treatment of flare in this setting takes the management to another level of pain management One of the mainstays of acute treatment is the use of...
read moreOver the last 20 years the interstitital cystitis(IC) complex of pelvic and bladder pain has been successfully treated by urologists with botox Initially used as a way to focally paralyze muscle fibers in the face as a cosmetic application, it quickly crossed many lines of therapy for use in other organ systems in the body to include the bladder The use of the agent in bladder injection therapy is that the bladder and pelvic pain is related to muscle spasm in these respective areas that paralysis of the muscles would reduce the pain Matter...
read moreInterstitial cystitis(IC) is a chronic disease with an unknown cause from the currently practiced matter or molecular science medical discipline And the treatments are random due to this reason From an energy science medical view IC is a painful pelvic syndrome not necessarily localized to the bladder due to the failure of the body to eliminate the hot and mobile qualities from the pelvis usually due to toxic load also localized in the pelvis This disease as in all diseases according to the energy science tradition originates in the gut...
read moreCurrently you live in a society where speed is a treasured gift and impatience becomes an acceptable emotion If something doesn’t happen fast then you can become uncomfortable And it’s not surprising that people with IC can become impatient After all the qualities stuck in the pelvis giving rise to the disease are the mobile and hot qualities These combine to make the mind impatient with the hot quality even leading to frustration and anger For example, if you are plagued with painful interstitial cystitis(IC) bladder flares...
read moreWhen a doctor says, “You have interstitial cystitis(IC) bladder pain syndrome and it’s treatable but not curable”, a depressing cloud of sadness might descend over you at that moment But usually it takes time for this kind of medical opinionated attitude to sink in and it’s an attitude that is pervasive in the matter science medical community And since the expert tells you this, it must be true! But in such a situation of dogma, you have to be like the fish caught in the net and find a hole and swim out Otherwise...
read moreHave you become interstitial cystitis? So bound to the diagnosis, so consumed that health does not factor into your thinking? When you suffer from the debilitating symptoms of interstitial cystitis, there’s a tendency for any one of us to begin identifying with the symptoms of any disease process, and that includes IC In the end often what happens is you take on the identity of IC as if you have become IC The often phrase “I’m an IC patient”, indicating that the “I” is equivalent to the disease In...
read moreIC(interstitial cystitis) bladder pain like any chronic disease produces a described “drain on the body” Symptoms such as those of muscle and joint aches(aka fibromyalgia), vulvodynia, depression,chronic fatigue all begin to show up as the chronicity wears on the mindbody This observation shows our intuitive connection with the energy body which acts like a car battery When the car lights are left on overnight, the battery is drained of its stored energy To see the mindbody as an energy field opens us up to a wide variety...
read moreOne of our readers asked “what is energy work? This very important question because it’s important to know for confidence as to why you are doing what you are doing There are two ways to manage IC pain in my mind The first is the matter science approach which is what everyone in the IC community has experienced You go to the family doc, internist, or urologist and they prescribe pharmaceuticals for your pain These drugs are molecules that have anticipated effects on your body, like a sedative or antidepressant This...
read moreIn acute conditions you know you feel poorly because of the sudden onset of symptoms and because of the short term illness you know what it feels like to feel better But what about the scenario with chronic diseases like IC bladder pain where you get used to feeling poorly I liken the experience to pressure applied to the arm If you apply a sudden blow to the arm it hurts But what about the same pressure applied to the arm over an extended period of time It’s different, right? You see the arm’s sensory...
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