Cold water dampens the digestive power and therefore, the digestion won’t be able to digest everything you eat, which will lead to ama (sanskrit for undigested food). In western medicine, ama is known as plaque or Atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is hardening or narrowing of arteries and veins due to plaque. The buildup of ama restricts blood flow to and from the heart. Once food is digested, the first place the digested nutrients go to is the heart. The quality and health of the body’s tissues, blood, and organs is dependent upon digestion. The first tissue that is formed from digestion is Ras Dhatu (Sanskrit for interstitial fluid and blood plasma). If there is ama, then the blood plasma will not be properly formed and Ras Dhatu will be impure. Ras Dhatu then forms Rakt Dhatu (red blood cells) and the first place blood and blood plasma go to after digestion is to the heart. If there are any impurities, then the impurities will begin to localize themselves in the channels in and around the heart. This will cause heart problems. When the fuel does not match the fire, problems arise. If one eats too much food and has a dull digestive fire, there will be ama in the system. The buildup of ama will block the srotas (sanskrit for channels of circulation), causing impurities to flow throughout the body. Digested food first goes to the heart. If there are any impurities within the digested food, then it will flow throughout the heart, lungs, and throughout the body, causing the body to not receive the maximum amount of nutrients.