There are times in life, where modern medicine can come to the rescue and regardless of how strongly you believe in the natural approach, sometimes you must resort to taking prescription medication. A few months ago, one of my close friends had her appendix rupture. As common as it is, it took the doctors two days to finally diagnose her and then rushed her into emergency surgery. When she first started feeling seriously ill, she was in search of seeing a naturopath rather than a physician. In this case, she was fortunate enough not to find a naturopath that was available to see her and she ended up having to see a medical doctor. Long story short, if she had not seen the first doctor at a local clinic, she would not have ended up in the ER and lets not get into what could have happened if we hadn’t gone there.

For her, surgery and drugs saved her life. There are countless numbers of other cases out there in which drugs do save their lives. I feel that allopathic or modern medicine does wonders for trauma and other life-threatening illnesses, but at the same time, there is plenty of room for integration. For an effective medical model, integration of modern medicine and natural medicine must take place. Headaches for example are not curable by taking an Advil. The Advil will only suppress the headache and it will be back in a few hours. In the world of natural healthcare, the naturopath, Ayurvedic physician, or other natural health practitioners will examine the root cause of the headache and will aim to eliminate the root cause and thereby healing the headache all together.

It is not fair to only favor one medical model over another. There is a lot of attention placed upon the health care system these days. If effective and efficient healing is to take place, all forms of healing must unite and come together. All healthcare practitioners must work together and only then will holistic medicine really become holistic. Holistic is not only natural medicine, but holistic medicine refers to all forms of medicine coming together as a whole, as a collective unit to work together to heal.

Health and happiness,

Varsha

As we all know, plants in general purify the air, so in that sense, its always good to have plants around. Tulsi radiates positive energy and purifies the environment from any negativity that may be around. Beyond that, I love Tulsi because of all of its healing properties.

First of all, one of the easiest home remedies for a cough is Tulsi. For any kind of cough, drink Tulsi tea. Boil one cup of water with about 3 to 4 fresh Tulsi leaves and drink the tea at least 4 times a day and it will cure the worst of coughs. Fresh leaves work best, but dry leaves are fine as well.

Tulsi is pungent and bitter in taste; therefore, it decreases Vata and Kapha and slightly increases Pitta. However, because the quality of Tulsi is light and dry, it can actually balance Pitta as well. Tulsi has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. It can be applied topically for skin lesions and fungal infections. It decreases pain and swelling and is recommended for fevers. It is excellent for all respiratory related imbalances, such as coughing, asthma, and pulmonary tuberculosis. Tulsi improves digestion and is especially good for the colon. It is also an excellent herb for the nervous system and all autoimmune diseases, as Tulsi promotes and enhances the functioning of Ojas. And the list continues. Depending on the condition, the leaf, root, or seeds are used. Tulsi is one of the most potent, sattwic (pure) herbs.

If I ever feel a cough or cold coming on, and even for family and friends, I simply boil a cup of water with Tulsi and fresh ginger and I am able to prevent an illness from coming forth. Doesn’t that sound rather simple? I would also like to add that drinking Tulsi tea with ginger will also prevent your chances of catching the swine flu, as it does increase Ojas, your immunity.

The entire science and knowledge of Ayurveda is actually quite simple with a simple approach to health. There is a science behind the combination of spices and when you combine various spices and herbs, you can heal just about any imbalance.

Health and happiness,

Varsha

Medicine today has given the impression that only pills can help relieve your symptoms and that only pills can help you get better. The reality is that pills only make things worse. I had a health consult with a middle-aged man who had been taking sleeping pills for a couple decades now. He is dependent upon those pills to be able to sleep. The cause of his sleeplessness was never addressed…only his symptoms. His doctors did not consider his stress levels, his work and family situation, his bed, his diet, and what time he goes to bed. Instead of taking all those factors into consideration, they gave him a pill. The sleeping pills interfere with the natural functioning of the nervous system and therefore, damage the nervous system, including the brain.

Pills are not the solution to health problems. Pharmaceutical drugs only mask the symptoms giving you the impression that you are better, but the reality is that your body is still suffering. Yes, the non-pill approach may appear to be a longer process involving you to be much more alert about your health, but in the long run, the Ayurvedic approach will not only cure the symptoms, but it will heal your body. In Ayurveda, all illnesses are treated from the root cause. If you really want to get better and live a life free from suffering, then taking medications is not the solution. Be willing to try new, alternative approaches towards a better health. Believe it or not, but the Ayurvedic approach does work. You just have to be more active in regards to your health.

Western medicine, also known as Modern Medicine and Allopathic Medicine, has helped save millions of lives. Through the advancement of science, modern medicine is the perfect tool in cases of trauma and serious illnesses. However, allopathy is a disease care system and its job is to manage the disease. When you walk into a doctor’s office, they will ask you your symptoms, check your temperature and blood pressure, and then write a prescription. That prescription will often come with many side effects and that same prescription will not be a cure, but rather a symptom suppressor. So in reality, most drugs never really take care of the problem.

Ayurveda on the other hand, finds the root cause of the problem and treats the problem and body as a whole, rather than just the symptoms.

When imbalance arises in the physiology is when illness arises. There is always a root cause to any pain, discomfort, and any other types of illnesses. Let’s take headaches for example. There are many root causes in which headache is a symptom. Dehydration and indigestion are just a couple reasons in which headaches can occur. If you go the doctor for a headache, they will not take into consideration your diet, routine, and water intake…they will just give you a painkiller. An Ayurvedic physician will find the root cause of the problem and treat the root cause, rather than the symptom. If indigestion is the root cause of the headache, then the digestion will be addressed first and then the headache. A weak digestion or imbalanced digestion is the root cause of most illnesses.

Ayurveda treats to eliminate the root cause of the disease so that the body is healthy and no symptoms exist. A real cure is a cure that completely eliminates the problem, not just a temporary fix. You have one body for your entire life, so its best to maintain it and treat it well so that it will serve you well.

When taking the pulse, a Vaidya will take into consideration more than just the number of beats per minute and how strong the pulse is. When examining the patient through their pulse, a Vaidya will take a look at the physiology on the level of the doshas, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.

 Through the qualities of the doshas and the various levels of the pulse, the Vaidya will be able to accurately assess the individual’s constitution and the balances and imbalances of the physiology. The three great benefits of self-pulse and pulse diagnosis is the ability to detect balances early on, find the root cause, and restore balance. Ayurveda treatments do last longer because not only does Ayurveda treat the root cause, but it also treats the body as a whole. Pulse diagnosis is an effective method in diagnosis that will allow for an effective treatment.

The reason is quite simple. A single vitamin or mineral taken alone has side effects and it uses the isolated chemical approach. For example, taking iron pills can lead to side effects such as constipation. So, what’s the point of taking a vitamin if it causes other problems and is not supporting a healthy functioning of the physiology? A research study done on calcium intake shows that those who took a ‘x’ amount of calcium in the form of pills had a lower bone density than those who took that same amount of calcium within their diet.

 That is the very reason why Ayurveda does not recommend taking vitamin and mineral supplements. Ayurveda aims to restore the proper chemical levels through the diet. All vitamins and minerals are more easily digestible and are more effectively absorbed when taken with food in a natural state.

The reason why herbal medicines, especially Ayurvedic medicines work so well and effectively without side effects is because of their synergistic effect. It is well known in alternative forms of medicine and even in cooking, that more than one ingredient is needed to create its desired effect. Take Indian food for example. Indian food uses a variety of spices, such as ginger, cumin, turmeric and chili powder, which gives the taste it does. In Italian food, spices such as oregano and parsley are added to create its wonderful taste. Similarly, all Ayurvedic herbal remedies use the entire natural composition and most often each medicine contains more than one whole ingredient.

Ayurveda treats the entire body, rather than just the symptoms and that is why although treatments are longer, there are no side effects. To give effective treatment you must take into consideration that more than one process is going on in the body at any given time. Therefore, to be able to effectively treat any illness, you must manage it from the root cause and treat the body as a whole rather than just the symptoms.