Still feeling too hot after several glasses of iced beverages, juicy fruits, ice-cream, a cold shower, and full-blast AC? Then you probably need (more) protein!

Sprouted Mung Medley  

1. Warm your pan and add ½ tsp Mom’s Ghee and allow to melt – do not overheat
2. Add Mom’s Masala
3. Add chillie ginger and curry leaves if you are using any
4. Stir
5. Add cashew pieces, raising, paneer and/or chicken if you are using
6. Stir and make sure all ingredients get fully coated with the ghee and the spices
7. Add the sprouted (and rinsed) mung beans
8. Stir well
9. Sprinkle Soma Salt to taste
10. Add the water, stir
11. Cover and cook on medium heat for 10-12 minutes or until soft

When presented with patients like this it is best to stop, take a breath, and remember what you are taught:  don’t get caught up in the names of the diseases.  This patient was diagnosed with 13 diseases, including fibromyalgia, osteopenia, asthma, ADHD, rheumatoid arthritis, chemical poisoning (from his time in the military) and many more conditions.  He was in excruciating pain, unable to walk or even move, sitting in his house all day drugged from so many pain (and other) medications.

Rather than scattering the treatment protocol, trying to treat each and every disease and symptom, just do what you know how to do, which is:

— first address the main underlying imbalances (hetu)

— next teach good diet and daily routine (dinacharya)

— and THEN begin the detox program

It is always tempting – when presented with a patient who tells you he was poisoned with every known chemical weapon in the military – to begin the detox process immediately.  That is what everyone wants to do, including the patient.

However, keep in mind what Vaidya always taught us:  first prepare the liver for detox:  if it is overheated, detox will only heat it up more, potentially aggravating his inflammation.  We have so many tools available in the SVA pharmacopeia for cooling the liver:  DGL cream down the spine and on the liver, liver clay directly on the liver, Bhumi Amla, both in nectar drops and in powder for a tea, or as a soup.

We also have Mankand – Vaidya taught us that it was the only herb for the liver that did not heat the liver — only cooled it. He said that Bhumi Amla, which is famous for cooling the liver, still had some detoxifying capacity that could prove to be too much in some cases. Another thing I’ve learnt to love about Mankand is its power to regenerate damaged liver cells, useful in cases such as the one we are discussing here, and of course in cases of fatty liver conditions, and/or cirrhosis of the liver.

Next, you must know, Vaidya taught us to to prepare the channels for detox, lubricating them if/when inflamed and dry, to prevent rupture as the hot/acidic amavisha and garavisha toxins are being evacuated.

But first, we ALWAYS make sure to address their digestion, because even with a healthy diet, we can turn food into amavisha or poison, if/when the digestive metabolic fire is not functioning 100%.  This is another reason Vaidya has taught us to wait and begin the detoxification process later, after we address primary basics, rather at the get-go.  For what good will it be if you detox the body trying to reduce the inflammatory load, yet the person keeps making new fresh amavisha from their food, due to the improper combustion and assimilation of food?  You will be stuck in a loop and your protocols will not work, BUT in addition: you can make them worse, as you release nestled toxins in addition to new toxic load being constantly created through the digestive system, and you can end up with severe toxic crises on your hands.

So after you address the SVA basics of digestions/elimination etc, you can then gradually and gently introduce some of the herbs for specific pathologies:  Maha Kantakari drops work well as a bronchodilator. The plant Kantakari has the nature’s intelligence to open and dilate the bronchial tubes, but without side effects.  And unlike pharmaceutical drugs on the market that address lung conditions, Vaidya’s plant-based Nectar drops help heal the lungs, through the intelligence of the plants, to support the physiology in its efforts to correct asthma.

Another amazing plant, in this case, Boswellia acts like a steroid without side effects! My asthma patients do great with boswellia and kantakari Nectar drops with long term usage.  The great thing about boswellia is that it helps the inflammatory process as a whole, all over the body.  So in cases like the current patient, it will help with fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis and overall pain and stiffness, in addition to addressing the lungs.

Interesting side note:    When Vaidya was teaching me about using boswellia, I researched it further.  Taking note that it is also known as Frankincense, I told Vaidya, “You may not know this, coming from India, but Frankincense was offered to Christ as a gift by the Three Wise Men from the East.” 

He replied, chuckling, “Yes, Yes!  The Three Wise Men were from my family lineage! The English work “magi” can be historically and linguistically traced back to the “Mag Brahmin”s, my ancestors. I knew he had told us his family lineage was divine, but then I really understood what he meant!

Back to our patient:  One of the best remedies for healing the cartilage in the joints is Healthy Joints capsules, which contains eco-sustainably harvested Shringh Bhasma (Deer Antler ash) as well as Boswellia.  Shringh Bhasma, is great for healing the cartilage in the joints.  I love this remedy, specially as when combined with the anti-inflammatory boswellia, you can go so far so fast with the healing.

In addition, Nirgundi Nectar drops works very effectively for arthritic patients.  It is an Ayurvedic herb which also heals the cartilage — I have had amazing results with this remedy.  And don’t forget Healthy Joints drops which are also great for the joints.

As far as osteopenia goes, we have so, so many remedies for that:

Praval Panchamrit is the five types of ocean calcium — from two types of coral (red and white), two types of pearls and baby snail shells — all ground down and incinerated repeatedly to insure smooth absorption into the bone cells.  The calcium supplements people take nowadays stays stuck in the arteries, forming hard plaque and hardening of the arteries, paving the way for heart attacks.  If we can’t obtain this remedy (because it is so hard to make) we’ll give Soma Cal capsules, which is also a live version of calcium, coral calcium, taken from the delicate branches of the coral plant.  Vaidya told me the heavy metals in the ocean could sink to the root of the coral plant, which was why he always took the coral from the delicate parts of the plant.  Also, the molecules were smaller, aiding in better assimilation into the cells.

Bone herb (Asthi Shrinkala) is excellent for bone regeneration — we now have regular Bone Herb drops, as well as the stronger version Maha Bone Herb, as well as the crude bone herb powder for use in the thermos or made as a tea.

Hopefully everyone is familiar with Vaidya’s Magnesium products — all the oils, cream and roll-on.  This magnesium chloride is the best to use in the body.  The magnesium sulfate (epsom salts) has an effect, but it is short-lived.  Plus the magnesium sulfate has to be converted to the magnesium chloride form, so you might as well give the magnesium chloride form to begin with.

By now you all probably know it is not good to take Vitamin D orally.  We have to honor the liver in everything we eat, making sure the food is good for the liver, and in all the remedies and supplements we take, since they too have to be scanned by the liver.  Vitamin D is a fatty Vitamin and can give result in a fatty liver after long-term oral use.  Not only that, by dumping that much fat into the gall bladder day after day one can create thickness in the bile, resulting in bile sludge, which can give a whole host of gall bladder problems.  Best to use Vitamin D through the skin, either as a cream, a roll-on or a deoderant. Vaidya’s cutting-edge and in-depth understanding of transdermal delivery is here once more evident.

Finally, Vitamin K2 is important for directing the calcium that we take into the body to the bones and teeth, keeping it away from the arteries (causing hardening of the arteries), joints (causing arthritis) and the organs.  However, it is hardly found anywhere in the diet.  But did you know that the great source of Vitamin K2 is ghee?  And probiotic ghee, or “Mom’s Ghee” is the best ghee of all, since the friendly bacteria in the probiotic cultures used to make the ghee break the fat down into smaller particles for better absorption into the cells.  Always keep in mind too that the fat tissue is transformed into the bone tissue (Meda makes Asthi), therefore, we need an excellent source of fat in the diet for this transformation to occur, resulting in proper bone health.  Ghee is the best source of fat, with only four carbons in its chain, it is the easiest of any oil to digest (all vegetable oils have anywhere from 15 or even up to 25 carbons in their chain — the liver has to dismantle the carbon chain coming into it once you swallow the oil, creating tremendous strain on the liver.  Ghee is such a small carbon chain it hardly needs any breakdown by the liver and is almost instantly absorbed into the system!)

These case histories are so rewarding for me to share.  I will try to give explanations in the case histories so that you, the doctor, practitioner, or the patient, can learn how to use these exciting and amazing remedies for healing. 

Thank you Vaidya for all you have left behind for us.  We have so many tools to work with.

Dr. Marianne Teitelbaum

Cinnaminson, New Jersey

856-786-3330

From the Northwest Institute of Ayurveda, Arcata CA, Traci Webb writes: 

We enjoyed an amazing debut week together at the new SVA Ayurveda Culinary Academy in Arcata, California.  Students learned SVA Ayurveda Nutrition theory and prepared special recipes passed on from Vaidya Mishra from his parents and grandparents. It was truly a blessing to be steeped in Vaidya’s knowledge and to be sharing it with my students and passing it on.  It is such an honor and a treasure. The students loved Vaidya’s recipes so much that discussions began about opening up the first Ayurvedic restaurant in Arcata, CA serving SVA Ayurveda recipes and inspirations!  We had such a wonderful time preparing foods we know are nourishing and cleansing, and learning just how to use them for specific situations such as Vaidya’s lauki-beet recipe for nourishing rakta and reducing anemia without overheating the liver.  Such a beautiful recipe which calls for 20% beets to 80% lauki.  The beets provide proper nourishment of rakta to boost iron reserves in the blood, while the lauki squash simultaneously protects the liver from the beet’s tendency to overheat the liver. The lauki has so much soma it soothes the vibrational heart in such a real and tangible way.  It is also sweet, astringent and light which is rare for a food with so much soma to be light.  So it is perfect for folks with pitta or even kapha nature or imbalances which simultaneously increases the sattva or “light of the gem” as Vaidya would say, to instantly nourish the vibrational heart and also to soothe the nerves. We also put a little twist onto some of the recipes in keeping with the spirit and needs of the moment.  For example, we derived so much instant bliss from Vaidya’s Phool Makhana recipe that it was as if we were communing with the lotus seeds themselves, deep within our heart.  So much so, in fact, that we instantaneously felt our vibrational hearts pop wide open with so much bliss and connectedness, it was as if we were merged in the ocean of pure consciousness together.  In that deep heart-opened state of pure love and bliss, the lotus seeds sent us a message that we were to add a just a sprinkle of cinnamon to our homemade Ayurvedic “Crackerjacks” (as Vaidya called them), in order to enliven our heart soma ever more fully, without burning up its soma. It was as if the soma brought in by the treat was so profound, it required a little more agni due to our damp northern climate to keep things open and flowing!  Purely magical foods and recipes Vaidya has left us all with.  What a true gift his SVA Ayurveda lineage and cookbooks are to us all.  A definite resource for all future SVA generations to come.   Vaidya’s timeless family recipes truly healed each and every one of us from the inside out together this past week. We witnessed tears of suffering falling the first day which were transformed to pure transcendent bliss by the end of the first day and continued to increase daily throughout the week. Our class concluded with the outer reflection of that bliss expressed through continuous celebration of life through song (daily kirtan) lead by our local kirtan devi Shemaia Skywater, and later Bollywood group dancing and even henna hair dying! lead by my dear friend and HSU professor Meenal Rana.  I feel so blessed to be surrounded by these women.  Our SVA Ayurveda Shakti Tribe!   In this time that we live, we are called to allow that expression of Mother Divine to flow through us, to be the mother to all, as best we can. For it is truly the “mother” energy that Vaidya spoke about so often, but also which our planet is in need of at this time. As Theordore Roosevelt put it, to “do what you can, with all you have, wherever you are”.  Thank you Vaidya for tirelessly sharing your SVA Ayurveda wisdom with us for so many years. For setting such a pure example of a loving teacher, healer, father, friend, brother and husband. Your love and wisdom are truly unparalleled in our age.  Your unsurpassed formulations are the expression of the healing art PERFECTED.  I know that we will as a SVA Family continue to share your wisdom, in its entirety, to the best of our abilities for the benefit of all. Thank you for bringing us together even more closely from the realm beyond. Our love and devotion for you is truly the “glue” binding us all together.  Thank you for teaching us the importance of love, not only for the body and mind, but most importantly for the heart.  

Traci Webb is an Ayurveda Activist who inspires personal and planetary evolution through teaching SVA Ayurvedic wisdom, training women wellness leaders, and offering one-on-one private sessions. 

NORTHWEST INSTITUTE OF AYURVEDA
Evolutionary Education & Health Services
1433 11th Street, #G, Arcata, CA 95521
www.ayurvedicliving.com
P: (707) 601-9025
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from Divya and Prentiss Alter in New York City, New York: 

Divya’s Kitchen is growing steadily. EaterNYC listed us among the 12 best brunch restaurants in NYC and Tasting Table included us in the 10 Best Gluten-Free Restaurants in NYC. This is a big deal for a restaurant that does not serve alcohol, meat, fish, eggs (onions, garlic, nightshades, mushrooms :-)!

We recently had Russel Brand for lunch (see photo attached). They absolutely loved it and will be back in September. Russel tweeted photos from Divya’s Kitchen, “Delicious food. Lower East side. Upper taste side. Ethically transcendentant of all maps.”

Divya’s Kitchen is now open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday – Sunday, 11:30 am – 10 pm.

We have a wide delivery range in NYC.

Sales of SVA products are also growing–Chandika.com now has to keep up with us 🙂

Bhagavat Life recently hosted an event for the Princeton Alumni Association 40 Plus Salon. Divya gave a 30-minute presentation of SV Ayurvedic principles of food as medicine, and then served a plated 4-course dinner to the 30 guests. These were very inquisitive and educated people, many of them university professors or in executive positions, some of them MDs. They were quite intrigued and receptive of the SVA concepts and purchased all of Divya’s cookbooks available in stock!

Divya’s Cookbook, What to Eat for How You Feel: The New Ayurvedic Kitchen, has been receiving many shining reviews.

Rebecca Wood, Julia Child and James Beard Award–winning author of The Splendid Grain, author of The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia wrote:

“Divya Alter’s What to Eat for How You Feel is based on a living Ayurvedic tradition and is remarkable for conveying primal, jargon-free information. She writes eloquently and helps you attune to your ever-changing digestive needs with healing meals.”

Rebecca Wood has been in the forefront of health food education for the past 40 years. She was so impressed by the SVA knowledge that would like to include aspects of it in her next revision of her book The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia 

(Penguin) and collaborate with Divya as the SVA food expert.

This is in a nutshell. Prentiss and I are most grateful for the opportunity to share SVA deliciously and hope that Vaidya is smiling upon us 🙂

from Purnima Chaudhury in Manitoba, Canada:

This patient came to our clinic only two months ago  seeking remedies for his diabetes and neuropathy – this is an accompanying condition when the nerves in the extremeties (hands and feet) get numb and degenerate due to high blood sugar levels .

As you know, with Vaidya Mishra’s SV Ayurveda protocols, we do have remedies for diabetes, which I will mention further in this article, but first we had to find out what may have caused his diabetes in the first place so that we could address the root cause.  Otherwise, the SVA herbs would/could have some effect, but probably minimally at best.

During a client’s first visit, my protocol is to first identify any/all weaknesses I detect in the physiology. Then, based on my findings, whether those weaknesses are directly connected to the actual condition or not, I treat them first by prescribing a program of herbs to address those imbalances. On the second visit, which occurs usually the next week, we discuss all aspects of a healthy SVA diet, and in so doing, will usually identify some mistakes the patient has been making which more than likely contributed to their symptoms.

In his first visit, I established that Richard’s liver and pancreas needed attention. Usually the six stages of the disease process ending with diabetes begin with the liver. When the patient does nothing to address the liver imbalance, the disease/imbalance continues to grow, to the point where the liver can’t function properly.  One of the functions of the liver is to keep blood sugar in check. If left unaddressed, blood sugar levels can slowly rise over time.  After years of neglecting the liver imbalance/condition, the pancreas will eventually get involved.

The Liver’s Role in Regulating Blood Sugar

The liver stores as well as produces sugar.  The liver acts as the body’s glucose (or fuel) reservoir, and helps to keep your circulating blood sugar levels and other body fluids steady and constant.  The liver both stores and manufactures glucose depending upon the body’s need.   The need to store or release glucose is primarily signaled by the hormones insulin and glucagon (made by the pancreas).

During a meal, your liver will store sugar, or glucose, as glycogen for a later time when your body needs it.  The high levels of insulin and suppressed levels of glucagon during a meal promote the storage of glucose as glycogen.

When you’re not eating, especially overnight or between meals, the body has to make its own sugar.  The liver supplies sugar or glucose by turning glycogen into glucose in a process called glycogenolysis.  The liver also can manufacture necessary sugar or glucose by harvesting amino acids, waste products and fat byproducts.  This process is called glucogenesis.  I mention these important details to remind everyone to always address the liver when dealing with diabetes — we don’t just focus on the pancreas.

Early Intervention is Key

I see numerous patients in the early stages of liver malfunction whose blood sugar is gradually but steadily increasing like this.  The doctors tell them to cut back on sweets and perform annual blood work to monitor the blood sugar.  Once the blood sugar maintains high levels regularly, they resort to the use of pharmaceuticals to lower/control the blood sugar levels.  These medications are not only riddled with side effects, but they do not address the underlying imbalances creating the blood sugar problem in the first place.

These are some of the many reasons I stick with Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda (SVA) — by detecting the early stages of imbalances, one can affect changes soon enough to prevent the condition from developing into a full blown disease.  Don’t forget, the ancient doctors said try to intervene in the early stages of a disease process when imbalances are relatively easy to address.  Whereas when the imbalances are left unaddressed and develop into a diagnosed disease which typically corresponds to the 6th stage of development, things are harder, if not impossible, to fix. In the earlier stages, not only can we correct the imbalances but we can also fix the reason why the blood sugar goes into an increasing loop.

So in every case, when blood sugar levels are higher than normal, we start by addressing root factors so as to prevent the situation from developing into a full-blown chronic condition, in this case diabetes.  I am happy to report with this case history that even though this patient had already been diagnosed with diabetes, we were able to normalize his blood sugar down to normal levels. This reminds us to never give-up on a patient, even when they have been already diagnosed. Over the past 30 years of my active practice, I have encountered so many patients who came to my clinic with advanced conditions. I would initially think things had gone too far for me to be able to help them, but would soon find out they responded very well to the protocols I would give them. So was the case with Richard. Having been a diabetic for already 10 years, his condition was quite advanced, but we Vaidya’s gentle yet evective protocols, he responded extremely well. This is what we did.

I gave him Vaidya’s SVA Liver Pro Cream to apply down his spine, twice a day, and to drink Karela Soup Mix at lunch every day. In addition, I gave him the Gymnema Brew to drink after dinner every evening.  We then changed his diet to include less starchy foods, such as grains, sweet potatoes. Instead he was told to favor quinoa as his primary grain. Did you know that  quinoa isn’t a grain, it’s a seed? It thus contains more protein than grains. Richard’s diet was amended to consist mostly of healthy protein and vegetables.

On this protocol, he lost 30 pounds within two months and his blood sugar levels went back to normal. At that time, he was able to discontinue his allopathic medications – under his medical doctor’s guidance.

Addressing Neuropathy

Richard also had diabetic neuropathy.  For that, I used Maha Vedana Shanti Cream to open the channels, then Maha Sensitive Plant Cream next to heal the nerve tissue. There are other channel-opening creams Vaidya left us with which could also have been used, such as Flex ’n Flow, Super Sport, Tribindu Spray, Sancharan – circulation was key in Vaidya’s SVA approach, so each cream addresses circulation from a different angle and level. But Richard’s neuropathy was completely reversed with this approach.

Neuropathy is a serious condition that’s very difficult to treat through modern medicine, because our understanding of its underlying root causes is limited. That is why, with allopathy, at best, we can only mask the pain of neuropathy without really addressing it. Sensitive plant was one of Vaidya’s favorite remedies, used to heal an inflamed nerve (such as in tooth pain or sciatica). It can also be used in a nectar drop form – this is Vaidya’s ayurvedic homeopathic dosage of an herb. For advanced conditions and resistant conditions, Vaidya made the Sensitive Plant with Abhrak Bhasma — if you recall, the abhrak bhasma is a nano particle of silica.  This silica is burnt over 1,000 times (it takes four years!) until it becomes small enough so as to penetrate a cell membrance carrying in the balancing properties of the herb it accompaines.  This bhasma can drag whatever is with it into the cell. It acts as a carrier. Making a formula of Sensitive Plant with Abhrak Bhasma was an ingenious creation of Vaidya.  He knew that the nerve tissue damage was deep and sometimes it needed this potent vehicle to transport further into the cell.   It has absolutely no side effects.  This is one of the main remedies we use in our MS patients – I’ll cover that with another case history in the future.

Vaidya also taught me we can use Harsingar  for nerve pain as well, although this patient responded so well and so quickly it was not necessary to add any other remedies.

With Vaidya’s hundreds of formulas, we can treat just about anything that presents to our SVA clinic.  I will continue to present as many case histories as I can to show the vast array of chronic imbalances that we can fix using our unique SVA technologies.

Thank you again Vaidya for your relentless work which is benefitting thousands of patients around the world.  We will forever be indebted to you and the knowledge you shared with us.

Dr. Marianne Teitelbaum

Cinnaminson, NJ

To set up an over-the-phone SVA evaluation with Dr Marianne, or for

questions, call: 1-856-786-3330

Is it true that we drinking water on a fully empty stomach first thing in the morning, before breakfast, will improve your health by reducing bloating, flushing out toxins, cleansing your colon and activating your bowels? Is it true that it will increase your appetite? That it can prevent headaches? Reduce bad breath? The SVA answer is “no, not at all!”

But why?

1. We need Samagni – balanced agni or metabolic fire – in the stomach, to have balanced digestion. The agni in the stomach is called “pachag agni,” from the verb “pachan” to cook. It “cooks” the food we ingest. If we pour a glass of water on our digestive fire first thing in the morning, all we are doing is putting out the fire. In order to have balanced digestion which results in proper elimination, we need to re-awaken, gently re-ignite the digestive fire after the hours of nightly sleep. Drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning is the opposite action and will result in putting out.

2) The stomach is not just a receptacles where food and liquids get churned and go through. It is a highly sophisticated organ where 3 different cosmic principles are in action 24/7. These are called “sub-doshas.” The subdoshas are an expression of the the cosmic creative powers of Soma, Agni, and Marut in our physiology. Each subdosha fulfills a different function in the following manner:

1. 1. Samana Vata – an expression of Marut – provides mobility for the food to be churned
   2. Pachak Agni – an expression of Agni –  breaks down and processes the food
   3. Kledak Kapha – an expression of Soma – lubricates and moisturizes the stomach environment

When the subdoshas are in balance, in their optimal state, not stuck, or hindered, they then create a “perfect” digestive environment where there is a state of “samagni” – balanced digestive agni, or digestive fire. This is the state where you feel hungry, then you eat a proper nourishing meal, and you feel satiated after digesting. When you have samagni, you don’t experience lack of appetite, or excessive appetite, sour or acid stomach, or bloating, gas, or heaviness, after eating.

As you’ve guessed by now, in order to maintain a state of digestive samagni, there are a few things one should and should NOT do, because keeping your digestive fire in balance is important for your overall health.

Total health starts in your stomach. So if your digestive is sluggish, this is when you have a low metabolic fire (mandagni) then you experience little or no appetite; if your digestive fire is too high (tikshnagni) then you will overeat – in the sense of not even being able to stop even after eating a full meal. If you feel sometimes very hungry and other times not hungry at all, when you should actually be hungry, then you have what is called vishmagni (erratic digestive agni).

So what should you do before breakfast? Whether you wake up hungry, or thirsty, or feeling not hungry at all, Vaidya Mishra’s “one size fits all” SVA delicious recipe is stewed fruits steamed/cooked with 1-2 cloves. You can make this fresh early in the morning, or peel and slice an apple and pear, one or either, add a little water, 1-2 cloves, in your slow cooker, and let is stew overnight. You can add 1/4 or 1/8 stick of cinnamon. In the morning, before you drink or eat anything, enjoy your stewed fruits.

This stewed fruit recipe is balanced in its Soma, Agni, and Marut properties. It has enough of each in a perfect ratio to gently re-ignite your digestive fire after a night of sleep. In addition, if you have an imbalance, it will correct it! It is the best way to start your day. After your morning stewed fruits, you can have your regular breakfast, whether its your oats, or your high protein meal. You can also have your stewed fruits before your yogic or morning prayers, as it is light enough not to interfere with your practice.

If you feel you are still thirsty after having your stewed fruit, add a little extra water while cooking it and sip on that juice while eating the fruits, as it is not a good idea to drink water with your stewed fruits, or any fruits for that matter. To your health!

Read more on Vaidya’s blog:  https://www.svayurveda.com/?s=stewed+apple

Explore Vaidya’s full line of unique ayurvedic formulations to support stomach Samagni –

Hypothyrodism: A Case History

I am seeing rising epidemic levels of thyroid disorders every week in my practice.  The high levels of stress we all experience on an ongoing basis are particularly draining for the endocrine system, especially the thyroid and adrenal glands. Ongoing stress weakens the endocrine system. In this article I want to address the thyroid gland primarily; however, I will be discussing the adrenal gland function as well, since whenever we are trying to balance the thyroid gland, it comes up.

The ancient doctors who cognized Ayurveda described six stages of a disease process.  In the first two stages when an imbalance is developing, the body displays no symptoms yet.  By the third and fourth stages visible and identifiable symptoms become apparent.  And if you let these imbalances continue without addressing them, by the fifth and sixth stages you can develop a full-blown disease, which modern medicine can identify and name. By the fifth stage, it is harder to reverse already. The sixth stage is irreversible.

The goal of medicine, therefore, ideally, should be to detect these imbalances in the earlier stages thus preventing disease.  Modern medicine places the most emphasis on diagnosing and treating disease when the symptoms are visible. With modern medicine, we detect and identify an ailment when it has already advanced to the fifth or even sixth stage, primarily because we do not have an understanding that can help us see and identify and understand things at earlier stages. Modern science monitors patients throughout their lives with bloodwork, scans, etc. and if/when they develop a disease, they administer medicines for suppressing or manage the symptoms of that disease. Identifying the underlying cause is not possible, because the system does not have the tools required for such understanding. And as Vaidya always reminded us, without isolating the underlying cause, it is impossible to correct and address an imbalance at all.

As you can guess, it is much easier to reverse imbalances, when we can identify them at their root, than it is to treat a disease. This is why, in SV Ayurveda, we devote much of our attention on preventing disease, rather than reacting to it.  And this is particularly important in the treatment of thyroid dysfunction.

I see basically two types of thyroid problems in my practice.  The first, and most common, is where I can easily detect thyroid malfunction yet the patient’s thyroid hormones (TSH, T3, T4, thyroid antibodies, etc.) fall within the normal limits. The patient is usually riddled with symptoms of hypothyroidism.

The second scenario is where the thyroid hormones are low, and the doctor immediately prescribes thyroid medication, yet the patient presents to me still fully symptomatic, with continuing symptoms of thyroid imbalance even while on the prescribed medication:  weight gain, hair loss, depression, swelling in the extremities, heartbeat arrhythmias, constipation, cold hands and feet, muscle cramping, and irregular menstrual cycles.

Let’s discuss these two scenarios showing how best we can address them through SVA.  In the first case, we address the thyroid even though the bloodwork shows no signs of problems.  Remember, the patient is now in the 3^rd and 4^th stage of imbalance, distinct symptoms are there, yet in modern medical terms, it is not a condition that can be and should treated as an ailment.

In the second case, if the patient hasn’t been on their prescribed thyroid hormone medication too long, we usually try to wean them off it, over several weeks’ to months’ time, as we address the malfunctioning thyroid.  As we go through life, stress can weaken the glandular system and it can malfunction.  So proper rest for the body is essential. Only when the body is getting proper rest can and do herbs help to strengthen the glands so they can regain their full function. 

If you give medicines to the thyroid hormone immediately without trying to heal the imbalances, the thyroid gland will actually shut down.  Keep in mind:  the thyroid only produces its hormones when the levels of thyroid hormone are low.  The hypothalamus releases thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) to tell the thyroid to release its hormones.  Thus, if the patient is taking the thyroid hormone, the thyroid gland can actually “go to sleep” since it is no longer needed to make the hormones.  Thus, if the patient hasn’t been on the hormones too long, they can actually be weaned off (as in this patient’s case) while we address the thyroid. 

HOW DO WE ADDRESS THYROID GLAND IMBALANCES?

First and foremost:  proper rest!  The patient must be instructed to go to bed no later than 10:00 p.m.  I tell my patients to try to unwind at night. For this, I advise them not to engage in stimulating activities, to favor sitting quietly, perhaps reading, and to avoid computers, cell phones, long telephone conversations, loud jarring or emotionally stressful movies.  If you allow your body to unwind, you will be surprised to find that you naturally fall asleep or start to feel like going to bed around 8:30 or 9:00 p.m.

The glandular system is like the battery we run on.  It needs to be recharged.  If we get that first signal of fatigue yet force ourselves to stay up longer and later, the endocrine system will kick in, releasing more adrenalin and cortisol to keep you awake. Then we get second wind and we keep going. But there is a big price to pay for this in the long run, because we are actually overexerting our glandular system, and weakening it. We will end up with fatigued adrenals, thyroid and reproductive glands.

So first thing to remember is: if you feel sleepy and tired around 8:30-9pm, don’t ignore that impulse,  go to bed.  If you are used to going to bed (very) late, you have to slowly re-establish an early bedtime by going to bed earlier 15 minutes every night and waking up 15 minutes earlier every morning.  The goal is to be awake either before or as the sun is rising, for optimum health.  In fact, the ancient rishis said the body initially goes out of balance by either poor diet and/or late bedtime.  Ayurveda clearly says that humans will experience optimal health when they are active when the sun goes up, and asleep when the sun goes down. Science is not oblivious to this detail.  A study was conducted in which animals were exposed to glaring light disturbing them in their sleep at night. The animals confused the light for daytime, and they re-engaged in activity, staying awake later than they should.  The result?  It weakened their endocrine systems, and problems with ovulation and reproduction developed! The parallels that we can draw to the way the human physiology responds are very interesting to say the least.

So bedtime and rest is optimum if you want to balance your endocrine system.

Second, do not consume any soy products, as the isoflavones in the soy depresse thyroid function. This includes tofu, soy milk, and edamame – or any other prepared foods that may contain some form or other of soy.

WHAT ARE THE BEST HERBS FOR THE THYROID?

Ashwagandha is one of the best herbs for both the thyroid and the adrenal glands, however, this herb carries “heating” properties in ayurvedic terms. This is why Vaidya Mishra recommended taking it transdermally or through his ingenious nectar drops.  Ashwagandha cream can be applied to the lower spine twice a day.  There are two strengths to the Ashwagandha drops.  We use the less potent one (plain Ashwagandha drops) if the thyroid and/or adrenals are a little weak. We use the more potent one (Maha Ashwagandha drops) if the thyroid and adrenals are completely exhausted and the patient can barely function.

Shilajit (mineral pitch) is also great for the thyroid gland, yet it too is extremely heating in ayurvedic terms, and may give numerous reactions when taken, especially if the patient has high ranjaka pitta, or an overworked liver, which is nearly everyone these days! 

The ancient rishis developed 6 formulas for women’s thyroid and endocrine system using shilajit.  In many cases, it was the first ingredient in the formula.  Vaidya made a remedy called “Soma Shakti” based on the classical formula, however, he put the shilajit (also called “mineral pitch”) as the last ingredient to prevent the overheating or overexertion of the liver.  I like to use this remedy whenever possible. Unfortunately, most of my patients cannot handle it. So I rever to the milder nectar drops he made to replace Soma Shakti when the patient couldn’t tolerate it. These two drops are “Shakti for Her” drops and “Multimineral Support Drops”.  Most patients respond very well to these.

The thyroid gland makes mostly T4, a hormone which has four iodines attached to tyrosine.  However, the T4 has to be converted to the more active form T3, which the body can use.  The conversion of T4 to T3 occurs in the liver and by the friendly bacteria in the gut.  So you have to make sure liver function is good and there are plenty of thriving friendly bacteria in the gut.  Having said that, I can honestly say that 99.9% of my patients need attention to both the liver and the gut, due to the high incidence of antibiotics, birth control pills and immunizations people have received over a lifetime – these, and numerous other medications, along with processed foods, creates malfunction in the liver and depletion of the friendly bacteria.  If you read previous newsletters, you can find out how these two areas are easily treated with our protocols.

Also, for the conversion of T4 to T3, Vitamin D and Magnesium are necessary.  We recommend both of these transdermally:  Vitamin D taken orally can clog the bile in the gall bladder (because it is a highly fatty molecule) and can, over time, create a fatty sluggish liver.  Vaidya makes Vitamin D Cream, Roll-on and Deoderant, so that it can be taken from the skin directly into the blood, bypassing the liver and gall bladder.

Magnesium shouldn’t be taken orally for several reasons.  When you take it orally, you automatically overdose, and the body has loose bowel movements to help you get rid of it.  Also, magnesium, in its composition,  is like shards of glass, and over time can create “striations” in the gut, damaging the gut lining.  Vaidya always said it was best to give magnesium through the skin, transdermally. That is why he put together numerous remedies for taking magnesium: the lipid-based  cream, the water-based roll-ons, or the massage oils.  The best oil to use for the thyroid gland is Magnesium Oil with Ashwagandha.  These oils can be used for daily self massage:  warm the oil bottle slightly in your sink, pour into your plam, and apply onto your body starting with your extremeties (feet, hands, etc). Leave the oil on for 20 minutes, then shower off.  You can leave it on if you prefer when the weather is hot, or it’s summer time. Do not do a massage after sunset. Do not leave any oil on overnight.  Do a self-massage with oil massages 3-7 times a week, depending on your time constraints. The benefits are countless.

Occasionally I see men with hypothyroid conditions.  In this case, Vaidya made “Agni Shakti” tablets for them and the glyceride version is “Shakti for Him” drops. 

This is the true “art” of practicing medicine.  First, being able to identify the underlying problem or root cause, and then actually addressing the problem, not covering it up. Patients are always extremely grateful to find practitioners who practice in this truly holistic way, and we as practitioners, are extremely grateful to Vaidya Mishra, for his deep understanding of how to fix nearly everything in this modern day, always making variations on the ancient Ayurvedic formulas while still maintaining and not straying from the essence of the ancient texts.  Thank you so much Vaidya.  Your work will continue to live on through your adoring practitioners and their countless patients who will continue to receive relief from their suffering through your unique effective formulations.

Dr. Marianne Teitelbaum

Cinnaminson, New Jersey

To set up an in-person or over-the-phone SVA assessment with Dr. Teitelbaum, call: 1-856-786-3330