“Don’t FLAX It!” – with Dr T; Bone Health Workshop Update; and more… – your SV Ayurveda Newsletter Oct 24, 2024 – #43, Vol 14

Are your mornings sluggish and on the low-end? Do you need something to perk you up but dread the side-effects of caffeine? A Sip of Mom’s Chai might just be what you need… 

This blend was made to enhance circulation in the physical and vibrational channels, and to supply more oxygenation overall to all organs and organ-systems. This tridoshic chai blend will awaken your physiology from its nocturnal slumber and ready it for the activities of the day ahead –

without wreaking havoc in your body or mind!

Here’s another wonderful detail: if you wish to add black, green, or white tea leaves for a caffeine boost, this blend will give you the benefits but buffer the side-effects of the caffeine in the tea leaves. With its ayurvedic properties, your body will be able to easily and smoothly handle the caffeine without going into a morning shock! 

So what exactly are the ayurvedic properties of this blend?

• This spice blend, because of its ayurvedic synergistic ratio – how much of each spice with which spice determines how they both work together in harmony – will open the srotas (physical channels) of the stomach, liver, heart, and mind, WITHOUT heating them up;
• This tea blend also unclogs the burners of the “dehagni” – cellular metabolism – without aggravating/over-activating them;

Best of all, this tea blend is TRIDOSHIC: suitable for ALL Ayurvedic body types, specially great for high pitta types who need a boost but can’t handle the acidity or caffeine of chai;

The greatest option is you can make it in different strengths to suit your needs: add a little more or less depending on how you are feeling and how much of a “pick-me-up” you need… So what’s in this chai mix?

4 SIMPLE INGREDIENTS and what they do

1. Nutmeg: pacifies and resets the mind, sharpens it through calming down prana vata, to ready it for the day;
2. Cinnamon: energizes you by enhancing and supporting sugar metabolism;
3. Ginger: when ayurvedically prepared, supplies metabolic warmth to burn off ama – toxic build-up – from the night;
4. Cardamom: awakens the metabolic system, opening and clearing the channels in the nasal and oral cavities.

Try a cup, here’s how you can make it

DIRECTIONS

Add ½ tsp to 10 oz water and bring to a boil. You may add less or more depending on your body type and preferences – remember: it’s gentle but strong, discover what works best for you. Alternately you may also add it to a cup of already hot water, cover, and infuse for 8-10 minutes.

Another delicious way of making it is to add ½ tsp to a glass of milk and bring to a boil. It will make the milk more easy to digest and delicious. You may cool it off a bit and add 1 tsp of honey to the milk.

Enjoy! 

Don’t Flax It!

Ayurvedic Perspective on Flax Seeds

~ Dr Marianne Teitelbaum

In the Western world, we just look at the nutritional value of the food, and if that is the only parameter we take into account, then sometimes we can get into trouble. This is especially true in the case of flax seeds.

We get caught up in the fact that there are some amazing nutrients within the flax seed, such as omega-3’s which they are very high in. They also contain Vitamin C, iron, Vitamin B1, copper, and molybdenum. They contain one of the highest sources of alpha linoleic acid (ALA). ALA is an essential fatty acid that your body cannot produce.

However, in Ayurveda, we recommend that you NOT consume them. Why would that be, when they sound so nutritious? It’s because we look at what happens after the food comes in. 

One of the very important things we look at is the effects on the liver. In this modern era, the liver is under constant assault from the 80,000 toxins we allow in our environment, in the air, food, water and even the pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals we all take. 

Because of this high volume of toxins, which our ancestors never had to encounter — the liver is overheating in about 99% of the population. Don’t forget that the liver is the main filter of any toxins that enter the body. Combine this with the fact that most environmental toxins are acidic in nature and thus, create heat. Which means that in time the liver will overheat, unless we know how to detoxify it while at the same time keeping it cool. This is an art we have not as yet perfected here in the west since most herbs which detoxify the liver are very heating: milk thistle, for example, is one of the hottest of all herbs for the liver!

It turns out that all nuts and seeds create some heat as well. This is why it is recommended to soak them in water either overnight or at least an hour or so before you eat them. The soaking will cool them down. Sesame seeds are especially heating so if we encounter a patient whose liver is very hot, creating some autoimmune diseases, cancer, food sensitivities or rashes, then we would tell them to avoid eating sesame seeds until the liver cools down from the herbs, dietary changes and other cooling therapies we would give them.

When it comes to the use of flax seeds, they are more than just heating — they are extremely heating. My teacher and mentor, Vaidya Rama Kant Mishra used to teach his students by giving them concrete examples which is one of the best ways to teach. He loved telling them his favorite story about flax seeds. 

In India where he had a successful Ayurvedic practice in several town, there were poor people who could not afford much food, so many of them would eat flax seeds since they are so cheap and easy to grow. 

He would then tell us how consuming the flax seeds would heat both their liver and spleen to the point where it created many health problems in those patients, where he and his father, another famous Vaidya or Doctor of Ayurveda from India, had to help to heal the poor souls from the ravages of the flax seeds they had consumed. He told us that the flax seeds were so heating that it created numerous problems in both the liver and the spleen, which are considered pitta organs, which means they inherently already contain some heat. But the addition of the pungent flax seeds took them over the edge. Both he and his father had to take numerous steps and utilize various treatments to try to get these people back to good health after they consumed flax seeds for so long.

Then when my teacher came to America he encountered people who could actually afford to eat healthy food — and he was therefore in shock when he encountered many of the “health conscious” people who were eating flax seed thinking it was healthy and not realizing the damaging effects it was creating in their liver and spleen.

So the next time you are told to eat flax seeds due to their high omega-3 content, please realize that while they may contain these healthy fats and other nutrients, in the long run they will “torture your liver,” as Vaidya used to say. So you might be better off avoiding them and instead choose nuts and sunflower seeds which you should soak in water before eating. And do keep in mind that even if you soak the flax seeds in water they are still not recommended — even the cooling effect of water isn’t enough to cool them down to the point where they won’t harm the body.

And don’t worry — the diet that we give our patients is very high in all the good fats such as Omega 3’s, by including whole milk, dairy products, ghee, olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds. And the daily oil massages we recommend enable every cell on the skin to absorbs the various oils we recommend, taking the omega 3’s and other nutrients directly into the bloodstream from the skin.

I hope this video will help you to understand the value of the energetics of foods and what happens inside our bodies once we swallow them, and not just be led by the nutritional value of the food only.

Thank you,

Dr. Marianne Teitelbaum

drmteitelbaum.com

856-786-3330

BONE HEALTH WORKSHOP NEWS

200 people enrolled for Elizabeth’s Bone Health Workshop. After the presentation we had an hour long Q&A session.

Elizabeth’s training as a pharmacist coupled with her ayurvedic expertise made for a super informative and insightful session on bone health. There is so much information out there about what to do, supplements, protocols, etc. It becomes very hard to distinguish between what works and what can even harm. Sometimes you just need to adjust your daily routine and dietary protocols do get better results. And some time-tested ayurvedic wisdom always comes in handy!

Want to find out more?

Schedule a one-on-one with Elizabeth and discuss what’s going on with you, and receive more tips on a healthy SVA diet, bone health, and other ayurvedic topics, email her: info@elizabethinnes.ca

www.elizabethinnes.ca

also www.ayurvedheals.blogspot.com

If you missed the live session, we will be uploading a recording on our website and sending a link next week. Stay Tuned!

Explore SVAyurveda

at your own pace:

Here is our latest uploaded course…

You can sign up for the Yakrit Course here: courses.svayurveda.com/p/yakrit

Yakrit

Your Body’s Dynamic Powerhouse 

Yakrit, the Sanskrit term for the ‘liver,’ literally means ‘where every process happens.’ The liver – the largest organ in our bodies – carries out hundreds of actions, primarily detoxifying and creating new blood; filtering out toxins/chemicals; building immunity. But did you know that it also has an amazing capacity to regenerate itself? Without the liver we wouldn’t be able to transform food into energy, by breaking down fats and proteins. Here are some of the liver’s most vital functions:

• Produces fresh blood AND cleans toxins out of the blood: the many cells of the liver, known as hepatocytes, accept and filter this blood. They act as little sorting centers, determining which nutrients should be processed, what should be stored, what should be eliminated via the stool, what should go back to the blood; it also gets rid of old red blood cells; the liver thus regulates/maintains healthy amount of blood in the body;
• Produces bile, a fluid that helps the body digest (break down) fat: the liver stores fat-soluble vitamins as well as minerals such as copper and iron, releasing them when the body needs them. It also helps to break down fats in a person’s diet: it either metabolizes fats or releases them as energy. The liver produces an estimated 800 to 1000 ml of bile each day. This bile flows into the small intestine where the fat gets broken down and absorbed – extra bile is stored in the gallbladder.

As if these functions weren’t enough, the liver also plays a major role in the following:

• Metabolizes proteins and carbohydrates so they turn into energy and your body can use them; 
• Creates immune system factors that help fight against infection;
• Create proteins responsible for blood clotting – otherwise we would bleed to death! 
• Breaks down old and damaged red blood cell; 
• Balances energy metabolism by converting glycogen to glucose and storing extra glucose by converting it to glycogen. Glycogen is a form of glucose that your body stores mainly in your liver and muscles. Your body needs carbohydrates from the food you eat to form glucose and glycogen.
• Makes toxins less harmful to the body and removes them/detoxifies the bloodstream

So you can see how and when, for any reason, the “intelligence” of the liver gets compromised, different kinds of dis-ease may emerge. A compromised liver can mean compromised health on many levels… 

In Shaka Vanshiya Ayurveda, we pay special attention to making sure the liver does not get “cranky” – as Vaidya Mishra would jokingly explain. Having taken the pulse of thousands of people who had “cranky hot livers,” he put together a gentle yet effective protocol to help cool things off and optimize its functions. 

Learn How to Care for the Liver – from the SV Ayurveda Perspective

In this online course you will find 12 ½ hours of in-depth SV Ayurveda knowledge on how to care for the liver. Taught live at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam (Saylorsburg, PA), Vaidya Mishra takes us on a journey inside the yakrit (liver) – the body’s dynamic powerhouse. Teaching from the ancient sutras & the perspective of medical science, he elaborates the functions of the liver and all the etiological factors impacting it. These factors include diet and digestion; AS WELL AS emotions; PLUS environmental toxins; EMFs; and synthetic ingredients in most personal-care products. Vaidya Mishra also teaches us how to keep the liver healthy and manage its disorders through food, herbs, marma therapy, detoxification, rejuvenation procedures, and vibrational medicine, including the use of mantras (primordial sounds with specific known effects).

Some of the Points of SVA Liver Management Covered in this Course

• Ayurvedic physiology of the liver
• Definition of ‘Yakrit’ 
• Sub-doshas of Yakrit
• Dhatus and Yakrit
• Physical channels (shrotas) & their connection with Yakrit
• Vibrational channels (nadis) & their connection Yakrit
• Gaps (sandhis) & the liver
• Tri-sutra Ayurveda and the liver
• Etiological factors (hetu-s) responsible for creating liver imbalances
• Mind-Prana-Ranjaka connection
• Spine (Sushumna nadi) and liver connection
• Role of liver Detox
• Foods and spices to avoid
• Pro-biotics effects on liver with scientific references
• Scientific research on herbs, liver supporting foods, and liver detoxifying foods
• How coral calcium & loha (iron) support the liver from perspective of modern science
• How sunlight affects the liver
• Apana – colon and liver connection
• Marma-s connected with the liver
• Herbs for the liver – Guduchi, Maha Sudarshan, Bhumi Amla, Bhringraj, Kutki, Neem, DGL, and more!
• Liver supporting spices: Turmeric, Fennel, Coriander
• Liver supporting vegetables: Loki, Mooli, Moringa
• Liver supporting fruits – ppineapple, pear, papaya, pomegranate, blue berries, black berries
• Lentils good for the liver– Mung dhal
• Grains supporting the liver – quinoa, millet, amaranth, etc.

AND MUCH MORE KNOWLEDGE!

This course has a total run time of approximately 12 hours and 30 minutes. It also includes a printable PDF Booklet.

CAUTION

If feeling unwell or experiencing any disease, always consult with your primary medical physician before using or adding any complementary approach or herbs.

Disclaimer

This product and statements have not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and are not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. All the information above is intended to be used for educational purposes only and may not be used to replace or complement medical advice.

Take Vaidya Mishra “With You” Everywhere You Go!

if you ever had the opportunity to meet Vaidya Mishra in person, or have encountered him via his many youtube videos or online courses, then you know what we mean! We all want to have him travel with us in this earthly journey, to help us in our decisions along the way, through the timeless wisdom and knowledge of SV Ayurved. And now we can! If you have not discovered our podcast channel yet, we invite you to look it up and explore the timeless teachings of SVAyurveda, as well as fabulous talks by other SVAyurveda doctors and educators.

Shorty but Witty!

The wit of Shaka Vanshyia Ayurveda is timeless and immutable, but time itself mutates… So, we are catching up with the changes and trends which challenge us in these modern times!

To adapt to this day and age when we seem to get frequently immersed in rushed routines and schedules with little time for learning, but when we need more than ever to acquire the knowledge that leads to the health, balance, and bliss that our rushed lifestyles want to take away from us, the SVA Podcast is delighted to announce “SVA Shorts”.

We have begun to produce brief, abridged, episodes for those of you who have little time or are too tired after a long day of work to listen to a full-length format, but don’t give up on the quest for the jewels of ancient ayurvedic knowledge.

The new SVA Short episodes are under 10 minutes in length but, as usual, are packed with deep knowledge and wisdom.

And to inaugurate our new short format, we have a playlist that will rejoice all of you. During the month of November, to learn all about Doshas and Sub-Doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, plus Soma, Agni, and Marut, we are releasing a Trilogy.

What is Vat? (Friday, November 1st)

What is Pitt? (Friday, November 15th) and

What is Kaph? (Friday, November 29th)

This is the knowledge at the center-most pivotal point of Ayurveda and it is presented to you in a way in which only Vaidya Mishra can explain it; from the origin of Prana and its components Soma, Agni, and Marut.

Have you felt disarmed when listening to an explanation about a particular imbalance because you couldn’t wrap your head around the functions of a Sub-Dosha or felt confused when reading about the healing and balancing properties of our SVA formulations?

Not anymore! Tune up to our November podcast’s Shorty but Witty episodes… We’ll see you there!

We want to help you protect your purchase – there’s been an increase in lost/stolen packages.

To protect your shipment – in case your shipping address is not secure – we have now added the “signature delivery” option upon check-out on www.chandika.com and we highly recommend you select it to ensure your package is guaranteed to reach you after it leaves our warehouse. Kindly note we are unable to replace stolen/misplaced packages once they are confirmed delivered by the carrier of your choice.