The 10th day that comes after nine nights where Devi – or the primordial shakti energy of Nature – is fully renewed. On the 10th day, the Devi appears as Siddhidatri: she grants boons. What is the greatest boon of all? And how to allow ourselves to receive it?
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learn about the “heart lotus” – what it is, why it matters, how to recite it, when and why.
Osteoporosis is a disease in which the density and quality of bone are reduced.The word osteoporosis literally means “porous bone.” It is a disease where the body either loses too much bone, makes too little bone, or both.The incidence of osteoporosis is extremely high, affecting over 200 million women. It affects about 1 out of10 women aged 60, 1 out of 5 of women aged 70, 2 out of 5 of women aged 80 and 2 out of 3 of women aged 90.
First, we must think of the bone as a living tissue. It isn’t static as we might think, but instead the bone is in a constant state of flux and is continually being remodeled where the body is continually replacing old bone with new bone. As we go through the day we may form tiny micro-fractures in the bone. But there are different types of bone cells which aid in this repair process.
The first type of bone cell is called an osteoclast, from the Greek words for “bone” and “broken.”
This type of bone cell breaks down the bone, disassembling and digesting the protein and mineral of the bone at a molecular level in a process known as bone resorption.
The second type of bone cell is the osteoblast, from the Greek “bone” and germinate.” The osteoblasts synthesize special proteins and collagen in the areas recently broken down by the osteoclasts which will eventually become strong mineralized bone. Thus, these special bone cells build up the bone cells.
There has to be a balance between the amount of bone being broken down by the osteoclasts and the new bone formation created by the osteoblasts. If the bone breaks down more quickly than it is formed, from increased resorption, decreased formation or a combination of the two, then osteoporosis will result.
At any one moment 2-5 percent of your skeleton is being remodeled. At any point in time there are millions of these tiny areas of bone undergoing active repair in your body. The osteoclastic resorption phase of remodeling lasts for 3-5 weeks and the osteoblastic bone formation and remineralization phase takes another 3-5 months to complete.
common causes of osteoporosis
Chronic low-level inflammation is one of the primary causes, at a very deep level, of bone loss. The body responds with acute inflammation if there is an injury or an infection, but when this inflammatory response continues on for months or even years, instead of being reparative, the immune system becomes unbalanced and can become destructive to the body.
Factors which cause inflammation could be from lack of friendly bacteria in the gut, allowing for chronic gut infections to grow, such as candida albicans yeast, small intestinal bacteria overgrowth (SIBO), parasites and bacterial overgrowth in the large intestines. These friendly bacteria can become depleted through the use of numerous pharmaceuticals such as antibiotics, steroids, acid reflux medicines, birth control pills and immunizations. Once the friendly bacteria is depleted, chronic infection can occur, and along with it, chronic inflammation, since inflammation is the byproduct of the immune system attacking the infective agents.
Another cause of chronic inflammation comes from overheating of the liver. Nowadays, with the 80,000 environmental toxins combined with dietary toxins create a massive amount of toxicity in the liver causing it to overheat as these hot acidic toxins are filtered through it every minute of the day and night. The liver also converts the blood plasma to blood which causes the blood to overheat as well, which actually means that the heat in the liver spills out into the entire body as the liver heats up the blood as it undergoes this transformation, and now the heat is dispensed throughout the entire body, leading also to chronic inflammation.
Now the blood becomes too acidic and hot, causing the bones to give up their calcium to alkalinize the blood.
And here’s another very important (and often overlooked) factor contributing to osteoporosis: keep in mind that the osteoblasts and osteoclasts are made in the bone marrow. Nowadays many of the environmental toxins (such as air pollution and pesticides) and pharmaceuticals (such as the toxins in the immunizations and many other medications) settle in the bone marrow.
So here’s where the problem lies: when there is either chronic inflammation or toxins in the bone marrow, the stem cells in the bone marrow mistakenly start to make more osteoclasts, the bone cells which break down the bones which results in too much bone loss and not enough bone growth.
Another cause of osteoporosis can be from oxidation of fats in the blood. These oxidized fats come from cooking with refined vegetable oils, and these types of toxic fats that form when you heat these dangerous oils divert the stem cells away from osteoblast formation and toward fat cell formation. The ancient doctors of Ayurveda cognized this issue as well, as they stated in their text books that each of the 7 tissues (blood plasma, blood, muscle, fat, bone, bone marrow and reproductive fluids) transforms into the next tissue. For example the blood tissue undergoes a transformation and eventually becomes the muscle tissue. Now this is very interesting, the fat tissue transforms into the bone tissue, so the ancient texts stated that it’s important to have good quality fat in order to form strong bones. Oxidized fats sitting in the fat tissue form a poor quality fat tissue giving rise to poor quality bone tissue.
Some other causes of osteoporosis
Hormonal imbalances:
Both low estrogen and thyroid problems contribute to bone loss
High Vata can emaciate the bones. Vata is aggravated by rushing through the day, eating a diet low in fats or milk, going to bed late and high stress.
Inactivity, on the other hand, can also deplete the bones. When you exercise regularly, your bone adapts by building more bone and becoming denser.
Smoking reduces the blood supply to the bones and the nicotine in cigarettes slow up the production of the bone-producing cells or the osteoblasts. Smoking also decreases the body’s absorption of calcium.
Insufficient Intake of milk and/or poor quality of milk: milk is the number one best food for the bones, but it has to be taken in the correct way. And we want the full fat milk since the fat in the milk delivers the calcium into the bones. Drinking low fat milk will not help to nourish the bones enough.
Low levels of Vitamin D: Most of us don’t get out in the sun enough or we live in areas with lack of sunlight for a large part of the year. Vitamin D helps the absorption of calcium into the bones.
Poor quality fats in the diet cause weak bones while a diet with good fats, such as ghee, olive oil, whole milk, yogurt, soft curd cheeses, avocados, nuts and seeds will form very strong bones.
Excessive alcohol intake can slow bone formation and speed up bone breakdown.
Coffee — the acids in coffee also contribute to bone loss as the bones have to give up their calcium to keep the blood alkaline
Sodas – the phosphoric acid in the sodas interferes with calcium absorption and results in the loss of calcium from the bone.
HOW CAN YOU PREVENT AND/OR TREAT OSTEOPOROSIS?
The standard medical treatment years ago was to give hormone replacement therapy, known as HRT. But this type of therapy was largely discontinued after a major 15-year research program, the Women’s Health Initiative, demonstrated that the HRT caused an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, blood clots, breast cancer and colorectal cancer.
Now the most common form of bone medication is known as bisphosphonates. These medicines poison the osteoclasts, allowing unnatural bone formation as the osteoblasts build up the bone out of balance with what nature intended causing brittle bones which tend to snap and break easily, even the larger bones in the body, such as the femur, and has also been found to cause necrosis (death of the bone cells) in the jaw bone.
In Ayurveda we give herbal remedies and formulations which help the body make its own estrogen and progesterone and don’t have the serious side effects of the synthetically made hormone replacement therapy.
The first thing most people think when they hear they have osteoporosis is to take a calcium supplement. Even without microscopes the ancient doctors knew that the calcium molecule was very large and couldn’t be absorbed into the bones. So they recommended burning the calcium (usually from coral, snail shells and pearls) repeatedly for several weeks, causing the calcium molecule to become smaller and smaller with each incineration. The end product is called a bhasma of the calcium and is actually a very tiny nanoparticle which can be absorbed easily into the bone. Research has shown that most of the calcium products on the market are in fact too large for absorption, never reaching the bone tissue and instead getting stuck in the arteries, causing hardening of the arteries and plaque formation. That’s why taking calcium supplements never seems to help bone formation.
I remember when my teacher Vaidya Mishra used to take the pulses of people who were taking standard calcium supplements he would turn to me and say: “In every patient who takes calcium supplements I can feel the calcium stuck in the arteries, clogging them, and not getting to where they are needed in the bone.” And sure enough research has now demonstrated this.
Many people are deficient in magnesium since it gets depleted when you are under stress, and all pharmaceuticals flush magnesium out of our bodies. In my practice we give transdermal magnesium therapies through the use of transdermal magnesium creams and abhyanga oils made with magnesium which are used for full body oil massage. The skin absorbs the exact amount of magnesium which is needed. Many times when you take magnesium orally it goes through the digestive tract too quickly and can cause diarrhea, preventing its absorption.
We also recommend getting Vitamin D mainly through sunshine and also through transdermal use topically on the skin. Keep in mind that the darker the skin, the more sunlight you need to make Vitamin D, as the pigment in the skin acts like a sunscreen. So a fair-skinned person might get by with about 15 minutes of sunlight a day, while a dark-skinned person might need about a half hour.
We have a special herb from India known as Asthi Shrinkala (asthi in Sanskrit means “bone”) and the best news of all is that we have herbs and foods which can clean the bone marrow, allowing normal formation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts. One common mistake is when we take these powerful herbs on their own in tea/hot water. Vaidya Mishra always taught us to create herbal synergies: herbs work together to support each others’ energy so you actually receive the benefit you are seeking. Asthi Shrinkala – Bone Herb – is a very heating herb. When consumed alone, it can aggravate pita and can thus have counter results. Here is a gentle yet powerful recipe from Vaidya Mishra.
We recommend use of good quality grass-fed non-homogenized whole milk, taken in the correct way, which means boiled for best absorption into the cells and taken either with grains or by itself. Goat’s milk can be taken if someone is allergic to cow’s milk and home-made almond or macadamia nut milk and oat milk are also good substitutes.
Toasted and ground sesame seeds are also very nourishing to the bones and can be sprinkled on foods.
Vitamin K2 keeps calcium away from the arteries and joints and directs it into the teeth and bones. Vitamin K2 is extremely rare in the diet, but it is found in ghee, or clarified butter, so don’t be afraid to use it in your diet as it won’t clog your arteries and it is a very high quality fat which will in turn creates high quality bone tissue. We don’t want to take the synthetically made Vitamin K2 as it may cause side effects.
And, as usual, the ancient doctors were correct when they stated that any disease process could be traced back to faulty digestion. This is definitely the case with osteoporosis. The inflammation and infection we see nowadays is caused a lot by problems with the two most important areas in the body responsible for good digestion and assimilation of nutrients: the friendly bacteria in the gut and the liver.
By regrowing the friendly bacteria, cleaning and cooling the liver the chronic inflammation and infection stemming from the digestive system go down, allowing for better bone formation.
Try to exercise for at least a half hour 4 days a week to increase your bone density.
And of course, try giving up your bad habits of going to bed late, drinking alcohol, and smoking cigarettes. Limiting your intake of acidic coffee and sodas will dramatically help your bone health as you turn more towards good mineral-rich alkaline spring water taken directly from the earth.
I hope you learned some important information about your bone health so that you don’t have to suffer the consequences of bone loss that are so prevalent in our society today.
Thank you,
Marianne Teitelbaum (D.C)
to set up a consultation with Dr Teitelbaum, call:
1.856.786.3330
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“Vata is the King of the doshas” – We received many lovely questions and feedback regarding our article on “Vata is the Kind of Doshas.” We will be sharing a more in-depth article on the topic since it has resonated so much with so many of you. Look for it in our upcoming issue. Namaste.
SVA
Community Courses
with
Certified Instructors
Vaidya Mishra toured and taught incessantly for 14 years from Spring 2003 – Spring 2017, building a beautiful SVA community at large. Many of his students continue his teachings and have their own center offerings and healing modalities that incorporate SVA precepts as well. We love featuring their work and latest news. Here are some courses from the community at large.
Fall
Online Health Series
with Cary Twomey
Thursdays, 4-5:30 PM (Central)
Sept 30th, Oct 14th,
Oct 28th, Nov 4th
Class Fee: $200
Join us for our Fall Online Health Series, where you will be supported throughout the Fall season with four bi-weekly, 90 minute live sessions with Cary. Each week you will learn a new aspect of how to care for yourself in the Fall, how best to approach our diet, daily self-care, exercise, gentle cleansing routines, how to tend your psychological and spiritual well-being, and how to connect to and remain in relationship to the deep Self, the Light of the Soul.
All sessions will be recorded and available in our portal for easy access if you are not able to be there for the live sessions. We start this Thursday, Sept 30th, but it’s not too late to join in! You can register here and catch up on the first session in the class portal.
After many years of practicing and studying Ayurveda and Vedic Sciences (since 1977) and spending literally thousands of hours in deep silent meditation, I want to pass on the lifelong benefits that my teachers, Vaidya Mishra and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi have given to me before it’s too late. The study and practice of Ayurveda has been like a lifelong best friend, supporting me and giving me a stable framework no matter what is happening in my environment and internal life. I feel now is a perfect time to share this ancient wisdom because there is so much uncertainty in the world these days – politically, environmentally and with worldwide pandemics. What better time to befriend and instill an ancient knowledge to prevent illness, develop an enlightened consciousness, and at the same time be able to better help our family, friends, and the community.
The curriculum that I am sharing is really the nectar and juice of everything that I have learned over the past 40 years, it’s beyond vata, pitta, and kapha - I am offering knowledge and Vedic practices that awaken the healing power of prana and cultivate the nervous system so that you will be able to realize the intelligence of your true unbounded nature and experience more peace and stability in your life even during the most chaotic and challenging times that we are currently in. Studying Ayurveda at this time in history will allow to you grab onto that which is everlasting in the midst of changing transitions we are all experiencing.
Studying Ayurveda can resonate with your being and relieve great fear and anxiety and well as deepen perception of the unity and wholeness of life. There’s an ancient verse from the Bhagavad Gita, that says; Even a little of this knowledge relieves mankind from great fear. The nine months of study of Ayurveda and Jyotish (Vedic Astrology as an extended option) will birth a greater sense of steadiness, refined awareness, and greater well-being as well as give you skills to teach and coach others. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or want to sign up call or text 847 636 2744, rose.carol.zivin@gmail.com or and check out the curriculum at https://ayurvedalearningcenter.com/curriculum-details
With love
Rose Carol, M.A., LPC
Did you miss our LIVE
Autumn Dinacharya Course?
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All recordings and course materials available online
We concluded our course with Dr Teitelbaum’s presentation followed by Q&A. We had in-depth conversation about many aspects of health – thank you to all who attended and participated. Those who missed the live session can watch it in our virtual classroom – access is open and an email was sent out. If you would like to sign up you will be able to watch the materials as well. CLICK HERE TO ENROLL Autumn!
HAVE YOU SEEN
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click on any image below to visit her channel
an introduction to SV Ayurveda as taught by Vaidya RK Mishra with Dr Teitelbaum
Watch ALL of Dr Teitelbaum’s Videos on her youtube channel HERE
… upcoming courses …
EMF: What CAN we do about it?
In a world where we can no longer exist without technology, how can we maintain balance and thrive despite the known side-effects of exposure to EMF? Find out Vaidya Mishra’s SVA Teachings in this much requested course on EMF – details coming very soon….
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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.
