Ayurveda and the Doshas

Ayurveda is an ancient Indian medicine which views and treats the body according to the elemental characteristics that it presents.  There are three main body types (or Doshas):  Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.  

Vata dosha presents as body type that is slim, delicate with a small belly.  People who are primarily vata don't have defined muscles but are more frail and pale.  The elements that rule vata are ether and air.  The vata constitution has the following characteristics: Cold, Light, Dry, Rough , Subtle, Mobile, Clear.  Vata governs breathing, heart, movement of muscles, sensory perception, nerve conduction, communication, flexibility, joy and consciousness.  

Too much vata can cause anxiety, fear, constriction (physical and emotional), constipation, poor circulation, dry skin, being underweight, insomnia, shakiness / twitching. 

Pitta dosha presents as a body which is medium shape, muscular, and very proportional.  People who are primarily pitta may tend to get hot easily and have acne or excess sweating.  The elements that rule pitta are fire and water.  The pitta constitution has the following characteristics:  Hot, light, sharp, liquid, oily, spreading.  Pitta governs digestion, transformation, appetite / digestion, absorption, intelligence, courage, clear communication, and ambition.  

Too much pitta can show as anger, impatience, jealousy, inflammation, burning, loose stools, rashes, migraines, bleeding and skin disorders, insatiable appetite, and overactive metabolism.

Kapha dosha presents as a body type with a larger build and has a tendency to retain water.  People who are primarily kapha tend to move slower, resist change, and lack motivation.  The elements that rule kapha are water and earth.  The kapha constitution has the following characteristics:  Slow, heavy, oily, cool, smooth, dense, cloudy, grounded.  Kapha governs growth, nourishment, stability, fat regulation, and compassion.  

Too much kapha can cause greediness, attachment, resistance to change, a sluggish metabolism, hardening of the arteries, cholesterol,and tumors / masses.

Most people will find themselves to be a combination of two of the doshas.  All though they do exist, there are few people who are one pure dosha or a perfect combination of all three.

Figuring out a person's dosha is important in order to gain insight into what is needed to find balance.  Balance is attained by eating food that is in contrast to the tendencies (i.e. if a person shows a lot of heat from pitta, eating cool foods to lower the body's heat), or using herbs, essential oils, and life habits / actions in order to control excess elements. 

Balance is important because when the body is in harmony, it is able to do its' job and thrive! 

Our Body's Climate

One may observe that when the weather becomes excessively moist, dry, hot, windy, or cold that they suddenly feel their joints ache or a headache come on.  While one person may find their asthma gets worse in dry weather, another person's asthma disappears completely in response to dry weather.

The ancients in China may have been onto something when they concluded that our bodies are no less than an extension of nature.  And just like nature has climates and experiences of extremes, so do our bodies.

One of the best clues into figuring out a patient's climate is asking if they notice changes during extreme weather.  For instance, people who suffer from headaches may notice that their symptoms get worse when it rains.  Those individuals may get headaches because of too much damp accumulation in the body.  Other people may have the same exact symptoms, but note that they get headaches when the weather gets cold.  Those individuals might lack the heat needed to protect them from the cold and as a response get headaches as their body reacts to the low temperature.  Arthritis can flare up during a cold front, humid weather, or heat spells depending on the type of arthritis they have as classified in Chinese medical terms.  

So now that we've figured out what climate is causing the problem, how do we address it?  We can certainly address it with acupuncture because it will help get the body's energy and blood moving which will make anyone feel better.  But for a deeper way to address the body's climate, we'd have to turn to the Chinese medical pharmacy - herbs and formulas.  

Herbs are organized in categories of what they do to the body.  They cool, heat, moisten, dry, and resolve toxins.  They also move and tonify qi and blood.  Herbs are very powerful in harmonizing the body's climate.  They also need to be used with caution because creating balance is a very delicate process that needs much insight and perceptivity.  

So if a person show's a lot of signs of dampness, they are prescribed herbs and formulas that work to clear the dampness in the body.   

As the yin yang symbol so beautifully symbolizes, the goal of Chinese Medicine is to create a harmonious balance in the body's climate which is compatible with life and well being.  

Acupuncture: An Antidote for Stress

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the energy that is behind the body’s life force function is called ‘qi’.  Unlike modern medicine, TCM perceives the body’s organs as having different roles in regards to the body’s qi (among many other aspects).  Chinese medical theory considers the liver to be the organ in charge of the qi flowing correctly in the body.  When someone undergoes stress or extreme emotions, it causes the energy or ‘qi’ to contract.  This has a secondary effect of stopping the natural flow of qi - which the liver is in charge of.  The qi then either becomes stuck or begins to move in the opposite direction, which affects the body’s normal function.  The symptoms that can arise from this are pain, irritability, insomnia, abnormal menses, headaches, and abdominal discomfort among many more.

When a patient comes in presenting the symptoms above, the TCM physician will assess and create a treatment protocol that will most likely include acupuncture and herbs.  Acupuncture needles will be located in specific points which will work to unblock the ‘qi’ and allow the channels that are stagnated to move qi more freely.  There are many herbs that are effective for doing this from a different aspect which is more chemical in comparison to the physical aspect of acupuncture.  This is why working with both herbs and acupuncture is so effective.

There have been several studies that have shown the effectiveness of TCM on stress.  One study lead by Dr. Ladan Eshkevari of Georgetown University found that acupuncture reduces levels of a protein linked to chronic stress in rats.  This protein called neuropeptide Y (NPY) is secreted by the sympathetic nervous system in humans which is involved in the fight or flight response.

Before these studies many people have noted that even when they come in for a completely different symptom than stress, they often feel more peaceful since beginning their TCM treatments.

An interesting study on acupuncture and stress.

Chinese Organs do what?!?

If you have ever had an acupuncture treatment you may have heard the following:  ‘Chinese liver moves your qi’ or ‘Chinese kidney affects your fear’.  Chinese liver who?  If you have grown up in any country outside of Asia, chances are that human organs mean something completely different to you.  You need not go to medical school to have a basic knowledge of the western medicine view of organ function.  These basic functions are sometimes taught as early as kindergarten which makes it that much more ingrained in our paradigm.  So what do Chinese organs do anyway?

Each organ in TCM has an element, color, emotion, season, and is paired with another organ.  The organs and their pairs are as follows:  Kidney - Urinary Bladder, Liver - Gallbladder, Heart - Small intestine, Spleen - Stomach, Lung - Large Intestine, Pericardium - Triple burner.

It all begins in the kidneys, where, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM all qi or energy originates.  The kidneys are where we store our pre and post heaven essence and qi.  In other words, all that we inherit from our parents is pre heaven, and all that we cultivate from diet and lifestyle is post heaven.  The kidneys’ element is water, their color is black, and fear their emotion.  The season for the kidneys is winter.  The kidneys are also very important organ for growth, development, and reproduction.

The Liver is in charge of the free flow of qi in the body.  In other words, the energy should run efficiently without any interruptions to ensure that all the organs function in a harmonious way so that the machine that is the human body works optimally.  When people feel stressed or overly emotional, the liver’s qi becomes stagnant and it’s normal flow is interrupted.  The liver’s element is wood, color is green, and anger its’ emotion.  The season for the liver is spring.  The liver also stores blood while resting so taking time out to rest ensures that the body gets a fresh and nourished flow of blood from the liver.

The Heart controls the blood vessels.  It needs a proper amount of blood to nourish it in order to perform its’ best.  The heart houses the mind, therefore a healthy functioning heart will support a healthy mind and emotional state, while an impaired heart can cause mental disturbance.  Fire is the heart’s element, red it’s color, and joy is it’s emotion.  The heart’s season is summer.  Although joy is something that in the west we cannot get enough of, TCM perceives too much joy as something that can injure the heart.

The Spleen is in charge of transportation and transformation in regards to the body’s digestive system.  It works closely with the stomach’s functions to break down food nutrients and nourish the body.  It also breaks down digestion so that the nutrients can be absorbed and nourish the blood.  While the kidneys are considered to be the root of pre heaven qi, the spleen is the root of post heaven qi both of which are stored in the kidneys.  The Spleen element is earth, it’s color is yellow, and emotion is pensiveness and overthinking.  The season for spleen is late summer, a time which is more damp and warm.  It is said that while a weak spleen can give rise to overthinking, overthinking can also give rise to a weak spleen.

The Pericardium is tied closely to the heart’s role describe above and it’s pair organ is not really an organ but a function.  The triple burner is a warming function that occurs from the upper to lower burner.  The areas and functions are as follows: the upper burner distributes fluids all over the body (lungs, heart, pericardium), the middle burner where digestion takes place (spleen, stomach, gallbladder), and the lower burner where the body separates the clean from the dirty (Liver, kidneys, intestines, bladder).

Given what has been described above, the organs take on a whole new meaning to what most of us have been taught here in the west.  It is interesting to note that in TCM, physical and emotional aspects of each organs are one and the same.  This is why many claim that when going to an acupuncturist to fix one symptom, they come out also resolving a few other seemingly unrelated symptoms.