Rudra’s curse: COVID isn’t just a cold

Last week we talked about how to avoid getting COVID. This week, let’s talk about why you should avoid getting infected or reinfected.

‘Fever was born long ago from the wrath of Lord Rudra, who had been insulted by Daksha.’ Madhav Nidhan.

When I was a medical student in the early 1970s, it seemed as if the great age of infectious diseases was over, thanks to sanitation, immunization and antibiotics. Yet the curse of Rudra has continued into the twenty-first century in new and unforeseen ways. When I think of the mythological origins of fever, I wonder whether the real cause of Rudra’s wrath was not the Agrarian Revolution, about ten thousand years ago.  Animals and plants were domesticated, and humans began to tame the wildness of nature, which Rudra embodies. With its consequences of increased number and concentration of population, settled rather than nomadic living and close contact with domestic animals and birds, the Agrarian Revolution led to the development of infectious diseases not seen among forager tribes. From measles to COVID, we have suffered the scourge of zoonotic diseases.

From the Ayurvedic standpoint, fever is taken very seriously. We are advised to look not only at its acute phase, but at the ways it, like other types of disease, can become chronic and penetrate deeper into the body, affecting multiple systems. This is definitely the case with COVID. There’s no evidence to support the view that a mild or asymptomatic case of omicron will not have long term negative consequences and no solid reason to believe that vaccines will completely protect you from this aspect of the disease.

For today, we’ll look into the ways COVID could affect your long-term health, even after you seem to be ‘over’ it. Next week we’ll delve more into Long COVID, but this week we’ll look at implications for everyone who has had COVID. And remember, these effects are going to be compounded by having COVID more than once. Unfortunately, COVID is not ‘one and done’ like measles. And each reinfection will have worse consequences for your immune system..

Yes, that’s right, COVID ages and weakens your immune system, rendering you more vulnerable to other infections or to getting COVID again. You might have heard of T cells and how HIV affects them. COVID also isn’t good for your T cells, or for that matter, your B cells.

Not only does COVID age and weaken your immune system, but also, similarly to Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), COVID causes immune dysregulation. This can lead to the development of autoantibodies that attack your own tissues. Some COVID survivors have been found to have antibodies that target the brain, thyroid, blood vessels, central nervous system, platelets, kidneys, heart and liver. This could lead to a host of future illnesses, from glomerulonephritis, an autoimmune kidney disease to thyroid disease to bleeding disorders to lupus.

COVID also has effects on your blood. According to a new study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), your chances of getting a blood clot in your calf (DVT) are significantly increased for three weeks after COVID. Your chances of a life-threatening blood clot on your lungs (pulmonary embolism) are increased for six weeks after COVID and your chances of a bleeding disorder are increased for two months.

And there are other vascular complications with COVID as well. The risk of stroke is more than twice as high for COVID-19 patients when compared to people of the same age, sex, and ethnicity in the general population. Yes, younger adults are getting strokes during and after COVID. There is also an increased risk of heart attack in the weeks after a COVID diagnosis. Again, we’re talking about adults in midlife, not just about the elderly.

 And then there’s the issue of your brain on COVID. Evidence is mounting to suggest that even a mild case of COVID will shrink your brain and reduce the amount of grey matter. It’s highly likely that COVID will predispose patients to early-onset dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

These are all effects of COVID on previously-healthy people of all ages—effects that can be experienced after a mild case that does not require hospitalization.  COVID is not just a cold or flu, it is not something to ‘get over with,’ it is a potentially disabling multi-system disease. And remember, it’s worth avoiding COVID even if you’ve already had it, because the long-term negative effects are cumulative.

https://khn.org/news/article/covid-autoimmune-virus-rogue-antibodies-cytokine-storm-severe-disease/

https://khn.org/news/article/covid-autoimmune-virus-rogue-antibodies-cytokine-storm-severe-disease/

https://www.bmj.com/content/377/bmj-2021-069590

https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/postings/2022/01/covid19-increasing-stroke-risks.php

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04569-5

Alakananda Ma M.B., B.S. (Lond.) is an Ayurvedic Doctor (NAMA) and graduate of a top London medical school. She is co-founder of Alandi Ayurveda Clinic and Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula in Boulder Colorado, as well as a spiritual mother, teacher, flower essence maker and storyteller. Alakananda is a well known and highly respected practitioner in the Ayurveda community both nationally and internationally.

Enliven your holistic health! Visit Alakananda Ma in Alandi Ashram’s ayurvedic clinic to support the overall rejuvenation of your body, mind, and spirit. In-person and virtual appointments available. Book now!

Ayurveda on Airborne Pandemics

I’d like to take a few moments today to look at what Ayurveda says about Pandemics and how to protect ourselves. This amazing information is found in the ancient text Charak Samhita, and for those who are interested, it’s Vimanasthan Chapter 3.

First of all, Charak is really clear about the role that Climate Change and environmental degradation has in creating the unfavourable conditions that can lead to epidemics. He points out that abnormalities in the seasons and damage to the environment will impact the effectiveness of herbal remedies and asks us to plan ahead so that we are well-supplied and prepared for these eventualities. An Iron Age Pandemic Preparedness Plan!

Then he looks at the important question we’ve often asked in the last two years—when people differ in their constitution, diet and lifestyle, how come they can all fall prey to the same disease? The explanation is quite simple. We all differ in so many ways, yet we share a common place and time, breathe the same air and drink the same water. Place, time, air and water are the causative factors of Pandemics. We live in a time in history when a new virus has been unleashed upon the entire world; hence we see the old and the young, the sick and the healthy in various continents developing the same illness. While water is a vehicle for some epidemics, cholera being an example, air is listed by Charak as the most important vehicle for Pandemics, and prevention is recommended over attempts at cure.

COVID is indeed an airborne disease, although it took the medical community some time to acknowledge this. Remember when we spent all that time scrubbing doorknobs and wiping surfaces, only to learn that fomites are pretty irrelevant in the transmission of SARSCoV-2?

COVID is airborne—and we are not speaking of droplets, we’re referring to aerosols. You can get infected in a break room, corridor or public toilet when nobody is around. The virus lingers in the air. And now omicron is on the scene, a variant that is far more strongly airborne, far more infectious. We’ve lived through the first omicron wave, but BA2 or omicron 2 is on the way, and is even more infectious. Millions have been infected in the UK. Harvard epidemiologist Dr Eric Feigl-Ding tweeted, “97-99% of UK residents have SARSCoV-2 antibodies already. Reinfection and breakthroughs is now the name of the game.” BA2 is the most infectious disease in recent history. And unlike measles, you can get COVID again and again.

So, with most public health mandates over, how can you protect yourself from a highly contagious airborne virus?  I, like most doctors and public health experts, do consider that getting vaccinated and boosted is a part of the solution, for society, for your personal safety and to protect others. I know that’s not a popular position in the yoga and Ayurveda community. But anyway, vaccinated or not, please don’t just get back to business as usual.

Here are simple ways you can protect yourself and others:

•    Wear a good mask—N95, KN 95 or equivalent--whenever you are indoors with other people.   Even if there’s nobody around, such as in the toilet, you still need to wear your mask, because aerosols linger.

•   Require visitors to your home to wear a good mask.    Keep HEPA air purifiers running in your home or place of business. Keep them running for 30 minutes after everyone has left, before you unmask.

• Ask your workplace to install a whole building air purification system.

•   It’s getting warmer. Open windows and keep spaces ventilated.  Move gatherings outside.

•   Avoid outdoor crowded spaces like sports events if attendees are unmasked.

• If flying, keep your N95 mask on the whole time. That precludes taking longer flights.

• ·Handwashing, plexiglass, hygiene theatre only serve to distract and bring a false sense of security. Focus on aerosols.

  But…omicron is so mild, why should I bother? Well, omicron isn’t mild for everyone. The R0 of BA 2 is a staggering 12, meaning that each infected person will infect 12 others. You need to bother, both for your own protection and also for the sake of others, such as the elderly, cancer patients and immunocompromised people. In subsequent articles, we’ll explain in more detail why you don’t want to get COVID—or have another bout of it; and how Ayurveda can help those suffering with Long COVID.

• Alakananda Ma M.B., B.S. (Lond.) is an Ayurvedic Doctor (NAMA) and graduate of a top London medical school. She is co-founder of Alandi Ayurveda Clinic and Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula in Boulder Colorado, as well as a spiritual mother, teacher, flower essence maker and storyteller. Alakananda is a well known and highly respected practitioner in the Ayurveda community both nationally and internationally.

  Enliven your holistic health! Visit Alakananda Ma in Alandi Ashram’s ayurvedic clinic to support the overall rejuvenation of your body, mind, and spirit. In-person and virtual appointments available. Book now!

Navigating Menopause

Today I’d like to talk about navigating menopause, a topic we’ve been discussing in our classes at the Gurukula lately. I’m using the word navigate because menopause is a passage. It is like navigating the stormy waters of the Cape of Good Hope to get from the familiar Atlantic to the rich and mystical Indian Ocean. It’s hard for many to get through the stormy waters of night sweats, insomnia, brain fog and hot flashes, yet on the other side, if you are ready to welcome her, lies the magical world of the Wisewoman.

 In some cultures, menopause is stigmatized and in others, celebrated. Our own attitudes and those of society affect how you experience your menopausal symptoms. Are they the ominous harbingers of decrepitude or the thrilling messengers of a new level of maturity? In traditional societies where menopause affords an honoured Wisewoman status, your first hot flash would suggest that you are on your way to a new and better life. For example, among the Tuareg of Niger, the post-menopausal woman acquires new Grandmother roles in healing and religious devotion. Similarly, Mayan women would feel thrilled by the onset of menopause, with its promise of greater freedom and enhanced status.

Yet it’s not all rosy.  In Arabic, the term for menopause, sinn al ya, translates into “the age of despair.” In male-dominated societies, women may fear that their husbands will abandon them for a younger woman, now that they can no longer bear children. And in such societies, this means destitution, as women are typically not breadwinners and don’t usually have careers.

So… here it comes. You’ve been having your cycle and having the unique property of living with the moon. Human women are completely unique and different from any other female, due to their ability to work with the moon. You’re used to the cycle, the moods, and how they change. Now you know how to live with your cycle, it’s time to learn to live without it.

I think that every woman whether she has had children or not, will be going through some kind of loss during menopause. A loss of her potential to have a child, or more children, a loss of her relationship with the moon, a loss of her cycle, a loss of her youth, the loss of possibilities that were always there.   There is a need to mourn, and there is a need to reorient to a new stage in life and a new set of potentials. In a certain sense, menopause is the coming to an end of the Mother stage of life.  But it also affords the possibility of the crowning of the Queen, your next stage of life.

 The Queen has a different life than the Mother. She isn’t busy with pregnancy, nursing, diapers, schlepping children around, parent-teacher meetings, and so forth. Her life isn’t going around her own children. In the Queen stage of life, as we leave behind those more domestic duties and concerns of motherhood, we have the chance to find a new mission; what we are going to contribute to a larger world. And we also have less to lose. You don’t want to get arrested at a protest if you have kids at home. But if you get arrested as an older person, why not? You have more options to sacrifice yourself for larger concerns because there has been a change in your responsibilities.

But to navigate and celebrate your menopause, you have to get past the stigma. For us contemporary women in Western societies, the issue of menopause stigma is compounded by age stigma. We live in a society that values youth and defines beauty in terms of youth. We therefore see menopause as a loss of worth—loss of youth and its attendant beauty, loss of fertility, loss of desirability, loss of employability due to ageism, loss of control of our physiological, hormonal and psychological functioning. We may expect to have a high level of control; so getting uncomfortable and embarrassing hot flushes and other symptoms may interfere with our linear, highly organized work life.

 Because of the stigma associated with both menopause and aging, many women suffer in silence, without getting help for their symptoms. Menopause hits at a time when high-functioning women are at the top of their careers. Now they can’t get a good night’s sleep because of night sweats. They may experience brain fog and difficulty coping with daily life, what to speak of a high-pressure job. Yet menopause is a temporary phase that can typically lead into a time when a woman is absolutely on top of her game. So it’s tragic that we suffer in silence due to menopause stigma, and may give up careers that we have worked hard to build.

 If you are unhappy and insecure in your marriage or are recently divorced or have had other experiences that lead to low self-esteem, menopause may compound the anxiety and insecurity, leading to self-stigmatization. On the other hand, maybe you see menopause not as a loss, but as a relief. No more worries about pads, tampons or bleeding through, no more cramps or PMS, no more concerns about pregnancy. Life can become smoother and more predictable the other side of menopause. We adopt strategies to deal with our temperature regulation issues, such as keeping a rosewater spray bottle in our handbag or dressing in layers. Women may choose to have a sense of humour about their symptoms, especially if they can chat with others going through the same experience.

In my thirty plus years of practicing Ayurveda, I’ve run headlong into the Western biomedical conception of menopause as a deficiency disease requiring long term HRT. At the other extreme, we can view menopause in psychosocial terms, as a natural development towards a new maturity, which should not be medicated away. When I went through menopause over twenty years ago, I found it was easy to feel like a failure because I had some pretty severe symptoms—and friends would tell me menopause was supposed to be easy if you practice yoga and have a good diet. Well, I was practicing yoga, having a good diet and taking herbal teas, yet menopause was really difficult because of my pitta prakriti.  I think it’s best to take a holistic approach and avoid extremes.  Some women choose HRT because they have serious concerns such as a strong family history of osteoporosis. Most of us need the support of Ayurvedic herbs and lifestyle, either because of troublesome symptoms, or simply because we want to lay a foundation of health in our elder years. Navigating menopause is not about success and failure, it’s about individual needs and situations. In fact, menopause should be taking us out of linear success and failure paradigms and into the more mystical persona of the Wisewoman.

Sources:

Meanings of menopause: cultural influences on perception and management of menopause. Lisa Hall 1, Lynn Clark Callister, Judith A Berry, Geraldine Matsumura

Women's conception of the menopausal transition--a qualitative study. Lindh-Astrand L, Hoffmann M, Hammar M, Kjellgren KI.

Is this menopause? Women in midlife--psychosocial issues.Deeks AA.Aust Fam Physician. 2004 Nov;33(11):889-93.

https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/TUC_menopause_0.pdf

Reynolds, F. (2002). Exploring self-image during hot flushes using a semantic differential scale: Associations between poor self-image, depression, flush frequency, and flush distress. Maturitas, 42, 201-207.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-57640881

 Alakananda Ma M.B., B.S. (Lond.) is an Ayurvedic Doctor (NAMA) and graduate of a top London medical school. She is co-founder of Alandi Ayurveda Clinic and Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula in Boulder Colorado, as well as a spiritual mother, teacher, flower essence maker and storyteller. Alakananda is a well known and highly respected practitioner in the Ayurveda community both nationally and internationally.

Enliven your holistic health! Visit Alakananda Ma in Alandi Ashram’s ayurvedic clinic to support the overall rejuvenation of your body, mind, and spirit. In-person and virtual appointments available. Book now!

Grieving the loss of space and place: For Marshall Fire Victims

I’d like to dedicate today’s piece to all who have been affected by the Marshall Fire in Boulder County. All of us are touched to one extent or another—those who have lost everything, those whose home is spared but whose neigbourhood is gone, those who have to drive past the devastation on their way to work, those who lost the beauty of beloved places and spaces, all of us who feel the wound to our once safe and comfortable locality. And on a larger scale, this catastrophe, along with Typhoon Odette in the Philippines, the tornadoes that destroyed entire towns in Kentucky, last year’s devastating floods in Europe—the list could go on—touches each one of us around the world, faced with unimaginable damage to our only home, Mother Earth.

Let’s look at some of the ways we can respond to loss of home, space and beloved places.

A typical first stage of any loss is a sense of numbness, or even euphoria. After the loss of our home and all our belongings, we may be overwhelmed with gratitude for making it out alive, and feel a lightness and freedom with respect to all the stuff that is gone. Or we may be numb, just getting on with all the paperwork for insurance, FEMA and so on.  If we are supporting a person who has been through this kind of loss, it’s best not to take the, ‘It’s just stuff,’ stage at face value. Powerful feelings of grief and loss may not have had time to surface. There’s a type of sudden enlightenment within the lightness and euphoria—it’s a moment of awakening to reality, to impermanence. It’s true that everything except the Divine is transitory and will ultimately be lost.  However, we need to balance that absolute view with our human existence in the relative world, where there are many things that we do in fact need to have.  

During these early stages of shock, bewilderment and disbelief, it may be very helpful to take Bach Flower Rescue Remedy, which will help you move through the shock. Once your circumstances permit, it’s also important to calm your vata by oiling and sweating. Massage your whole body and scalp with oil, relax for twenty minutes and then take a hot shower or warm bath. Ideally, use sesame oil for vata, sunflower for pitta and a blend of coconut, castor and flax for kapha.

The stages of grief don’t manifest in a linear way. From the outset of a big loss, we may experience moments of intense anger, as well as a longing and yearning for all that our home meant to us. I well remember my days as a junior doctor. It’s hard enough to be the one to bring the family into the parlour and break the news that their loved-one has died; harder still to receive a response of anger that only adds to the remorse and grief about losing a patient. We’ve seen this in the Pandemic too. All too often, grief for the life we used to have manifests as anger towards public health officials. Where the fire is concerned, those of us who are affected might find ourselves expressing anger towards first responders who are trying to keep us safe, to the best of their ability, or towards local functionaries.  Such outbursts may not be logical or helpful, but they are quite natural. Patience and empathy are the best responses. Patience with ourselves, forgiving ourselves for the angry outbursts, patience with anyone whose grief is expressing in this way.

We may also experience guilt, regret and remorse, especially if we lost a pet in the fires. We get caught in repeating loops of ‘if only.’ If only I didn’t go to the store, if only I wasn’t out of town, if only I was more prepared, and so on. These cycles are part of how we respond to traumatic loss. We blame others, we blame ourselves; it’s part of trying to make sense of what happened. However, it isn’t really helpful. If you get caught in loops of guilt and regret, try Pine flower essence, to ease self-blame. If you are trapped in victimhood, resentment and blame of others, try Willow flower essence. Ultimately, guilt and blame are ways we distance ourselves from experiencing the rawness of grief and sorrow. Yet it is only when we meet sorrow and loss head on that we can heal.

 Our loss may call us to a time of pulling back, as we take space to be present with the sadness. There may be moments of despair. How can we possibly regain what we have lost, how can we rebuild?  When moving through a catastrophic loss, guidance from a therapist can help us access our deep wellsprings of resilience. There is a pearl at the bottom of the depths of despair, and we are innately designed to find the pearl. Sweet Chestnut flower essence could also be supportive in a time when we have lost everything and can’t seem to find a way forward.  And the Ayurvedic herb Brahmi can be taken as a tea, to help us regain our balance.

 It’s normal to move through emotions such as shock, anger, regret, blame and despair. And it’s normal for emotions we thought we had left behind to catch us by surprise at a vulnerable moment. What will the holidays next year be like, for those of us whose lives were upended between Christmas and New Year’s Eve? I know that for me, New Year’s Eve has had a different character ever since my Dad died on that day. Yet if we can allow ourselves to be present with our feelings, then gently, gradually, little by little, they will transform, and we will be the richer for it. Bring a gentle and compassionate presence to your feelings of loss in the face of this tragedy, even when things seem overwhelming. And for all of us, let’s remain painfully aware of what is happening to our Earth, and the impact of the Climate Crisis on our lives and those of all beings.

As J Krishnamurti wrote:

Out of the fullness of thy heart

Invite sorrow,

 And the joy thereof shall be in abundance.

 As the streams swell

 After the great rains,

 And the pebbles rejoice once again

 In the murmur of running waters,

 So shall thy wanderings by the wayside

 Fill the emptiness that createth fear.

 Sorrow shall unfold the weaving of life;

 Sorrow shall give the strength of loneliness;

 Sorrow shall open unto thee

The closed doors of thy heart.

The cry of sorrow is the voice of fulfillment,

 And the rejoicing therein Is the fullness of Life.

Alakananda Ma M.B., B.S. (Lond.) is an Ayurvedic Doctor (NAMA) and graduate of a top London medical school. She is co-founder of Alandi Ayurveda Clinic and Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula in Boulder Colorado, as well as a spiritual mother, teacher, flower essence maker and storyteller. Alakananda is a well known and highly respected practitioner in the Ayurveda community both nationally and internationally.

Enliven your holistic health! Visit Alakananda Ma in Alandi Ashram’s ayurvedic clinic to support the overall rejuvenation of your body, mind, and spirit. In-person and virtual appointments available. Book now!

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Secrets of Longevity 3: Staying Strong

Today we’re continuing our topic, secrets of longevity, as we look at staying strong and avoiding frailty.

All of us want to live a long life, but the longevity we picture for ourselves is one of robust health, vitality and continued independence. We do not picture ourselves languishing in a nursing home or needing help for the most basic activities of daily living. Yet 15% of adults over sixty-five (not counting nursing home residents) do suffer from frailty syndrome, rising to 33% and beyond in the over eighties. Worse still, 45% of elders are pre-frail and experience difficulty in carrying out activities of daily living.  What is frailty and how do we avoid it? How can we stay strong and avoid the ravages of old age?

 Known in Ayurveda as jara shosha, frailty syndrome includes wasting of muscles, loss of weight, general apathy, weakness, low physical activity, low energy and slow walking speed. Ayurveda includes cognitive impairment among the features of frailty. Onset of frailty, even under age eighty, can accompany conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, COPD, arthritis, and dementia. A catastrophic event such as a stroke, a major fall with hip fracture or major surgery can trigger a downward spiral whereby a spry elder quickly goes downhill and develops frailty. While many of these things may be beyond our control, there are still ways we can help prevent frailty and even ways to restore our strength if we become pre-frail or start to spiral downwards. And you can use these tips to support an elderly relative as well.

Remaining strong throughout life has three components: preventing frailty, reversing frailty and supporting a frail elder to live their best life. As we’ve discussed previously,

prevention of jara shosha needs to begin by at least age forty. Do your best to enjoy a long and healthy life by following the tips in our two previous blogs on the topic of Secrets of Longevity. Once you get into the eighty-and-over age group, or start to experience frailty,  after an illness or accident for example, here is a five-step process to maintain or regain your strength.

 Step one: Exercise

Use it or lose it, when it comes to muscle strength. The key component of frailty is sarcopaenia, or loss of muscle bulk, known in Ayurveda as mamsakshay. This can easily happen if you are bedridden due to an illness, lead a sedentary lifestyle or are limited in your ability to exercise because of arthritis.  To maintain muscle strength, be sure to prioritize an exercise programme including walking and yoga. Do enjoyable things for exercise; it’s supposed to be a hobby, not a punishment! I always admire how vigorously Mick Jagger dances in his late seventies, and hope to be dancing all my life. If you have become weakened, for example by an illness, follow an incremental regimen. Gradually increase your aerobic exercise and strength training, little by little, until you get back to your pre-setback norm. If injuries or arthritis are holding you back, seek the help of a physical therapist or yoga therapist to maximize your capabilities. If balance is limiting how much you walk, a physical therapist can help with balance exercises and will recommend walking aids as needed. Do whatever you have to do—but keep moving!

Step two: Nutrition

Many factors can affect our nutrition as we age. We may feel tired or get backache when cooking, not have adequate dentition to chew our food, or lack financial resources to buy ingredients. If cooking is too tiring, try simpler recipes, such as those in The 30-minute Ayurvedic Cookbook by Danielle Martin. Make enough for a few meals or even freeze some portions for later. If chewing limits your nutrition, try nourishing drinks like those in Easy Healing Drinks from the Wisdom of Ayurveda by Amadea Morningstar. Cook your vegetables thoroughly, until they are soft, and make soups and kicharis that require less chewing and are easy to digest. There are plenty of recipes on our website. Your brain, heart and eyesight require the antioxidants from fruits and vegetables, so make sure they are central to your meal plans. If it’s difficult  to afford ingredients, ask a relative or friend to help you find out what resources are available for you.

Step three: Sleep

Shakespeare describes sleep as ‘Chief nourisher in life's feast.’ Yet older people often don’t sleep well, for multiple reasons. If pain is making it difficult to sleep, treat the pain, rather than using sleep aids. As well as yoga and physical therapy, try massaging painful areas with a pain-relieving oil such as castor oil or Mahanarayana oil.

 As an older person, you are in the vata time of life, and vata can cause restless sleep. Massage the soles of your feet at bedtime and massage your whole body and scalp with oil at least once a week—daily if you have time. Massage the oil into your skin, relax for twenty minutes and then take a hot shower or warm bath. Use sesame oil for vata, sunflower or coconut for pitta (coconut only in summer) and a blend of coconut, castor and flax for kapha. Better still, ask your Ayurvedic Doctor to recommend a medicated herbal oil for you. If you can’t reach to massage your back, ask your spouse to help. If massaging yourself is too strenuous, try and get a regular oil massage.

Take the TV and other screens out of the bedroom and start settling down for an hour before bedtime, sipping chamomile tea, reading, journaling or meditating.  It can be helpful to get a short nap once or twice during the day, before you get overtired. And meditation bestows many of the physiological benefits of sleep, so regular meditation will help you physically and mentally as well as spiritually.

 Step Four: Oral Health

The bacteria that cause gum disease contribute to chronic inflammation. And chronic inflammation underlies conditions such as heart disease and Alzheimer’s. Support your oral health by daily oil pulling with sesame oil or a medicated oil recommended by your Ayurvedic Doctor. Fill your mouth with the oil and hold it there for as long as you can. Spit it out into paper towels rather than down the sink as oil may clog the sink.

Step Five: Love Life

As we age, life’s sorrows increase, with loss of loved ones and coming to terms with the diminishments of ageing. Yet we also have greater wisdom and an ability to be happy whatever our outer circumstances. One of the key ways to stay strong is to stay involved in the lives of those we love and to continue to care deeply about all our fellow beings. As we adventurous, tech-savvy and highly individuated Boomers age, expectations of life’s elder years are shifting. We won’t go gentle into that good night. We’d rather have a zafu than a rocking chair, as we continue our inner and outer explorations. As TS Eliot said in East Coker,

Old men ought to be explorers

Here and there does not matter

We must be still and still moving

Into another intensity

For a further union, a deeper communion

Through the dark cold and empty desolation,

The wave cry, the wind cry, the vast waters

Of the petrel and the porpoise. In my end is my beginning 

Alakananda Ma M.B., B.S. (Lond.) is an Ayurvedic Doctor (NAMA) and graduate of a top London medical school. She is co-founder of Alandi Ayurveda Clinic and Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula in Boulder Colorado, as well as a spiritual mother, teacher, flower essence maker and storyteller. Alakananda is a well known and highly respected practitioner in the Ayurveda community both nationally and internationally.

Enliven your holistic health! Visit Alakananda Ma in Alandi Ashram’s ayurvedic clinic to support the overall rejuvenation of your body, mind, and spirit. In-person and virtual appointments available. Book now!

Secrets of Longevity 2: Age 60- 80--Active Elders

Today we’re continuing our topic, secrets of longevity. Last week, we looked at the parihani years from ages forty to sixty. This week we’ll be considering active elders in the approximate age range of sixty to eighty.

With the big moment, your sixtieth birthday, you are entering the jara period of life, your elderhood. You are now in the vata time of life. Whatever your constitution, you may notice vata concerns such as dry skin, aches and pains, arthritis, sleep problems and diminished short term memory. Let’s take a few moments to talk about diet, lifestyle, herbs and spiritual resilience during these years as an active elder.

Diet in your active elder years

At some point in your sixties, it’s likely you’ll retire. This is a huge life change that alters your diet, meal plan, lifestyle and self-concept. Before retirement, continue the diet guidance we gave last week for the parihani period. Focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods and try to eat your main meal in the middle of the day and a lighter meal at night, except on special occasions. Once you retire, you have a chance to review how you shop for, plan and prepare your meals. It’s good to take up retirement hobbies. If cooking wasn’t something you had time for previously, now is the time to embrace cooking as a hobby. Enjoy the sensory experience of cooking and the thrill of creativity.

 How do you and your partner or household divide up the duties of shopping and cooking? Money may be tighter now you are retired, and it’s important not to waste. So, make a weekly menu and shop accordingly. As you are in your vata time of life, lean towards a vata-soothing diet, planning regular mealtimes with plenty of soups, dals and kicharis.  As you age, your digestion may become more delicate. Consider cutting back on chilies, onions, garlic and sour seasonings if you or your partner have a tendency to reflux. If there are dentition challenges, make sure the food is thoroughly cooked, so it is soft and easy to chew.

Be sure to make mealtimes a rewarding time. During your work life you may have developed habits like rushing through meals, eating at your desk, or talking business while you eat. Now try to plan leisurely meals, shared with those you live with, setting the table nicely, relaxing and savouring the food.

 Lifestyle in your active elder years

Since you have entered the vata time of life, it’s more important than ever to make sure you massage your whole body and scalp with oil at least once a week—daily if you have time. Massage the oil into your skin, relax for twenty minutes and then take a hot shower or warm bath. Use sesame oil for vata, sunflower or coconut for pitta (coconut only in summer) and a blend of coconut, castor and flax for kapha. Better still, ask your Ayurvedic Doctor to recommend a medicated herbal oil for you. For sound sleep, massage the soles of your feet with oil at bedtime.

Maintain your active elderhood with a good exercise program that includes outdoor activities like walking and hiking. Add yoga and chi gung for flexibility, balance and core strength. If you lose your core strength, you will age rapidly. Choose lower impact forms of exercise that are kind to your joints. If it’s icy or severely cold outside, try some indoor exercise like Leslie Sansone’s Indoor Walking videos. For women, belly dance is a wonderful way to maintain core strength and balance and to feel sexy and beautiful in your elder years. Leilah Isaac has some adorable belly dance workout videos you might enjoy. You need deep relaxation as well as exercise, so make sure you take at least ten minutes shivasana after yoga. Twenty minutes is best.

New hobbies and activities help keep your brain young by building new synapses. Learn to play a musical instrument, take dance lessons, or study painting, photography, pottery or sculpture. Personally, in my jara years I went back to having violin lessons—I was somewhat accomplished as a child and teenager—started singing lessons and took up belly dance. This despite the fact that I still work full time. As well as developing new skills, it can be good to use the skills you developed during your work life, whether that’s through part time work or volunteering. With COVID, we’ve lost some of the opportunities, like volunteering at the library or at an information desk, that provide a chance for connection and making new friends. In normal times, it’s a good idea to volunteer in a setting where you get out of your house and meet new people.

And yes, elders want, need and expect to be sexually active—and not only those of us who are married. Especially during the COVID era, older people are using senior dating apps as they reach out for love and companionship. While some religions and cultures may reserve sex for the childbearing years, most of us see sexual expression as a fulfilling activity independent of reproduction. A rich and meaningful sex life can help you live longer, feel younger and enjoy better mental health. For active elders who are dating, the same advice applies to you as to those in other age groups—practice safe sex and use a condom. The genital changes of aging are an added risk factor for STI’s such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV; so please be careful.

   Sex after sixty is a large and important topic in its own right, one that we’ll save for another day. For now, suffice it to say that you can’t take your sexual capabilities for granted in your older years; it takes work to sustain this important part of your life. At the very least, do thirty Kegels a day to keep your PC muscles in shape. This will also help with core strength and stress incontinence issues and is even recommended to help reduce belly fat and lower blood lipids.  

 Herbs in your active elder years

Every active elder should have an Ayurvedic Doctor in their life, to recommend specific herbal formulations and teas to deal with individual issues such as arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, cognitive issues and so forth. It’s more important than ever to keep your doshas balanced and your dhatus or tissues nourished and supported. On a self-care basis, make sure you use herbs and teas such as turmeric, tulsi and triphala, which have wonderful antioxidant properties. And, unless you have blood sugar concerns, add the rejuvenative herbal jam, Chyavanprash, to your daily routine, taking a teaspoon each morning before breakfast.

 Spiritual Resilience in your active elder years

At some point in your active elder years, you’ll be confronted with age stigma or ageism. You are growing old in a society that values youth and discounts elders. You may also internalize ageism and self-stereotype, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy of social isolation. Today we tend to turn to Google to look for answers that in olden times were known only to elders, who were valued as repositories of wisdom and life experience. However, many of the changes associated with elder mind do in fact tend to lead to greater happiness. We feel more gratitude, have more perspective and are less likely to ‘sweat the small stuff.’ Try to focus more on the wisdom of your years and less on the stigma placed upon you.

As I often like to say, meaning is the best medicine. Your elder years are not for golf and cruises, nor for sitting alone in front of the television. According to Ayurvedic teachings, your elder years, with children grown and financial burdens reduced, are a time to serve the greater good, to share your wisdom and to prepare spiritually for death. While you have energy, serve others in whatever way appeals to you. Find ways to share your wisdom, whether that’s through meeting people or through a blog or podcast. Above all, develop and deepen your spiritual practice, acquiring the only wealth you can take with you when you leave this life. This is the ultimate purpose of attending to diet, lifestyle and herbs in you elder years—to help you have the physical and mental strength to deepen your spiritual life and to contribute in positive ways to the happiness and wellbeing of others.

Alakananda Ma M.B., B.S. (Lond.) is an Ayurvedic Doctor (NAMA) and graduate of a top London medical school. She is co-founder of Alandi Ayurveda Clinic and Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula in Boulder Colorado, as well as a spiritual mother, teacher, flower essence maker and storyteller. Alakananda is a well known and highly respected practitioner in the Ayurveda community both nationally and internationally.

Enliven your holistic health! Visit Alakananda Ma in Alandi Ashram’s ayurvedic clinic to support the overall rejuvenation of your body, mind, and spirit. In-person and virtual appointments available. Book now!

Secrets of Longevity 1: Ages 40-60

 With my seventieth birthday just around the corner, I’ve decided to do a short series on longevity—a matter of some interest at my age!

The word Ayurveda is a compound of two words, ayush and veda. Veda means science and ayush means long and healthy life. So while Ayurveda offers treatment for all kinds of ailments, primacy is given to rasayana, the art of rejuvenation leading to longevity.

 Although rasayana commences at birth, special importance is given to the years from forty to sixty, known as parihani or ‘over the hill.’ These are the years when we first become aware of our ageing process. They are also the crucial years for laying a foundation for a healthy old age. Once the subsequent stage of life, jara or old age, begins in earnest, our dhatus or bodily tissues begin a process of diminution or deterioration. It’s no longer very easy to build our dhatus up, as they are more resistant. During the parihani years, we want to build healthy dhatus and set ourselves up well for our elder years. We do this by concentrating on diet, lifestyle and special herbs.

 Health in the parihani years

What happens to the body in the parhihani period?  For women, this is a very crucial time when we begin to notice hormonal changes and then, in the middle of the parihani years, go through our menopause. We may also begin to have changes in our bone health. Menopause may seem cataclysmic at the time, but many women report experiencing PMZ or post-menopausal zest, a term coined by anthropologist Margaret Mead. Now our energy is no longer drained by our menstrual cycle, we may experience a new lease of life.  Ayurvedic guidance on rasayana can help us make the most of this special time, when many of us feel more empowered to make a difference in the world.

For men, the changes, though not as dramatic, are no less important. By age forty, up to 40% of men begin to notice a decline in their sexual functioning, and this percentage increases throughout the parihani years. Men may also become aware of lower urinary tract symptoms, signaling an enlarging prostate. The issue of men’s sexual health in their older years is so important that there is a whole branch of Ayurveda, vajikarana, devoted to supporting virility for older men.

 Diet in the parihani years

Now that you are ‘over the hill,’ your metabolism begins to slow and it is all too easy to gain weight, especially with the hormonal changes taking place. You don’t have the same license to get away with living on beer, pizza and doughnuts that you had when you were in college. It’s time to focus on nutrient-dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, fish, and organic dairy products. Not that you can’t have pizza once in a while, but don’t let the exception become the rule.

Another way that unwanted pounds can creep on and digestive power can slowly be eroded is eating your main meal at night. It may be challenging with your job but try to have your main meal at lunchtime most days and a lighter meal, like some soup or kichari, in the evening.

Lifestyle in the parihani years

During the years from 40-60, we often have stressful or challenging jobs, as we are at the top of our career. And all too often, our work is sedentary. Yet studies have suggested that prolonged sitting is an independent risk factor increasing all-cause mortality. You might want to try a standing desk or walking desk. Or at least break up your sitting time.

On a separate but related note, the exercise you take during your parihani years will have a major effect on your brain health in your elder years. Try to keep a good exercise plan including yoga and outdoor activities. While going to the gym may be helpful, in Ayurveda there is an emphasis on fresh air and sunlight as well as getting physical activity. And time spent in nature is a rasayana in its own right.

 Within reason, the better your exercise and fitness during this period of life, the better your brain and body will be during old age.

Another thing you want to consider during these decades is your use of substances that are harmful to your health. A half glass of wine on the weekend, or a toke or some cannabis edibles on special occasions may enhance your overall enjoyment of life. But daily or frequent use of alcohol, cannabis or recreational drugs will have a negative effect on your longevity and cognitive functioning. Releasing these injurious habits is key to a healthy old age and a long and enjoyable life.

Herbs in the parihani years

Ayurvedic herbs can provide tremendous support during your parihani time. If you are being troubled with blood sugar imbalances, menopause symptoms, or lower urinary tract issues like urgency or nocturnal urination, an Ayurvedic Doctor can create a herbal formula tailored to your needs. If erectile dysfunction or waning virility is a concern, a practitioner can start you on a vajikarana program. You might also want to look into doing panchakarma, the Ayurvedic cleansing process, which is a prelude to embarking on rasayana or rejuvenation. On a self-care basis, herbs such as turmeric, tulsi and triphala have wonderful antioxidant properties to support your midlife health.

 Remember to make slow, steady, sustainable changes. The Ayurvedic texts state that the bad habits should be abandoned gradually, and good habits adopted gradually. And when you find yourself slipping back into your old ways, don’t beat up on yourself—just pick yourself up and start over. Try to have a good diet and lifestyle in place to the best of your ability as you enter your elder years. Old people often become set in their ways, so your midlife years present a special opportunity to make supportive changes and growth.

 Alakananda Ma M.B., B.S. (Lond.) is an Ayurvedic Doctor (NAMA) and graduate of a top London medical school. She is co-founder of Alandi Ayurveda Clinic and Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula in Boulder Colorado, as well as a spiritual mother, teacher, flower essence maker and storyteller. Alakananda is a well known and highly respected practitioner in the Ayurveda community both nationally and internationally.

Enliven your holistic health! Visit Alakananda Ma in Alandi Ashram’s ayurvedic clinic to support the overall rejuvenation of your body, mind, and spirit. In-person and virtual appointments available. Book now!

The Rejuvenative Power of Gratitude

Photo by Sadananda at South Boulder Creek

During the Pandemic, we have been very aware of the fact that some people get COVID and are asymptomatic, some get mild illness and recover quickly, and some get serious or fatal illness. This raises a question that has been pondered since antiquity.

“It is to be observed, sir, that the persons taking wholesome food are both diseased and healthy and similarly in the case of unwholesome food. So how can good and bad effects be attributed to diet?” from Charak Samhita.

Obviously, when we are talking about a specific illness such as COVID, we have the opportunity to gain powerful protection through vaccination. That is something I encourage you to do, not only for your own sake, but for the greater good, to protect those more vulnerable to disease and to benefit society as a whole. At the same time, we still have the larger question—how can we support our overall resistance to all diseases? Is there something we can do that enhances our ability to avoid disease and maintain health?

In Ayurveda, that ‘something’ is rasayana, or rejuvenative therapy. Rasayana builds our bala or strength and our ojas—vigor or essence of vitality. Before the classical Ayurvedic texts speak about the treatment of specific diseases, they first discuss rasayana. In fact, rasayana is a discipline in its own right, seventh of the eight branches of Ayurveda. As the texts say, “From the rasayana treatment, one attains longevity, memory, intelligence, freedom from disorders, youthful age, excellence of luster, complexion and voice, oratory, optimum strength of physique and sense organs, respectability and brilliance.”

We can do rasayana to promote longevity, to improve cognitive functioning or even to enhance beauty. There are rasayana herbs to help us recover from specific illnesses and there are nourishing and rejuvenative foods that can be used on a daily basis. But while we have elaborate time-honoured herbal recipes such as Chyavanprash, for powerful rejuvenative effects, there are also methods of rasayana that do not involve taking any herbal medicines. One branch of adravya or non-herbal rejuvenative therapy is achara rasayana, behavioural rasayana. It is here that positive emotions like gratitude fit in.

So often, we focus on the things that are amiss in our lives, blaming ourselves or others for our misfortunes. When we cultivate gratitude, we take a wider view of our lives.

There’s nothing wrong with having a good kvetch when things in our lives are going awry, but at a certain point, we need to move on and focus on the positive. Positive emotions send healthy messages to our neuroendocrine system and help us to come into balance. Gratitude is a great antidote to neurotic emotions, or kleshas, like envy, jealousy and stinginess. Gratitude also inclines us to be more caring and helpful. If I am feeling gratitude that I have a place to live and food to eat, I will naturally think of all the people who are unhoused or food insecure and look for ways to help them.

 There are many methods and techniques to cultivate gratitude. Some people like to keep a gratitude journal, some prefer a gratitude jar, dropping a daily handwritten note about something you are grateful for into a glass jar. Some like to start the day by thinking about all the good things they are waking up to, others meditate at the end of the day, calling to mind the day’s blessings.

 To look a little deeper, should we be grateful only for certain things? Is it wise to pick and choose which things are blessings? In this regard, there is a Hasidic tale.

There was a farmer who had a very fine horse. One day his horse ran away. The neighbours came to commiserate the farmer on the loss of his horse. “Let’s see, let’s see,” replied the farmer. Sometime later, the horse returned with a herd of wild horses. The neigbours came to congratulate the farmer on the return of his horse and the addition of the new horses.  But he  just replied, “Let’s see, let’s see.” The farmer’s son was strong and athletic and enjoyed riding the wild horses. But one day, he fell off and broke his leg. The neighbours were worried and came to commiserate the farmer on his son’s accident. The farmer again replied, “Let’s see, let’s see.” Soon after, war broke out. The Russian army arrived to conscript all the young men of the village to fight in the war—most likely, never to return. Everyone was taken, except for the young man with the broken leg. Then the farmer said, “Now I know it was a good thing that my horse ran away.”

As this tale reminds us , the most profound way to gain the rejuvenative benefits of gratitude is to be grateful for everything that happens and to do our best to share our good fortune with others through generosity and helpfulness.

Alakananda Ma M.B., B.S. (Lond.) is an Ayurvedic Doctor (NAMA) and graduate of a top London medical school. She is co-founder of Alandi Ayurveda Clinic and Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula in Boulder Colorado, as well as a spiritual mother, teacher, flower essence maker and storyteller. Alakananda is a well known and highly respected practitioner in the Ayurveda community both nationally and internationally.

Enliven your holistic health! Visit Alakananda Ma in Alandi Ashram’s ayurvedic clinic to support the overall rejuvenation of your body, mind, and spirit. In-person and virtual appointments available. Book now!

Loss of Smell

From the milky smell of our mother on, life is full of fragrances that speak to us of where we are, who we are with, and how the seasons progress. How flat, dull and disorienting it is to be unable to smell these familiar scents!

In Western medicine, loss of smell is called anosmia, and a blunted or diminished sense of smell is hyposmia. And in Ayurveda we call loss of smell ghrananasha, and we note that it is often accompanied by arasajnata or loss of taste. These sense organ impairments are listed in the eighty diseases of vata in the Ayurvedic texts.

Basically, you can lose your sense of smell because there is something going on with your nasal mucosa or sinuses, or you can lose your sense of smell due to a neurological issue. In the latter case, there is nothing wrong with your nose, it’s your brain not reading the signals.

Thinking about your nose first, we’re all familiar with losing our sense of smell when we have a cold and stuffy nose, and we know that this affects our taste as well, because a lot of what we associate with the taste of food is actually its aroma. We’ll often lose our sense of smell with ‘flu as well, and with allergies or sinus infections. Usually these episodes are temporary, but we can certainly help our nose to be less stuffed up. By using a neti pot to irrigate the nose with lukewarm saline, we can clear a stuffy nose, help the sinuses to drain, and wash out bacteria, pollen, molds and allergens that are stuck on the lining of our nostrils. It’s best to use lukewarm distilled water and pure Himalayan salt or natural mineral salt, half a teaspoon to a cup of water. The water should feel comfortable and soothing; if it’s irritating it’s either not salty enough or too salty.

After irrigating the nose, it’s important to dry it by doing anulom vilom and forward bends to drain the water out of your nose.

You can also use a nasya oil like the one sold by Banyan Botanicals. Wait until your nose has dried from doing neti, and then instill five drops of nasya oil in each nostril. It’s best to do nasya in fish pose, with your head tilted backwards.

Unfortunately, if you have a severe sinus infection or long-term allergies, loss of smell and taste can become a chronic condition. There could also be perverted taste, where everything you eat tastes horrible. If your loss of smell doesn’t respond to neti and generic nasya, it’s best to see an Ayurvedic Practitioner to get a special nasya and some custom herbal remedies to nip the condition in the bud before it becomes chronic.

Anosmia has been in the news a lot of late, since it is a signature symptom of COVID. But the type of loss of smell COVID patients experience is completely different from what you get with a cold and stuffy nose. SARSCoVi2 is what we call a neurotropic virus, meaning that it likes to attack the nervous system. And after the virus attaches to the nasal mucosa, it doesn’t have far to travel to the base of the brain, where the olfactory bulb is located, the place where your body reads the smell signals. With COVID, loss of smell and taste is a neurological problem. As such, it’s much harder to tackle. Some people get a more transitory loss of smell and taste, while for others it can be persistent and seems to reflect long term damage to the olfactory bulb. We often take our sense of smell for granted, but if you can’t smell smoke when you need to, your life may be in danger. If you can’t smell or taste food, you may lose your appetite and suffer unwanted weight loss. And life is full of so many aromas, from roses to fallen leaves, that are evocative and pleasurable, as well as stinks that signal something we need to stay away from or remove from our environment.

For intractable loss of taste, Ayurvedic texts recommend doing mouthwash with pomegranate juice with a pinch of rock salt and a teaspoon of honey, holding it in the mouth for as long as possible. It might be worth trying, as it is said to cure even incurable loss of taste. For loss of smell, we consider two factors. First, we want to get the viruses out of the olfactory system. Long COVID with persistent symptoms is very probably due to the virus persisting in the body. And secondly, we want to improve the function of the olfactory system by improving dopamine levels.  Nasya is the most direct route to accomplish both these ends, so we have created a special nasya for people with COVID-related loss of smell and taste. In addition, we give herbs to take orally that are nervine and antiviral. Don’t delay if you have lost your sense of taste and smell; seek Ayurvedic treatment right away.  the longer it goes untreated, the worse the potential damage.

 As the brain has great power to heal itself, we also suggest doing sensory rehab by smelling a set of essential oils every day while telling yourself, “This is rose, this is orange, this is pine” etc. Recall the smell in your memory as you do this. And as ghrananasha and arasajnata are defined as vata conditions, take a vata-soothing diet. Eat warm, soupy, well cooked foods like soups, dals and kicharis. Make sure you get plenty of essential fatty acids by eating healthy oils like ghee, olive oil and avocadoes.

If you have lost your appetite due to not being able to taste your food, take a quarter to half a  teaspoon of agni kindler five minutes before meals. You can make a batch and keep it in the fridge.

To make ½ cup agni kindler, grate ¼ cup fresh ginger and ¼ cup fresh turmeric. Squeeze on juice of ½ a lime or lemon and add ½ tsp salt.

You can also support your appetite by drinking a tea made from cumin, coriander and fennel. Using whole seeds, add 1/3 t of each to a cup of water and boil until the seeds sink. Strain and drink. You can make a3-4 cup batch for the day and drink it throughout the day.

Neurological loss of smell doesn’t only happen in COVID. It can also be part of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Disease, as well as Multiple Sclerosis and ALS. In fact, loss of smell may be the first symptom of Parkinson’s, years before the characteristic motor symptoms appear. Similarly, in the case of Alzheimer’s, loss of smell may be an early warning symptom. If you look up Parkinson’s Disease on Doctor Google, you will learn that mucuna pruriens, Kapu Kacchu, helps endogenous dopamine production. Please don’t just order a bag of this herb, because you may not know the best way to use it. We don’t recommend using herbs as if they were drugs. An Ayurvedic Practitioner will create you a custom formula, special nasya, and an entire regimen to support your best health. A herb isn’t ‘Ayurvedic’ because it comes from India; it is Ayurvedic when used as part of a holistic Ayurvedic regimen and tailored for your constitution. Don’t self-treat for a serious condition, seek expert help.

As noted by Shakespeare, diminished taste is also a part of the normal ageing process.

“Last scene of all,

That ends this strange eventful history,

Is second childishness and mere oblivion;

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.”

Unfortunately, there is no equivalent of the hearing aid for the sense of taste. Support the health of your sense organs by eating colourful fruits and vegetables every day and taking regular exercise and fresh air. The elder years are the vata time of life, so follow a vata soothing diet, eating broths, soups, dals and kicharis. And oil your body at least once a week with Ashwagandha-Bala Tailam or the oil your practitioner recommends for you.

Please care for your vata at every stage of your life so you can continue to enjoy the fragrance of life for many years to come. 

Alakananda Ma M.B., B.S. (Lond.) is an Ayurvedic Doctor (NAMA) and graduate of a top London medical school. She is co-founder of Alandi Ayurveda Clinic and Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula in Boulder Colorado, as well as a spiritual mother, teacher, flower essence maker and storyteller. Alakananda is a well known and highly respected practitioner in the Ayurveda community both nationally and internationally.

Enliven your holistic health! Visit Alakananda Ma in Alandi Ashram’s ayurvedic clinic to support the overall rejuvenation of your body, mind, and spirit. In-person and virtual appointments available. Book now!