For my next foray into alternative
medicine, I will travel back in time and give Ayurvedic medicine a try. Ayurveda is one of the world’s oldest forms
of holistic healing. Ayurveda traces its
origins back thousands of years to ancient India. The first obstacle I come across in my plans
to sample this discipline is how do I pronounce Ayurvedic? Is it Aaroovadick? Ayorveedak?
Fortunately, I don’t have to look far to find clarification from a native
of India. Do all Indians aspire to be
doctors? I share my office with a Dr.
Gupta, not the world famous Sanjay Gupta, but Vinnie Gupta. Dr. Gupta informs me the correct pronunciation
is “Eye yur vaydick.” Now that I can
pronounce Ayurvedic, I am ready to find a local practitioner. Fortunately, I now live in Asheville, North
Carolina, home of all things alternative.
San Francisco has nothing on my little mountain town when it comes to
non-traditional forms of medicine. Had I searched for an Ayurvedic doctor in
Cleveland, Ohio, two years ago when I started this quest, I would have been out
of luck. Asheville not only has Ayurveda,
but it boasts one of the few Ayurvedic centers in the United States. Don’t lose heart Clevelanders - a University
Hospitals affiliate just added Ayurveda as a wellness option - further proof
that alternative medicine is not really so “alternative” any longer.
Next week . . . a visit
to the Ayurvedic doctor.
What is Ayurveda?
Does a form of wellness therapy invented thousands of years ago still
have relevance in modern times? To
answer these questions, I turn to my usual sources: my bible, Alternative Medicine - The Definitive Guide,
and WebMd. These two sources provide opposite
sides of the spectrum - alternative medicine devotees versus western-trained
doctors like me. According to Dr. Deepak
Chopra, Ayurvedic physicians ask “Who is my patient?” rather than “What disease
does my patient have?” The focus of
Ayurveda is to promote good health rather than to treat disease. Ayurveda believes in the connectedness of
everything in the universe (Connectedness is a key buzzword for many
“alternative” beliefs. I often think my
traditionally trained colleagues worry too much about the “connectedness” of
their coding for procedures and billing). Ayurveda says everything is composed of the
five basic elements - space, air, water, fire, and earth (a bit simpler than
the 118 elements that make up the Periodic Table). These basic elements combine to form a
person’s metabolic type or dosha. If your
dosha gets out of balance, you are prone to illness.
I check out the three doshas - Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Which one am I? Persons typically are of one predominant
dosha, but may express the other doshas to a lesser degree. There are certain
characteristics associated with each dosha.
My bible, Alternative Medicine,
lists traits associated with each dosha.
As I read the list of general traits, I am reminded of a bad horoscope
which gives general predictions that could apply to everyone. Despite my initial cynicism, I am clearly a
Pitta: medium build; fair-thin hair
(thinner than I would like); warm-perspiring skin; doesn’t miss a meal; lives
by the clock; intelligent and articulate (of course); orderly-efficient; warm
and loving (maybe); short-tempered (nope); heartburn (yep); hemorrhoids (yes,
how embarrassing); and, acne (my friends definitely remember my pizza-faced
youth). Wow! I am a Pitta through and through.
According to WebMd, those with Pitta as their primary
life force are more likely to develop anger and negative emotions (bullshit! I
hate this website!), Crohn’s disease (I do have bowel issues), heart disease,
heartburn, high blood pressure, and infections.
Fortunately, I am an infectious diseases doctor so I should be able to
handle the last of these. Based on my
overwhelming Pitta-ness, I should have had a least one cardiac bypass surgery
by now. I don’t dare wait any
longer. I need to find guidance before I
croak. I will set up my first Ayurvedic
consultation right away.
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