Ayurveda: Frequently asked questions

Ayurveda is typically a foreign concept to the West - its philosophy, healing modalities, and general paradigm of how we think of health and dis-ease. There are many questions that come up often that I would love to process here. Read on and enjoy!

Is Ayurveda for anybody?
Yes!  The young, old, any man or woman can benefit, even in pregnancy. Speaking of pregnancy, there are many Ayurvedic lifestyle suggestions during pregnancy, and post-partum, such as special oil massages and quarantining with the baby for 40 days.
Is Ayurveda a quick fix?
Although many Ayurvedic treatments and lifestyle modifications can have an immediate benefit, if you are dealing with a chronic health issue and now turning to Ayurveda it may take some time to reverse the damage (if able) that has been done already. Ayurveda really shines brightest in preventing chronic diseases. It also treats many diseases as well but Ayurvedic philosophy as a whole heavily focuses on preventative medicine.
Does Ayurveda replace my doctor?
Absolutely not. Ayurveda does not seek to replace any currently medical care of medications you are currently receiving. You may or may not choose to disclose to your medical provider that you are seeking an Ayurvedic lifestyle & possible treatments, but they might not know what to do with that information if they are uninformed about Ayurveda. Additionally they will be unable to determine what type of interactions there may be. As a pharmacist plus an Ayurvedic practitioner, I may be best able to help you discern that.
Is Ayurveda a religion?
Not at all. Although it originated in the same set of books as Hinduism, they branched out to their own separate entities. The Vedas are the oldest known texts in the world, collectively. Ayurveda arose from the Atharva Veda and Hinduism arose from the Rig Veda. Ayurveda does recognize spirituality as an important part of the healing journey and of life itself, however you do not need to be spiritual or religious to incorporate Ayurveda into your life - it meets you where you are at.
Do I have to be vegetarian to practice Ayurveda?
No - there are no rules regarding eating meat or not, however like any other food meat is used therapeutically depending on your individual constitution. Some people may be better off not eating meat at all or restricted to certain types of meat. If you are morally opposed to eating meat, that's ok! There are always different things Ayurveda can offer. I have clients on all ends of the meat eating spectrum.
How is Ayurveda related to yoga?
Yoga & Ayurveda are sister sciences that evolved together and eventually became their own entity. Yoga originated from the Rig Veda. Often times yoga postures will be given as treatment options for an Ayurvedic plan. Yoga teacher training was a pre-requisite to attend Ayurveda school.
How come my friend & I are the same constitution but we have different treatment plans?
This is such a fascinating question. The three constitution, or dosha, possibilities are vata, pitta & kapha and when combined offer 7 different constitution combinations. If two people are the same constitution (such as primarily pitta-kapha for example), their treatment and lifestyle plan should be the same.... right? Not true! Because these doshas can manifest in totally different ways and areas of the body (such as mentally/emotionally or a certain body part or organ function), no two people are going to be exactly alike and thus the plans will be different.

Photo taken by myself near Rishikesh, India