John Immel, Founder of Joyful Belly

Drawing on years of research and clinical experience specializing in digestive disorders, John Immel directs the Joyful Belly Institute's Master of Ayurvedic Digestion 500 hour program. He is the founder of Joyful Belly, an educational Ayurvedic healthcare website, and oversees the Joyful Belly Clinic.

John studied Ayurveda under Dr. Vasant Lad and is specialized in the advanced treatment of digestive tract pathology. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University. He first discovered Ayurveda while working on a public health project in Bangladesh. John's interest in Ayurveda and digestive tract pathology was inspired by a complex digestive disorder acquired from years of international travel.

After witnessing Ayurveda's compelling efficiency and practical ease in treatment of his own digestive disorder, John was convinced he could help others. He wanted to introduce Ayurveda to his Appalachian mountain home and America. This was the genesis of Joyful Belly. Using ingredients familiar from his childhood, John created Joyful Belly to recast Ayurveda in the context of our American food traditions. Joyful Belly proves Ayurveda is accessible and necessary for everyday health & wellness. His simple, practical and familiar approach has helped thousands on their journey to health.

John's love of life, his commitment to the health & dignity of the person, and his humanitarian pursuit of inexpensive health care comes from his Catholic roots and identity. His creativity in the kitchen, and absolute dedication to the epicurean delight of eating comes from his Italian heritage. He is fluent in Bengali and French, and an avid student of Sanskrit & Arabic. He is a member of NAMA, the National Ayurvedic Medical Association.

Clinical Specialties

• Emotional Eating
  
• Weight Loss
  
• Digestion
  

Natalie Hine, Ayurvedic Practitioner & Chief Editor

Natalie Hine is chief editor of Joyful Belly where she offers her expertise in emotional eating and eating disorders to the field of Ayurveda. Natalie herself used the principles of Ayurveda to heal from severe anorexia which at one time left her hospitalized. She is grateful to share her insights to other women searching for freedom from unhealthy eating patterns. Natalie graduated Phi Beta Kappa with Honors from Vassar College and is a fluent speaker of Swedish.

Clinical Specialities

• Eating Disorders (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, orthorexia)
  
• Cleansing & detoxification