
It takes a strong digestion to get thirsty. Otherwise, water will feel heavy in the stomach. Vata individuals often forget to drink water, or fail to notice they are thirsty. Excess mucus and insufficient acids can also drown healthy thirst. Your sense...
Kapha people tend to store excess water. They avoid humidity and anything soggy, including soggy foods because it resembles the way they feel: congested, clammy and heavy. Since Kapha people crave heavy foods without sogginess, they are seduced by...
The skin is the cream of the blood plasma, reflecting it's properties. Thin, dry skin often reflects depletion or insufficient fat intake (Vata). Ghee and oil massage are useful for Vata type dry skin. In some case, dry skin is related to...
Clammy skin refers to skin that is wet, damp and sticky. Skin also usually feels cold to the touch. Most commonly, skin becomes clammy due to fluid accumulation in the extremities, often as a result of poor circulation.This can be due to thick plasma...
Water retention, also known as fluid retention or edema, happens when excess fluid builds up in the body's tissues, often in the hands, feet, ankles, legs, or even the face. You might notice swelling or puffiness in these areas, a feeling of...
Edematic swelling can result from stagnant circulation or low osmotic pressure in the blood compared to cells. Circulation becomes stagnant in Kapha dosha when the blood is too thick and sweet. "Sweet" blood means blood that is rich in sugars, fats,...
Puffy skin implies lymphatic stagnation, inflammation, and edema, overall a Kapha condition in Ayurveda and dampness in Chinese medicine. Possible causes include poor circulation, an allergen, and toxins. Kapha lymph is naturally thick & gooey. This...
A puffy face is one that looks more swollen than normal. It is caused by sluggish circulation and lymphatic congestion. It can appear worse in the morning as lymph tends to stagnate overnight when you are immobile.Sluggish circulation often occurs as...
Puffy hands look enlarged and swollen. Hands generally become puffy due to lymphatic stagnation and sluggish circulation.Poor circulation often occurs as a result of a sedentary lifestyle and eating a diet in heavy, rich, sweet, and fried foods....
Edematic swelling can result from stagnant circulation. Circulation becomes stagnant in Kapha dosha when the blood is too thick and sweet, or when veins are too dilated and relaxed. "Sweet" blood means blood that is rich in sugars, fats, proteins,...
Nightime urination may be due to toxicity in the blood, which gets filtered by the kidneys. Alternatively, night-time urination can indicate diabetes, especially if the urine is cloudy or bubbly.
Generally, urine should be straw colored, or light yellow. Dark yellow urine implies the urine has a lower concentration of water than normal. This may be due to dehydration, a high sodium diet, electrolyte imbalance, poor circulation to the kidneys...
Frequent urination causes significant loss of electrolytes and dehydration. Dehydration creates digestive problems and constipation. The quantity of urine is related to many factors including diabetes and diuretic foods and pharmaceuticals. When there...
Sour sweat is a sign of a Pitta Kapha condition with ama (damp-heat in Chinese medicine). Circulation may be blocked or stagnant. This condition typically occurs alongside red-puffy skin and well developed muscles.
Sweating rarely may indicate chronic dehydration, electrolyte imbalance such as magnesium deficiency, or other factors. Drinking inadequate amounts of water, urinating or passing too much liquid in the feces will reduce the amount of sweating. The...
Sweating often may indicate congested fluids, or excess fat tissue. The backed up fluids can causes clamminess in hands or feet especially. A heat condition, a dry-heat condition, or irritating toxin can also cause the pores to open...
Night sweats are a classic sign of Vata pushing Pitta ('yin deficient heat' in Chinese medicine). They often correspond to a racing mind and heartbeat, insomnia, and terrifying dreams. Night sweats may be due to high blood sugar as in...
An empty vessel pulse could mean low blood pressure or dehydration. The vessel feels especially deflated between heartbeats. A wide pulse (due to vasodilation) sometimes feels more empty because blood pressure drops when vessels are dilated.
DISCLAIMER: The pathogenesis of each person's condition is unique, and so the diet must be fit to the individual and the unique root causes of the condition in your body. The information on this page is for educational purposes only and should not be used to treat a medical condition. It is not a substitute for medical care. Please check with your doctor before making any changes to your health and wellness routine.
On Joyful Belly, we've created an extensive categorization of food so you can easily match food to your imbalanced biocharacteristics. By eating an optimal diet that balances your biocharacteristics, your whole body is strengthened and the conditions that created the disorder are removed. Once the root causes of the disease are removed, the disease lessens in strength or disappears altogether. Additional remedies - such as herbs and lifestyle practices - focused on the specific disorder, can greatly enhance your healing.
Founder of Joyful Belly Ayurveda, John Immel, answers the question ‘What is Ayurveda?’