
Got a gassy gut? Frequent farting and flatulence isn't just embarrassing, it's also unhealthy. Prompt action is necessary. Passing gas is an important warning sign your body has weak digestion, metabolism, and compromised immunity. Gas is considered a...
Are You So Hungry It Hurts? You Might Have Gastritis. Hunger doesn't always come from a big appetite. Sometimes, it's a side-effect of inflammation. I once had a client that was 100 lbs overweight because she was always...
A GI Bleed may occur spontaneously in those who are on blood thinners. As a person ages, the colon becomes more fragile and occult bleeding becomes more common. IBD including ulcerative colitis and crohn's may cause fecal occult blood and more...
General malaise is a general feeling that you are unwell. You may feel like you are coming down with a cold or a fever. In the absence of an infection, general malaise is usually a sign of toxic buildup. You simply might not feel like yourself anymore....
Many of the below herbs will be used topically. Bloodroot and Mayapple are dangerous, caustic agents that should be used under expert guidance only.
Glaucoma is a serious disease that can cause blindness characterized by increased pressure in the eye. Note there are two types of glaucoma: open angle and closed angle. In Ayurveda, open angle glaucoma is considered to be an accumulation of...
A goiter or enlarged thyroid may be due to various factors, including low iodine, excess iodine, hyperthyroid, or hypothyroid, or thyroiditis. Basically anything that stresses the thyroid gland can cause a goiter.
Kapha individuals are afraid of changing the status quo. They love consistency and stability. Stability itself is a good thing, but when out of balance Kapha is unable to make necessary changes.
A normal tongue has a very thin white coating in the back, which is a sign that the tongue is adequately nourished. If the tongue coating appears gray in color, it is a sign that ama (toxins) is present. The grayish color specifically indicates toxins...
Dry eyes can be a sign of dehydration or irritation. Sours taste generally flushes the eyes and skin (for example: lime).
A gray sclera indicates Vata type ama, which can come from constipation, gas, or bloating.
Gray or light colored stool may have insufficient bile for digestion.
Gray teeth indicates Vata type toxic buildup. The most common cause of Vata ama is constipation, gas and bloating.
Green poop is caused by a bright green fluid called bile, secreted by the liver. Bile helps you digest fat and helps you absorb fat soluble vitamins. It is also an intestinal lubricant that softens the stool. Your stool is initially green in your...
Are you harboring bitterness towards the world and how it was made? Grieving is the process of tempering ones passions back to...
A polyp, internal hemorrhoid, or something protruding into the colon can create a consistent groove in the stool. This condition should be checked by a qualified gastroenterologist to rule out colon cancer.
Gum inflammation is often secondary to either toxicity (Vata or Pitta type), or sweet blood (Kapha Type). Sweet blood, or blood high in sugar, is attractive to the organisms that cause tooth decay.
Gurgling noises indicate the presence of gas or fluids. Easy to digest foods, massage, stretching, and appropriate use of laxative should help to eliminate the stagnant gas and fecal matter.
H pylori is a highly contagious bacteria that causes a burning sensation in the upper gut for some individuals. Since many imbalances cause a burning sensation in the upper GI, a positive diagnosis is needed. Do You Have the #1 Gut Infection in...
Hair loss or balding may happen when hair follicles are starved of blood, a cold condition in the capillary beds. Capillary beds of the skin tend to constrict when skin temperatures are cool as in hypothyroid. Herbs that increase micro-circulation...
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis is an autoimmune response in the thyroid. An autoimmune disorder is when your body recognizes "you" as a foreign body or pathogen. Your immune system's job is to rid the body of harmful pathogens so you stay healthy- in the...
When the head is tilted forward, blood fills the frontal lobe, making it easier to think but harder to relax. Tilting the head forward may reduce the scope of a person's perspective. This increases focus, but reduces awareness. Tilting the head forward...
If you are prone to headaches and want a natural source of relief, you’ve come to the right place. While there are many types of headaches, Ayurveda teaches that most are symptomatic of an imbalance in the blood. Let’s explore some...
Heart attacks are often fatal. Eating heart healthy foods and other preventative techniques are recommended if you are in a high risk group. Heart attacks related to obesity, rather than stress, are common in Spring, starting mid-February, as the...
The heart is sensitive to changes in blood chemistry, including hormones and toxicity. Heart palpitations and murmurs are aggravated by fermentation in the digestive tract. Regular, gentle extercise also strengthens the herat and circulation.
Heart palpitations are defined as undue awareness of one's heartbeat. If you are sitting in the car or walking down the street, and suddenly feel your heart beating in your chest, you are experiencing heart palpitations. Your heart may feel fast,...
A heart shaped face is a face that is wider at the top than the bottom. We speculate this Pitta symptom is due, poetically, to "heat rising to the head." Pitta individuals in general may have higher bilirubin levels than other body types, stimulating a...
Heat generally aggravates inflammation, including rashes. High metabolism, peri-menopause, and obesity are other common causes of overheating.
Symptoms A heavy period is a period that includes heavy bleeding, or an excessively long duration of bleeding. This conditional is differentiated from uterine bleeding that happens outside the normal menstrual cycle. A heavy...
Hemorrhoids are engorged veins in rectum occurring in 25-50% of the population. During evacuation these veins swell to provide extra padding to protect the colon and the anal sphincter. These veins remain 15-20% swollen between bowel movements....
Hepatitis is a condition of liver inflammation. There are many types of hepatitis. Hepatitis may be viral, bacterial, fungal, due to parasites, or due to excessive alcohol or pharmaceuticals, drugs, and poisons. Typical symptoms include nausea and...
The herpes virus may lie dormant in nerves. Stress is the most common trigger of herpes outbreaks. The following herbal actions can help: Adaptogen - To mediate stress (licorice root) Vulnerary - To heal lesions Demulcent - To...
Herpes are aggravated by stress and other immune depressants.
Hiatal hernia is a common cause of acid reflux. Development The lower esophageal sphincter (aka LES, also called the cardiac valve) is a one way valve that lets food into the stomach. Under the conditions or hernia, it may not...
What is High Blood Pressure? The concept of blood pressure is simple - it refers to the force of blood pressing against the walls of your arteries. Healthy blood pressure is around 120/80mm Hg. When your blood pressure reaches or...
Insulin resistance is one cause of abnormally high blood sugar levels. A kapha pacifying diet and reducing sweets / high glycemic foods in your diet will help. Exercises, and even breathing exercises (pranayama) can improve insulin uptake by...
Cholesterol functions to repair irritated and inflamed tissues. High cholesterol is often a kapha response to high inflammation. It also strengthens the cell wall....
High triglycerides indicate high fat content of the blood. Often, the best way to deal with fatty foods cravings is to find a satisfying substitute. Sweet potatoes, beans and sunflower seeds provide heaviness but won't aggravate triglyceride levels as...
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?’