
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.
Poor discernment of temperature is the inability to distinguish sensations of hot and cold. Inadequate circulation to peripheral nerves in the skin causes poor discernment of temperature.Your peripheral nervous system requires fresh blood and ample...
Pink skin appears predominantly pink in color. It can be a sign of strong, healthy circulation of blood to the surface of the skin. However, in some cases, skin may appear pink if it is inflamed, irritated, or there is sun damage. Pink or inflamed...
The elbows and knees are sensitive to poor circulation and dryness (Vata). When this Vata condition mixes with heat, it could lead to allergic rashes on the elbows and knees.
Human nature is fundamentally flawed. Once the full significance of these flaws has been realized, it creates an opportunity to grieve. The grieving process brings us into loving acceptance of those around us and the reality of human suffering. When...
Many people who lead single lives are malnourished and sleep deprived. Motivation to cook for one is often difficult.
A long menstrual cycle is when the total number of days in the cycle is greater than 28 days. It does not refer to the number of days of bleeding, When not due to perimenopause, a long cycle is typical of Kapha individuals. We speculate it is due...
Your lower abdomen stores the most primal emotions: shame and fear. A healthy abdomen feels warm, comfortable, and predisposes you to nurturing behaviors. Tension, digestive disorders, and stress can cause anxiety and tension to replace these feelings...
A toothache can be a sign of a tooth infection, or cavity. Toothache may be more severe after a meal, especially sugary foods.
Croup is breathing difficulty and a "barking" cough. Croup is due to swelling around the vocal cords. It is common in infants and children. Croup is often caused by viral infection, but may also be caused by bacteria, allergies, respiratory irritants,...
Exercise intolerance is often due to cardiovascular or pulmonary disease.
Bladder cancer is generally asymptomatic until advanced. For this reason it generally has a poor prognosis. Routine urine tests for occult blood may provide earlier detection. Avoid hair dyes, food dyes, environmental toxins, nitrates, coffee, and...
Favor antispasmodics such as Kava Kava, and Wild Yam. Avoid purines, including caffeine in coffee, chocolate, green and black tea, as they increase muscle contractility. Caffeine also 1) stimulates adrenaline, which leads to contraction of smooth...
An overactive bladder is hypersensitive to distension - leading to frequent urination and discomfort when a small amount of urine is present in the bladder. The cause may include inflammation, tension of the bladder, or elevated neurotransmitters....
Pain that causes you to double over is considered serious and should be checked immediately by a medical doctor.
Kapha individuals tend to be short and stocky. They easily gain weight. Due to thick fluids and poor circulation, limbs are short and tapering.
Pitta individuals tend to maintain a constant weight. They have a high enough metabolism to prevent weight loss, yet a strong enough digestion to be well nourished.
The width of the hips bones do not change over a person life, making the hips and bones in general excellent indicators of one prakruti, or constitution. Pitta individuals have medium hip width.
A steady, moderate appetite is a measure of balanced Kapha's stamina and resiliency. Unless a Kapha person has a habit of frequent snacking, they enjoy steady, stable blood sugar levels. When you snack between meals, your body slowly forgets how to...
Vata people live for the moment and buy on impulse. In a fit of excitement, they have difficulty discerning the value of a thing.
Dental surgery is a medical procedure performed on the teeth and jaw bone. Missing teeth can significantly impact your ability to chew food. Improperly chewed food can sit undigested in the GI tract, leading to gas, bloating, and the formation of...
As a person ages, their skin loses collagen. This causes the skin to become thin, dry, and inelastic, leading to fragility of the skin.
Are you harboring bitterness towards the world and how it was made? Grieving is the process of tempering ones passions back to...
Please check with your physician before making any changes to your diet or lifestyle.
There is a misconception that it is the citric acid in citrus fruits that causes allergies, but it is proteins and substances specific to citrus fruit, and not the acid. Read more: Citrus Allergy Symptoms | eHow.com...
Many of the below herbs will be used topically. Bloodroot and Mayapple are dangerous, caustic agents that should be used under expert guidance only.
The fire in the human spirit does not like to be repressed or told what to do. When you have limitations placed on the amount of food or the types of food you are "allowed" to eat by yourself, your parents, your friends, or even society, it is often...
In Raynaud's, exposure to cold triggers the body to shunt blood from the hands and feet symmetrical and into the core, to prioritize vital organs. It is characterized by hyper-reactive vasoconstriction to cold. As a result, the hands turn white...
Chest breathing means that you are expanding the chest on the breath, as opposed to just the belly.
Lung infections typically start out as viral in healthy adults and then progress, often rapidly, into bacterial infections. As the infection progresses, mucus will change in color from clear, to white, then yellow and finally green. Mucus may be mixed...
This type of headache is frequently due to toxins (ama).
This type of headache is frequently due to toxins (ama).
This type of headache is typically due to nerves / migraines.
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?’