How important is the food you eat and how you digest it? Here is what could happen if undigested food (toxins also called ama in Ayurveda) reach any one of these tissues in your body over a period of time:
. Plasma: acidity; heart burn, ulcers
. Blood: it becomes hot and will also overheat the liver, skin problems
. Muscle: fibromyalgia
. Fat: gaining weight without reason, high cholesterol
. Bone: osteoporosis, arthritis, stiffness
. Nerve/Marrow: MS, autoimmune diseases, Alzheimer's autism
. Reproductive fluid - prevents nourishing your ojas (immunity)
Granted this doesn't happen overnight but if you spend years receiving these signals from your body and are not doing anything about it, problems can arise. Perhaps it is time to look at your diet carefully. If you are constantly popping over the counter medication and just masking the problem you probably have started to see that what you were taking originally is no longer working and you need to increase your dosage to receive the same benefits. First and foremost always check in with your doctor and do not stop taking without your doctor's permission any medications you are on. Second, find out ways to bring yourself back into balance through diet and lifestyle. Third, notice what happens when you do so.
How we eat is just as important as what we eat. Are you eating on the run, in your car, at your desk, between appointments? Are you shoving things down just to get through the day? Ayurveda is a 5,000 year old science that is a wonderful tool to help you start to make small changes in your diet and lifestyle.
Simple things like drinking two small glasses of warm water first thing in the morning to wake up your colon and help with a bowl movement can make big changes in how you feel during the day. Scraping your tongue clears toxins from the body and helps to stimulate digestion. Oiling your body before leaving the house for the day can help to remove toxins from the skin and give you a protective layer of love for your largest organ.
Stay tuned for more blogs on how to nourish your body, mind and spirit. How to fine tune your diet and lifestyle and, therefore, learn to reach your fullest potential with love and gratitude in this lifetime in the body.