Rakesh Sethi, BS, CAHP
Wellness Speaker/ Author/
Ayurvedic Practitioner
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Change the Definition of Health and Your Approach
What is your definition of health? When are you really healthy? You should no longer think of health as being one dimensional—as just pertaining to maintaining physical (body) health. You are not just a physical body. Health, as defined in conventional terms, has to be redefined. You must take into account all the components constituting the whole being. Collectively all the components work together to create balance in an individual. According to the Ayurvedic medical system, balance for each individual is unique. Therefore, health in one word can be defined as “balance.”
This balance in you exists:
- when you get hungry at the right times and to the right amount, not too little and not too much.
- when your body produces the right quality and quantity of muscle, fat, and other tissues per your body’s constitution.
- when your body systems function in balance, absorbing the proper amount of nutrition and discarding the proper amount of waste at the right times.
- when all three energies—air, fire, and earth—are in the right proportions for your body constitution.
- when your mind deals with the ups and downs of your emotions without losing balance.
- when your intellect is fully available to exercise self-control over whims and make good decisions.
- when your spirit is full of bliss (calm and peaceful).
When all of the conditions listed above exist simultaneously, you are an embodiment of total health and happiness. You live in true wellness. You attain balance in your equation of Health + Happiness = Wellness.
This true wellness, no doubt, is a tall order to maintain on a continuous basis. The best way to look at your wellness is to imagine that you are walking on a high wire and not on solid ground. You have to work continuously to maintain your balance. A small gust of wind or any mental distraction can throw off your balance. A little mistake can cost you your balance. The reality is that, in spite of your best efforts, there is always some disturbance that could rock your balance. It could be overeating and drinking at a party or an emotionally charged argument with your partner at home, or some conflict at work, or an unfavorable turn in the stock market, or any number of other things that could throw you off your physical and/or emotional balance. You need to make constant adjustments to keep your balance.
Dynamic Model of Health
When you participate in maintaining your balance every day, you begin to live a new dynamic model of health. The old way is the static model where you simply go about living your life and only participate to maintain balance after you become sick. In the static model, sometimes it may be too late for the adjustments to work. The dynamic model is where you truly practice prevention and enjoy its benefits.
You may find it easier to live in the static model of health today, but you will pay with your health and wallet tomorrow. Can you really afford to live in the static model? I would like to introduce you to simple knowledge and strategies in the “Health + Happiness = Wellness” book that will make it easier for you to live in the dynamic model of health.
The above article is part of the Section I taken from the book.
“Health+Happiness=Wellness” will help you discover your unique nature and use that information to design your personalized wellness plan that will not only help you stay away from diseases for the rest of your life; it will also save you a lot of money on healthcare. Click on the book to read more.
Natural Remedies for Arthritis
Arthritis in two words is joint inflammation. However, the word arthritis is widely used to describe diseases that cause stiffness, swelling, and pain in joints. In its severe form, arthritis is perhaps the most debilitating disease and cause of disability for people 65 and older. The most common form of arthritis is the degenerative joint disease, which is also known as osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis is basically deterioration of joint cartilage with age, more severe in Vata body type. The cartilage surface wears, deteriorates, inflames, and eventually may get completely worn out. It leaves joints without cushion in between the bones. The bone on bone friction causes pain and limited joint mobility. The disease progresses as you age.
For 55 years and older, it is the beginning of “Vata age” which means increase in Vata energy. As Vata increases, particularly in Vata body type, a person has difficulty retaining fluids in the tissues. The loss of “juices” in the body creates more dryness. The dryness leads to lack of lubrication in joints. It further adds to stiffness and pain. To make matters worse, increase in Vata initiates other Vata issues like loss of restful sleep. Without restful sleep, the arthritis pain feels even worse.
To date there is no cure for arthritis. However, the progression of the disease can be halted or even reversed somewhat. Ayurvedic treatment offers natural means to manage and improve on this condition, so you enjoy the quality of your life without the side effects of drugs. Ayurvedic treatment starts with Vata pacifying diet; avoid cold, dry and light processed foods; in general eat warm cooked foods with healthy fats and oils; eat juicy nourishing foods; and include turmeric in your recipes. Turmeric has incredible anti-inflammatory properties. In addition add Tulsi (holy basil), grape juice, and green tea. All have distinct properties to inhibit inflammation and thus inhibit pain.
A study1 was conducted with some people taking Ayurvedic herbal formula which included Ashwagandha, Boswellia, zinc, and turmeric and others taking placebo. People taking the formula showed significant reduction in severity of pain and significant improvement in joint mobility. 
You can purchase a similar formula, Osteo Relief in our online store. You can also purchase individual herbs in our online store. Ashwagandha is one of the main proven herbs for pacifying Vata energy. It supports the body to build, grow, and restore tissues at the age when body is losing tissues. Therefore, Ashwagandha is a godsend herb for osteoarthritis, during which tissues are deteriorating. Work with your practitioner to determine what is right for you.
Besides diet and herbal supplements, add a regular Ayurvedic massage to your lifestyle. Ayurvedic massage plays an all important role in slowing down osteoarthritis. Massage oil, especially with Ashwagandha, replenishes the lost juices and strength. The oil supplies moisture to tissues and lubrication to joints. In fact a gentle Ayurvedic massage has dual benefits. Besides addressing the lubrication issue, massage also addresses the sleep by promoting sound sleep. Restful sleep nourishes the body and increases its threshold to deal with pain.
If you strictly stay with the recommended diet, lifestyle, and herbal supplements, you can slow down the progression of the disease or may even reverse the disease. Think about it, all with the natural means for the disease that has no other cure.
1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1943180
Treatment of osteoarthritis with a herbomineral formulation: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study. Kulkarni RR, Patki PS, Jog VP, Gandage SG, Patwardhan B.
Preventive Care: You Are Your First Doctor
Wouldn’t you agree that no one person on this planet cares more about you than you? Even if the health care system provided disease prevention, health promotion, education to keep both mind and body healthy, and excellent disease management capabilities, you would still need to be your first doctor. Unfortunately, today we do not have a good health management and preventive care system; thus, it is even more important for you to be your first doctor.
What I am saying is that no matter how good health care reforms take place, you still need to be your first doctor. Therefore, start with what you control. Reform yourself to start taking charge of your own health. You need to start understanding your own body’s disease and wellness tendencies. You need to start paying attention to what foods agree with you more and what foods are problematic. You need to become familiar with herbs and spices that are friendly to your body. You need to create a suitable (to you) menu of foods in your daily regimen. The idea here is to use food as your first medicine and the kitchen as your first pharmacy. You will discover how in the next chapter.
The purpose here is for you to heal yourself at the first signs of imbalance (a dynamic model of health). Here, healing means removing the cause behind the symptoms, not just removing the symptoms as is typically done in conventional medicine. If you only remove the symptoms and not the cause, then the cause continues to fester underneath while you continue to suppress symptoms on the surface. This strategy only delays the onslaught of a disease in its more ferocious form. Later, you would require stronger measures to deal with the problem like surgery, stronger medicine, and perhaps developing a lifelong dependency on medication with a risk of side effects.
A recent study conducted by the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and by Lori Knutson, executive director at the Penny George Institute for Health and Healing, pleasantly surprised everyone: 76 percent of healthcare workers, 3 out of every 4, selected from a wide range of complementary and alternative natural methods rather than conventional medicine to stay healthy. Could it be that they see firsthand the side effects of prescription medicine in their patients? Or could it be that they know the medicine will only suppress the symptoms but not remove the cause? Whatever the reason, the important point to note is: Acting as their first doctor, healthcare workers selected natural alternative remedies to stay healthy.
So far, the focus has only been on the physical. What about the mental part? From a holistic point of view, the root cause of the disease primarily lies in the mind. Conventional medicine, for the most part, doesn’t address the mental part of health care; however, to stay healthy, you need to discover the weaknesses and strengths of your own mind. You need to become aware of what situations can trigger an adverse reaction in you. Only you, as your first doctor, can prepare to diffuse the situation and not carry mental “heaviness” or stress from it.
In addition, your spiritual part plays a very important role in helping you shift negative mental attitudes such as selfishness, greed, vengeance, etc. that are causing trouble to your mind. As you develop your spiritual side and become more aware of your mind-body and spiritual connections, either consciously or unconsciously, you discover the capacity to heal (balance) yourself from within. Different sections in “Health + Happiness = Wellness” book cover this subject in more detail.
Women’s Health and Ayurveda
The goal of Ayurvedic medical system is to maintain your health throughout your life through suitable diet, lifestyle, detoxification, and balancing and rejuvenating natural foods, spices, and herbs. However, wrong foods, wrong lifestyle, living with anxieties and stress can take a toll on your body systems. Generally, as we age, Vata energy in all of us increases. Increase in Vata means body becoming colder, drier and lighter (anxious, nervous, insecure). Women in particular experience this more than men. Based on this fact, women’s health and Ayurveda system are wonderfully matched. Ayurveda offers specific recommendations suited more for women’s health than any other system.
Changes in Women’s Body
Women particularly Vata and Pitta body types, tend to lose more juices. Body moves towards dryness. The loss of “juices” leads to lack of lubrication in joints, lack of fluids in endocrine system creating hormonal imbalance, and vaginal dryness. As a result you experience, lack of energy, joint pains, fatigue, painful or irregular periods, nervousness, and anxiety. All these signs are of (aging) body becoming colder, drier and lighter. Your goal is to keep yourself warm, moist, and grounded.
Steps to Keep You Healthier, Happier and Younger
Food as Your First Medicine: First, Ayurveda considers food as your first medicine. If taken right, it is the effective means to prevent diseases or to even treat them. As a general guideline, Ayurveda for women suggests food should be warm, cooked, easy to digest, and moist. Your food should contain whole-grains, mostly cooked vegetables, cold pressed oils like sesame and olive, Ghee (clarified butter) and honey. Include these suggestions in your regimen to not only maintain, but to rebuild your tissues and restore lost juices. Especially use of Ghee in moderation replenishes and lubricates all tissues, reproductive tissues in particular. Both honey and Ghee facilitate absorption of nutrients and act as a conduit to deliver the nutrients to very small hard to reach tissues and keep them nourished and juicy. Limit or avoid cold, dry, and light processed foods.
Ayurvedic Massage: Second, along with regular exercise, include Ayurvedic massage in your lifestyle. A loving Ayurvedic massage in your weekly regimen using warm sesame oil or herbal Ayurvedic massage oil with nourishing, cleansing, and soothing aromatic herbs will nourish, replenish juices, and cleanse your body of toxins. As a result, you slow down your aging and build good immunity.
Herbal Supplement: Third, Ayurveda offers herbs specifically targeting women’s health like Shatavari. There are other herbs for women as well but Shatavari is the most rejuvenating herb for women’s physiology. It increases milk, fertility, and sexual juices. It balances hormones and makes it easier to go through difficult period of menopause. For best menopausal support, include Shatavari in your regimen regularly long before you enter the menopause. In addition Shatavari is detoxifier, builds immune system, acts as laxative, and enhances physical strength.
By simply following above-mentioned regimen, women who frequently experience difficult monthly cycles with headaches, constipation, swelling of the breasts, anxiety, nervousness, or irritability, will find these symptoms slowly disappearing. Use herbal formula Smooth Cycle that include Shatavari to help you smooth out the roughness in your monthly cycle. This formula will also help if you have vaginal discharge of brownish sticky kind or yellow colored with burning sensation or thick and white mucus kind. Another formula Hot Flash Relief which also has Shatavari offers natural Hot Flash relief. You can purchase these herbs in our online store.
No doubt today’s fast paced, stressful, and demanding lifestyle is extremely taxing. But with recommendations from Ayurveda on creating a suitable diet and lifestyle routine, women can live happier, healthier, younger, and enjoy quality of life longer in all areas of personal, family, and professional life.
What is an Ayurvedic consultation?
The initial Ayurvedic consultation could last 90 minutes or more. During the first Ayurvedic consultation, the complete focus is on you. Who you are, what makes you unique, and why you have symptoms, if any? In fact, unlike doctor’s visit, you can and should visit Ayurvedic practitioner without any symptoms. The goal here is health promotion and disease prevention.
During the consultation, an Ayurvedic practitioner will:
- Uncover your unique mind-body constitution
- Discover your health history and family medical history
- Learn about state of your current health
- Get into details of your daily diet
- Learn about stresses in your life
- Get to know your lifestyle, exercise regimen, etc.
In Ayurveda you and your health are at the heart of the health care system. Every health recommendation is based around your uniqueness. Shouldn’t a medical system work this way, rather than revolving around a disease? Thus a very important first step in Ayurvedic consultation is to uncover your unique mind-body constitution. It gives Ayurvedic practitioner a clear picture about your unique physic, physiology, and psychology. Your original constitution is your true self in balance and health. When you have any physical or mental health issues, you are out of balance or in altered constitution. The Ayurvedic practitioner’s job is to uncover and remove the cause and restore you back to your original (constitution) balance. Imagine if a health practitioner has no clue what your original unique balance is, how can he/she help restore it?
Receive Your Diet and Lifestyle Chart
From Ayurvedic consultation, you receive diet and lifestyle chart created specifically to address your health issue and restore balance. After the issue is resolved, a new diet and lifestyle chart suitable for your original mind-body constitution is created. In Ayurvedic medicine, food, spices, and herbs are used as your first medicine. I would suggest you keep this chart in your kitchen and follow it to participate in your health every day.
The goal of initial Ayurvedic consultation is to fill missing healthy links and eliminate unhealthy revolving around your unique constitution. If you have no issues, visit your Ayurvedic practitioner 1-2 times per year to make adjustments otherwise visit as recommended by practitioner per your situation. Following is an example of Ayurvedic diet and lifestyle chart you receive after the consultation: [View larger version]
“The other day one of my clients told me Rakesh what you are teaching is going to make me self sufficient. I will have no reason to see you again. It seems as if you are working yourself out of business.” Isn’t that what a health practitioner should do- to make you self sufficient?
You can schedule your consultation over Skype, phone or in person. Read what is included in different Ayurvedic Wellness Coaching services here.
Testimonials
“For four years I suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. These diseases are debilitating with flu-like symptoms and extreme fatigue – I needed 14 hours of sleep each day!My illness took over my life, making it impossible to work, take care of my family, and play with my 10-year-old son. After a whopping 15 minutes of analysis, my doctor gave me sleeping pills and antidepressants. He concluded my illness was all in my head! I spent months trying specialists, vitamins, and medications – with no cure in sight. Now I truly was getting depressed and losing hope. A few months ago, I decided to try a more natural approach. I began a program that would take my entire mind, body, spirit, and lifestyle into consideration. My Ayurveda journey with Rakesh Sethi gave me a complete understanding of what my body was going through, why it was responding with this illness, and how to change it. Rakesh guided me through a detoxification process and a new diet, including natural foods, spices, and herbs that were right for my body type. I also incorporated breathing techniques, meditation, and yoga. After only four months, I was a changed person! I feel vibrant and energetic. I feel like ‘me’ again, and it feels fantastic! There is no greater gift than to have quality of life. Thank you, Rakesh!” – L.W., Staffing recruiter
“I had the privilege of being treated by Rakesh Sethi for my anxiety and stress matters. I was working with a major oil corporation and had a lot of things going on in my personal life. The stress became too much, and I was contemplating taking pharmaceuticals for my sleep disorder, panic attacks, and mood swings. I approached Dr. Rakesh, and we spoke about how I could resolve this hardship. Rakesh is very personable. While he encouraged me to reflect on matters in life from a spiritual perspective and continue my meditation with the zeal of a warrior, he also gave me herbal supplements. I continued to take these supplements regularly for more than a year. As a result, my mood swings and periodic bouts of panic and depression are gone, and my level of anxiety is much lower. Rakesh is an engineer from UC Berkeley, and he has given up a lucrative career in engineering to do something that is far more necessary and relevant for today’s world. He wants people to be truly healthy and not go back to doctors again and again. His Ayurvedic way of looking at illness is impressive. He is definitely a doctor for everyone, because he wants us all to be well.” – P.P., Oil and natural gas engineering executive
“I met with Rakesh several times over the course of five months to help me apply Ayurveda to my life. It was such a relief to find someone to address my actual health and wellness needs instead of prescribing a pill or giving general advice. Rakesh used skill and patience to determine my individual nature, and I was very confident in his findings. These findings helped me take control and improve my physical health as well as my state of mind. Rakesh gave me concrete suggestions to improve my health and lifestyle. And they were easy to implement! He truly gives you individual, specific tools to live your best life. Rakesh taught me the relationship between my body and mind. Ayurveda has given me insight and understanding of why I am the way I am – and how to use this knowledge to create a happier, more productive life for myself and the people around me. I cannot say enough positive things about Rakesh. He is a talented teacher and an empathetic and analytical listener. He shows a real enthusiasm and passion for his work, and he truly desires your improvement and satisfaction with your life.” – T.J., Homemaker
Why Do I Get Allergies and What Herbal Remedies to Use?
Why do I get allergies? According to Ayurvedic medicine, not everyone is susceptible to getting the same allergies. 
Why, because everyone has different and unique mind-body constitution (find yours below). Plus allergies tend to flare up even more at certain time of the year, because increase of certain energies in the nature impacts your nature.
Allergies are body’s immune system overreacting to the foreign substances. Mental or physical imbalances both weaken the immune system. A weakened immune system loses its ability to identify the foreign substances if they are harmful or not and overreacts. Two most common allergic reactions are:
1. Skin Irritation and Inflammation Allergic Reaction
If the imbalance is in Pitta energy, typically the fire element “heat” in the body increases. This would more likely happen in the Pitta body type especially during summer. Increase in heat results in accumulation of toxins in plasma and blood. The integrity of blood and plasma is compromised and thus of the immune system. The body tries to release the excessive heat through the skin. This causes the skin irritation and inflammation like redness, rashes, blisters, or other skin allergic reactions.
2. Excessive Mucus, Congested Lungs, and Sinuses Allergic Reaction
If the imbalance is in Kapha energy, the coldness and heaviness in the body increases. This typically accumulates toxins in respiratory system. As a result the body produces excessive mucus blocking nasal passages, congesting lungs, and basically clogging all upper respiratory channels. This reaction is worse in Kapha body type (find your body type below) and even more during springtime which is Kapha period of the year.
Herbal Remedies to Manage Allergies
You have two Choices. You can either work on eliminating the symptoms or you can take a different approach. Eliminate the root of the problem by creating fewer toxins, detoxifying, and boosting your immune system. For the latter choice, take the following steps:
- For strengthening and energizing your immune system, you can take rejuvenating Ayurvedic formulas like Amrit that include herbs, such as Ashwagandha, Shatavari, and Amla.
- For the rejuvenating formulas to work effectively you must also detoxify your body and balance your digestive fire:
a) In the case of Skin allergic reactions, which is Pitta imbalance. Strictly observe fire (Pitta) pacifying diet by avoiding hot chili peppers, salty products and highly sour products. Instead include in your recipes coconut oil, saffron, cilantro, and mint. Plus take Amla and Aloe in your regimen.
b) In the case of respiratory allergies, which are Kapha imbalance. Strictly observe light and hot (temperature and pepper) Kapha pacifying diet by avoiding dairy products, heavy fried products, and cold and uncooked products during this time. Plus take ginger, garlic, and black pepper in your regimen.
c) In both cases, take Triphala to keep your digestive system clean and free of toxins.
Your goal is to address the root of the problem and eliminate the symptoms altogether or at the very least minimize them. Be well!
Subscribe below to discover your body type and basic Ayurvedic knowledge in FREE mini course. You will get answers to why do I get allergies, why that specific allergy, and why at certain time of the year.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
How is an Ayurvedic Practitioner Different from a Doctor?
A good Ayurvedic practitioner and a doctor have one thing in common- both must be patient, good listeners, and understand you. However, the similarity ends here. Doctor has a different approach to health. In a typical visit, doctor spends about 15-20 minutes. His primary focus is on your disease symptoms and how to remove them. Doctor successfully removes them. In this short time the cause of the disease is never discovered or eliminated. So you go on living the same way as before. Without making changes to diet or lifestyle the symptoms come back, perhaps more severe than before. You again go through the same process and get same, or may be even stronger, medication for it. Until one day the medication no longer works and stronger measure like a surgery is the solution.
When you have to, you must use the surgery as a solution. But before you reach that far, why not take a different approach to health. Ayurvedic medical system offers a very different but complimentary approach to conventional medicine.
An initial visit to Ayurvedic practitioner could last about 90 minutes or more. A good Ayurvedic practitioner is
interested in learning who you are, what makes you unique, your body, your mind, your diet, lifestyle, current health, and past health history. The focus is completely on you and the cause of disease symptoms but on not the disease itself. The notion is if you remove the cause(s) and promote health in mind and body, the disease symptoms will disappear.
The other part is promoting health in one person is different from another. You are unique and so is everyone else. Thus in a very first visit an Ayurvedic practitioner uncovers your original unique mind-body constitution. Your constitution gives insight to Ayurvedic practitioner about what makes you, your physiology and psychology unique. Your original constitution is your true self in balance and health. Your disease condition alters your constitution and you start to live out of balance. An Ayurvedic practitioner’s approach is to remove the root cause of the disease and restore you back to your original (constitution) balance.
Can you imagine, if your health practitioner doesn’t know your unique balance, how can he/she help restore it? Schedule a visit with Ayurvedic practitioner and you will change how you approach your health forever. You will slow down your aging, keep your quality of life longer, and save money on health care.
Be Well
Rakesh Sethi, BS CAHP
Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner in San Ramon, California 94583 USA
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Daily Inspirations
Daily Inspirations
It is my privilege to share “daily inspirations” to inspire wellness in your life. The following inspirational thoughts have emerged over the years from reading philosophical and scientific literature, practicing Ayurveda, and of course from observing real life situations. The following pragmatic daily inspirations are subtle but super “food” for your intellect. I hope, these daily inspirations will increase your mental capacity to understand nature’s ways and will support you in releasing the stress in situations you can not or do not control. When you develop mental capacity to let go in difficult situations, you experience true wellness and peace from within.
We will continue to post here new daily inspirations. Please come back from time to time to inspire wellness in yourself and share with others. Be Well.
Rakesh Sethi
Incredible Veggie for Weight Loss and Diabetes: Bitter Melon
Bitter melon, also known as bitter gourd, is a vegetable widely used in Asia, Pacific Islands, and South America. Bitter melon, as the name suggests, tastes extremely bitter and little bit pungent. Its fundamental benefit is- it slows down your aging! So how does this bitter tasting vegetable keep you fit and younger looking. It happens because of its three incredibly important effects on your body:
- Detoxifying: helps you get rid of toxins
- Increasing Digestive Fire: facilitates digestion of heavy foods
- Reducing Inflammation: protects internal organs and tissues
These three critical actions offered by one vegetable, work together to cleanse and protect your body. Bitter melon particularly benefits the following two conditions:
Including bitter melon regularly in your diet, 2 to 3 times per week, will accelerate your weight loss. Add it to your weight loss regimen you are using. You will achieve your goal faster.
Numerous studies have illustrated hypoglycemic effect of bitter melon. This incredible vegetable has positive effect on function of pancreas and helps metabolize sugar. But it’s insulin like action is what makes bitter melon a potential substitute for insulin. Bitter melon contains potent detoxifier that also protects the pancreas and other tissues. You will see remarkable results just with 1-2 ounces of juice per day. For pre-diabetics, this is just the vegetable to include in the diet.
How Do You Take It?
Most of the western diet is devoid of bitter taste. Bitter melon is the best vegetable for adding bitter taste into your diet. You can steam or sauté bitter melon and eat as a side dish. You can also make fresh juice out of bitter melon. However, the extreme bitter juice is difficult to take. So use the bitter melon as a vegetable mixed with other vegetables to create palatable recipe. This way it is much easier to take and you can eat bitter melon more frequently in your diet. You can also get bitter melon in capsules.
Who Should or Should Not Take?
Using bitter melon sparingly is good for almost anyone. But to start using it regularly in your diet, you need to know your body constitution; to find out – subscribe below. Consult an Ayurvedic practitioner, if you need help. If you know your mind-body constitution, bitter melon is favorable to Kapha or Pitta constitutions but not so much for Vata. With regular use, a Vata constitution can develop joints or muscle pains, or nervous disorders.
Caution: Before adding bitter melon to your routine for any specific condition, consult with your doctor, especially if you are taking prescription medication. Do not take bitter melon regularly, if you are pregnant.
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7 Benefits of Cinnamon When and How Much to Take
Cinnamon is sweet, spicy and astringent and it has drying and heating affect on the body. Cinnamon is a mild herb so almost anyone can take it in small amounts with exceptions listed below. Benefits of cinnamon are in multiple areas, pain reducer, digestion, congestion, muscle relaxer, antibacterial, regulating blood-sugar, and sexual performance.
Benefits of Cinnamon:
- Promote Good Digestion: Cinnamon can be used in many recipes, especially in heavy difficult to digest recipes. It promotes digestion, helps you digest heavier foods, and digestion in general.
- Relieve Congestion: Cinnamon’s heating affect break down the heavy sluggish mucus into light and flowing. So you can expel it easily.
- Relieve Menstrual Cramps: Cinnamon is analgesic, muscle relaxant, and promotes blood flow. During menstruation, Cinnamon enhances blood flow to the uterus. As a result, your muscles relax and warm relaxing blood flow relieves the menstrual cramps.
- Prevent rheumatoid arthritis: Its anti-rheumatic action prevents rheumatoid arthritis.
- Remove Bacteria: Cinnamon is has been known for its property for killing bacteria. Not sure about the food and bacteria in the food, safeguard your food against E. coli bacteria. Use cinnamon on your food to kill bacteria and avoid food poisoning, especially if you’re traveling to suspect places of having bacteria.
- Maintain Healthy Blood-Sugar Level: The most interesting study of cinnamon today is to control blood sugar levels in diabetics. US Department of Agriculture discovered that cinnamon actually is an insulin booster. The increased insulin helps metabolize sugar. A small dose of 500 milligram of ground cinnamon with every meal may help to regulate blood sugar levels.
- Enhance Male Sexual Performance: The aroma of cinnamon has also known to cause sexual stimulation, especially for men, both smelling and taking internally. Cinnamon enhances peripheral blood flow and that enhances the penile blood flow, which gives a stronger erection.
How Much to Take It?
The idea here is to include cinnamon as a supplement in your diet along with other herbs to promote health and prevent diseases. Use it in your recipes or take it in capsule form. You can take daily 200mg to 1000mg of ground cinnamon.
Caution: Do not take, if pregnant. If your body constitution is primarily ‘Pitta’, stick with the little amount. Most people however, particularly with Kapha and Vata body constitutions, can enjoy benefits of cinnamon without any side effects, if taken in proper amount. If you are not aware about Ayurvedic constitutions, please download free mini-course below to determine your body constitution.
Reduce or avoid the use of cinnamon in the summer season, especially if your body constitution is Pitta. Fall, winter, and spring are the best times to include Cinnamon in your diet. If you are dealing with some condition, you should see your physician and Ayurvedic practitioner.
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