In a message dated 1/31/2004 11:02:21 PM Pacific Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
    When I say "ancient", I mean "ancient", it is more than 5000 years old!
    I guess one can never change the Truth!
That reminds me. I saw an article in the Los Angeles Times re: Ayurveda on
1/26. I will try to copy and paste below. It can also be viewed at
www.latimes.com and then you do a search for Ayurveda.

Carrie
****
Balm from the East
 The effectiveness of the ancient Indian healing art of ayurveda is getting a
closer look in the U.S.

By Jenny Hontz, Special to The Times


Jon Mejia experienced heart palpitations after a particularly stressful
period running his Santa Monica consulting firm. His doctor diagnosed an abnormal
heart rhythm and sent him to a specialist at a prestigious Los Angeles medical
center.

An echocardiogram detected no cause for the extra heartbeats. Although his
doctor told him that beta blocker drugs could control the symptoms, Mejia, 49,
didn't want to take them because of concerns about side effects.



FOR THE RECORD
Ayurveda — An article in Monday's Health section incorrectly defined a BAMS
as a bachelor's in alternative medicine. It is a bachelor's degree in ayurvedic
medicine and surgery.



So Mejia turned instead to Martha Soffer and John Holmstrom, practitioners of
the ancient Indian medical system ayurveda. After some dietary changes and
three days of massage and purification treatments called panchakarma at Surya
Spa, an ayurvedic center in Pacific Palisades, "the heart palpitations are
almost gone," he says.

"I can't pretend to tell you I know how it works, but if I were to compare
where I was when I walked in to where I am now, it's at least 80% relief," Mejia
says. "I'm more myself."

Mejia is one of a growing number of Americans taking an interest in ayurveda,
a 5,000-year-old holistic system of health that in Sanskrit means "knowledge
of life." It uses combinations of herbs, purgatives, rubbing oils and other
elements to treat diseases.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a proponent of transcendental meditation, brought
ayurveda to the United States three decades ago, and Dr. Deepak Chopra exposed it
to the masses in his bestseller "Perfect Health" (Harmony Books, 1991). Now,
the California Assn. of Ayurvedic Medicine, a professional group based in
Foster City, Calif., is sponsoring its first Ayurveda Awareness Day on Feb. 13.

Chinese medicine, which is more established in the U.S., was influenced by
ayurveda, and similarities include the extensive use of natural herbs. Research
into ayurveda is in its infancy in this country, but as interest grows, so
does funding. The National Institute of Health's National Center for
Complementary and Alternative Medicine allocated $3.5 million in grants last year to study
its safety and efficacy.

"It's 100 times more popular than it was 10 years ago," says Scott Gerson, a
New York physician with a medical degree from the U.S. and a doctorate in
ayurveda from India.

*

Yoga's sister science

Ayurveda treatments are becoming popular in spas, medical clinics and
wellness centers. And like Mejia, many people are finding their way to ayurvedic
medicine through the practice of yoga. Ayurveda is considered yoga's sister
science, and workshops are frequently taught in yoga studios throughout Southern
California.

"Yoga is the doorway," says Mas Vidal, owner of Dancing Shiva, a Los Angeles
Veda yoga studio that added an ayurveda healing center last year. "Ayurveda is
what all the great yogis practiced. Ayurveda was taught as a way of life."

Ayurveda holds that health and well-being of the body, mind and spirit is our
natural state, experienced through proper diet, herbs, meditation, yoga,
breathing exercises called pranayama and other daily routines. Ayurveda is used to
prevent disease and boost the immune system so the body can heal itself from
illness.

Ayurveda teaches that each person is made up of a combination of five
elements: space, air, fire, water and earth, says Dr. Vasant Lad, a prominent
Indian-trained physician who is chairman of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque.
These elements combine to create three predominant doshas, or governing
principles of the body: vata, pitta and kapha. Each person's constitution is one of
these doshas, or a combination of them.

According to ayurvedic practice, vata people tend to be thin; they have cold
hands and feet, dry skin and they are more likely to suffer from anxiety,
insomnia, arthritis and constipation. Pitta types are "hot," with medium builds
and oily skin; they have strong appetites, controlling natures, sharp intellects
and quick reactions. They get inflammatory diseases, rashes and ulcers. Kapha
types are frequently overweight. They move slowly, love salty and sweet
foods, have thick hair and big eyes and are prone to colds, congestion and
diabetes, Lad says.

Each of these groups has different dietary and lifestyle needs, which also
vary by season. Disease in ayurveda is an imbalance in one's natural doshas,
caused by improper diet and digestion, negative emotions and stress, which lead
to a buildup of toxins in the body called ama.

Ayurvedic practitioners believe that this needs to be corrected through
lifestyle changes, as well as panchakarma treatments, including a special diet,
laxatives, herbal oil massages, sweat treatments, herbal enemas, nasal therapies
and shirodhara, the pouring of oil onto the forehead for roughly 30 minutes.
These treatments are typically performed in certain seasons and continue for
three to 10 days.

In India, practices such as vomiting and bloodletting also are used for
specific illnesses, but these are rarely done in the U.S. Some practitioners also
incorporate sound, color and aromatherapy.

"All tools are at the disposal of ayurveda, but we recognize the tool is not
the cure," says Marc Halpern, founder of the California College of Ayurveda in
Grass Valley, Calif. "Western medicine controls the symptom. Ayurveda looks
at the root causes in terms of lifestyle and consciousness."

Suppressed during British rule in India, ayurveda was preserved by
practitioner families and is now taught in Indian medical schools, which require five
years of training and clinical experience. The Indian government sponsors
numerous scientific studies on ayurveda and its collection of medicinal herbs.

While ayurveda is often used in India by people too poor to receive Western
medicine, panchakarma treatments in the U.S. cost $1,500 to $3,500 a week and
are mainly the province of the wealthy, devoted or desperate. Holmstrom says he
has treated some Hollywood celebrities, including Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck and
Matt Damon. Chopra treats people at his Chopra Center at the La Costa Resort
and Spa in Carlsbad.

*

Changing attitudes

But ayurveda also is attracting people with chronic health problems who have
become frustrated with Western medical techniques that haven't helped them,
and those with alcohol and drug problems who want to detox quickly. One Los
Angeles lawyer with chronic pain and sleeplessness from damaged spinal disks used
ayurveda to kick a growing reliance on sleeping pills and says panchakarma was
not about getting pampered.

"By the fifth day, you are enema-ed out…. ," said the lawyer, who asked that
her name not be used. "It's not a fun procedure. If you're interested in going
to a spa and getting a facial, this is not for you."

Still, the treatments worked so well that she asked her doctor to write a
prescription for panchakarma so insurance would cover it. She says his response
was something like: "I'm not going to sully my name by prescribing something so
weird."

Although ayurveda is still relatively new in Southern California, such
attitudes are gradually changing as ayurveda is subjected to the rigors of Western
science. It's difficult to conduct double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, the
gold standard of scientific research, because ayurveda is a holistic system
that treats individuals differently with multiple methods. Some studies have
isolated specific components of ayurveda, which advocates of ayurveda say misses
the point.

But last fall, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
awarded a two-year, $283,000 grant to establish an Ayurvedic Center of
Collaborative Research to study ayurveda as it is practiced in India. Overseen by
researcher Leanna Standish at Bastyr University in Kenmore, Wash., scientists
from Johns Hopkins University and UCLA will work with doctors in India to
conduct controlled clinical trials on ayurvedic treatments for rheumatoid arthritis.
Eventually, they hope to study treatments for hepatitis C, osteoarthritis and
diabetes.

"I do not believe there have been any well-done studies of the whole practice
of ayurveda…. " overseen by independent U.S. researchers, Standish says. "It
really does deserve very careful evaluation."

Although the numbers are still small, more Western doctors are getting
trained. Dr. Vandana Soni, an anesthesiologist, realized after years of practicing
Western medicine that it only "touches the surface of pain." She now combines
Indian and Western medicine at her clinic, and some local medical doctors now
refer patients to her for conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, chronic
fatigue and menopausal symptoms.

"If ayurveda were perfect, [Western] allopathic medicine would never have
come along," she says. "If allopathic medicine were perfect, the world of
alternative medicine wouldn't have come into place."

When you visit an ayurvedic clinic for the first time, prepare to spend a
couple of hours. "Ayurveda is very time-intensive," says Dr. Nancy Lonsdorf,
medical director at the Raj Ayurveda Health Center in Iowa. "I never see more than
12 patients a day. Most doctors see 50."

At her clinic, Soni asks patients to fill out a 15-page questionnaire
detailing everything from the time they wake up to the characteristics of bowel
movements. After a pulse-taking and tongue examination, she determines a patient's
dosha and prescribes some herbs, spices and self-massage as part of a basic
work-up.

Soni recommends patients retain their primary Western doctors, and she won't
treat people taking Chinese herbs because of possible side effects.

*

Standards lacking

This is one of the problems with ayurveda in the U.S., where people often
ingest a complex stew of drugs and Eastern herbs, whose interactions are poorly
understood. Although acupuncturists and doctors of Oriental medicine must be
certified and licensed in California and many other states, there are no
standards for training or for practicing ayurveda. Because a system for licensing is
probably still years away, "it's buyer beware," Holmstrom says.

Gerson advises people to look for a bachelor's degree in alternative
medicine, a doctorate or a medical degree in ayurveda from India. He also founded the
National Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine, which verifies practitioner
credentials. Because the programs teaching ayurveda in the U.S. require just 300 to
500 hours of training, most practitioners here are unqualified to practice in
India. Gerson says U.S. schools offer "a really poor level of training in
ayurveda."

Although it's hard to imagine someone being harmed by oil massages, Gerson
says ayurvedic treatments performed by the unqualified can have "serious
consequences," including headaches, bowel dysfunction, irregular respiration, fatigue
and psychological problems. Enemas are "invasive" and when performed
improperly can cause colon spasms. "The biggest harm that can be done is the
withholding of proper treatment," says Wynn Werner, the administrator of the Ayurvedic
Institute.

Gerson cites the case of a well-known ayurvedic doctor who treated a woman in
her mid-40s complaining of fatigue and muscle aches. "He took her pulse,
looked in her eyes and diagnosed a vata imbalance," Gerson said. Prescribing some
herbs, dietary changes and yoga, he sent the woman away. A few months later,
the family informed him she was diagnosed with leukemia. "Because the ayurvedic
doctor did not integrate a blood test," he says, "this was missed." But as
long as people are prudent, most ayurvedic lifestyle changes have
stress-reducing benefits and little chance of harming one's health, Halpern says.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

What's your dosha type?

Ayurveda sets forth three types of physical, mental and emotional
characteristics that are said to be present in everyone. Below are some of the common
characteristics of each type. Though all people are said to have qualities of
each dosha type, one is usually predominant, according to ayurvedic practice.

Vata

Cold bodies.

Quick minds, creative.

Dry, wrinkled skin.

Walk and talk fast.

Poor planners.

Nervous, anxious.

Susceptible to diseases such as emphysema, pneumonia, arthritis.

Pitta

Warm bodies.

Sharp intellect.

Strong appetite.

Oily skin.

React quickly, easily agitated.

Susceptible to fever, inflammatory diseases.

Kapha

Strong, good stamina.

Sweet, loving disposition.

Calm, tolerant, forgiving.

Dislike exercise.

Susceptible to flu, sinus congestion.

Oily, smooth skin.

To determine your dosha type, go to the National Institute of Ayurvedic
Medicine, http://www.niam.com .

Source: The Ayurvedic Institute, Albuquerque

**

Ayurveda centers

For ayurveda consultations, treatments and information:

Surya Spa

(310) 459-7715

[log in to unmask]

Dancing Shiva

(323) 934-8332

http://www.dancingshiva.com

Medical Ayurveda Rejuvenation Center

(949) 644-4566

http://www.medicalayurveda.com

The Raj

(800) 248-9050

http://www.theraj.com



The Ayurvedic Institute

(505) 291-9698

http://www.ayurveda.com



California College of Ayurveda

(530) 274-9100

http://www.ayurvedacollege.com



The Chopra Center

(888) 424-6772

www.chopra.com



If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at
latimes.com/archives.

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