Stress of balancing "The Dosha's !"

I am Vata-Pitta ! what should I eat for lunch ? I am Kapha-Pitta ! what should be my breakfast?

Well, this is the common trend of questions asked in most of the "Western Ayurvedic groups" and also the people who come for Ayurvedic consultations. Here is my small effort to make certain queries on Ayurveda more clear.

Should I know my constitution?

Yes, it is good to know your constitution but this is not the end of Ayurveda. It is just one of the basic profiles to be known.

Does knowing my constitution cures my illness?

No, not always ! It is one among the factor under the assessment of disease. Every disease involves various other factors like food, lifestyle, habitation, season etc.,

Changing the diet will balance the dosha?

Yes and No. "Yes !", food is one of the very important part of the survival. It is important for the health and disease. "No !", as it is not the only factor for health. Most of the people are changing their food habits and adapting to the food culture of another habitation. This is completely wrong. Eat the food of your own habitation.

Here I would like to share some of the experiences of my clients who tried balancing the dosha's without the proper advice from the Ayurveda Practitioner, resulting in certain health issues:

1) Client 1 had taken dry ginger powder 3 times a day for a month to balance his "Pitta" after reading information from the internet, which resulted in hyper acidity and constipation.

2) Client 2 had severe heart burn, dizziness, bloating and loss of appetite after being told by person "X" to take lots of peanuts and almonds to balance "Pitta" and "Vata".

3) Client 3 had severe constipation and bloating after taking excessive honey with ginger for a month to balance "Kapha".

Yes ! This happens due to limited awareness on the properties of food and its action in the body. The property of the food changes with the time, way of preparation, combination of the ingredients and the quantity. The action of the food in the body varies depending on the taste of the food, the potency, the property, the taste after digestion, etc., All 6 tastes (sweet, salt, sour, bitter, pungent, astringent) are equally needed to the body. So taking food with a particular taste for long time will result in imbalance of other dosha.

One should be aware that 2 people with same body constitution (prakriti) might react differently to the same food. Each person is different from one another. What is good for you may not be the same for the other, even with the same constitution.

How can I balance all the 3 dosha's?

Practically it is highly difficult to balance all the 3 dosha's (vata, pitta, kapha) at all point of time. The imbalance in dosha is not just because of the food. It also involves other factors like the season, your lifestyle, your age, your habitation, your habits, time of the day, etc., which are equally important as food. So If someone can balance the dosha with all the above factors, that's great ! But for a common man it is highly impossible !

So I would recommend you not to change your food habits soon after knowing your constitution as sudden change in the food habits is as harmful as eating the wrong food. The food which was eaten by your ancestors for ages will be suitable for you. The food which causes problems to your body will be told to be avoided by your Ayurvedic Practitioner. This will have a better result than a vague change of diet. Eating healthy, regular exercise, good sleep with a stress-free life is the key to health.

Translation:

"Medicine is not necessary for a person who always consumes wholesome food, there is no purpose served by the medicine given for a person who does not consume wholesome food"

"Your body is your best doctor!". It is wise enough to say what is good and bad for you, so take some time to listen to your body rather than blindly following the advice of some random people and the internet.

Ayurveda is very vast and lets not try to limit this valuable ancient science to just "Prakriti (the body constitution)".

-Vaidya Anusha Suresh