Our bodies were not meant to be toxic dumps. Yet, improper
digestion, high levels of stress, and pollutants such as chemicals in the air
we breathe, the water we drink or wash with, and the foods we eat, continuously
create toxins in the body. If not flushed out on a regular basis, ayurveda
contends that this toxic build-up can eventually manifest as disorders. And as
we grow older, the body’s inbuilt mechanisms for eliminating impurities tend to
be less efficient, thus stressing the need for periodic internal cleansing
therapy.
THREE
TYPE OF TOXINS
The most common type is ama, which is the sticky waste-product of digestion
that builds up in the digestive tract when your digestion is either weak or
overloaded with the wrong foods.
If ama is not cleared from the body and continues to build up,
eventually it can leave the digestive tract and start circulating through the
body. Once it settles in a specific area, over time ama becomes reactive and
mixes with the subdoshas, the dhatus (body tissues), or malas (waste products
such as urine). When it mixes with these parts of the physiology, it becomes
amavisha, a more reactive, toxic type of ama.
The third type of toxins are what we would call environmental
toxins today. Environmental toxins come from outside the body and include
pesticides and chemical fertilizers in food, as well as preservatives,
additives and genetically engineered foods. Food that has “gone bad”
and is filled with harmful bacteria also falls in this category. Other
garavisha toxins include arsenic, lead, asbestos, chemicals in detergents and
household supplies, poisons, air and water pollution, chemicals and synthetics
in clothing, and recreational drugs.
Amavisha and garavisha types of toxins are best handled by an
ayurvedic physician, but there are a number of things you can do on an ongoing
basis to prevent ama from building up in your body.
#SIGNS That You May Have an #Ama Build-Up:
If you experience a heavy feeling in your body, if your joints
are stiff, if your tongue is coated when you wake up in the morning, if you
have an unpleasant body odor, if you feel dull and sleepy after eating, if your
mind is foggy, you may have a build-up of ama in the body. Diarrhea,
constipation, joint pain, sadness, dullness, lowered immunity, and frequent
bouts of colds and flu are all health problems that can be caused by ama.
Ama clogs the channels of circulation in the body, preventing
the unrestricted flow of nutrients to the cells and organs. Or it can clog the
channels that carry waste from the cells and tissues, resulting in a toxic
build-up.
How #Ama is #Created:
Diet and Lifestyle Factors
Ama is the waste product of incomplete digestion, so any dietary or lifestyle
habits that disrupt digestion can cause ama.
If you eat foods that are too heavy to digest, such as fried
foods, hard cheeses, meats, leftovers, junk foods, processed foods, and rich
desserts, these can overload your digestion and cause ama to form. Cold foods
and drinks — such as ice cream, ice-cold water and foods straight from the
refrigerator — also are hard to digest, since cold temperatures put out the
digestive fire.
How much food and the type of food you can easily digest depends
on your digestive capacity. Digestion can be weak, strong, or irregular,
depending on your body type or imbalances. If your digestion is weak or dull (a
characteristic associated with Kapha dosha), and you eat too much food or food
that is too heavy for your digestive system, you’ll form ama.
Someone with a strong digestion (associated with Pitta dosha)
will be able to eat larger quantities and richer foods without forming ama. A
person with an irregular digestion (associated with Vata body type) will find
that their appetite and digestive ability fluctuates — sometimes it’s strong
and sometimes weak.
You need to adjust your eating and habits to suit your digestive
type. Digestion also fluctuates according to the seasons, and if you don’t
adjust your diet and lifestyle when the weather changes, you may form ama.
Digestion can also be weakened by poor eating habits. For instance, not eating
at the same time every day, not eating the main meal at noon when the digestion
is stronger, skipping meals or eating between meals can all throw the digestion
out of balance.
An irregular daily routine can also disrupt your digestion and cause ama.
Mental, emotional and physical stress is another cause of incomplete digestion
and ama. If you’ve ever tried eating when you’re upset, and felt the stomach
pains afterwards, you know why this is so. In general, any time you go against
your own nature, or fall out of harmony with natural law, your digestion will
reflect that and create ama.
An Ama-Reducing Diet
If a person has simple ama, it’s generally possible to remove it from the body
by enhancing or balancing agni, the digestive fire. First of all, it’s
important to begin an ama-reducing diet. This is a simple diet, consisting of
warm, freshly-cooked whole foods that are light, easy to digest, and are
suitable for the person’s body type and season.
The ama-reducing diet includes fresh, organic vegetables; sweet,
juicy fruits; whole grains such as quinoa, couscous, rye, barley, amaranth,
millet and rice; and easily-digested proteins such as mung dhal or lentil soup.
Lassi — a drink made in the blender with one part freshly-made yogurt, four
parts water, and salt or honey for flavor — is an excellent digestion-booster
to drink after a meal because it contains acidophilus, a friendly bacteria that
aids digestion. Cooked leafy greens such as chard and kale are especially good
for improving elimination and helping to detoxify the body.
The vegetables and grains should be cooked with tasty spices
that are suitable for your body type and the season. Avoid all of the foods
that we mentioned earlier as a cause of ama — fried foods, heavy foods such as
aged cheese, meat, rich desserts — anything that is difficult to digest should
be left out of your diet. Avoid eating or drinking anything cold.
Drinking warm water throughout the day is a good way to flush
out ama and toxins of all kinds, especially if you add detoxifying spices to make
a tea.
HOW AMA IS CREATED:
Diet and Lifestyle Factors:
Ama is the waste product of incomplete digestion, so any dietary or lifestyle
habits that disrupt digestion can cause ama.
If you eat foods that are too heavy to digest, such as fried
foods, hard cheeses, meats, leftovers, junk foods, processed foods, and rich
desserts, these can overload your digestion and cause ama to form. Cold foods
and drinks — such as ice cream, ice-cold water and foods straight from the
refrigerator — also are hard to digest, since cold temperatures put out the
digestive fire.
How much food and the type of food you can easily digest depends
on your digestive capacity. Digestion can be weak, strong, or irregular,
depending on your body type or imbalances. If your digestion is weak or dull (a
characteristic associated with Kapha dosha), and you eat too much food or food
that is too heavy for your digestive system, you’ll form ama.
Someone with a strong digestion (associated with Pitta dosha)
will be able to eat larger quantities and richer foods without forming ama. A
person with an irregular digestion (associated with Vata body type) will find
that their appetite and digestive ability fluctuates — sometimes it’s strong
and sometimes weak.
You need to adjust your eating and habits to suit your digestive
type. Digestion also fluctuates according to the seasons, and if you don’t
adjust your diet and lifestyle when the weather changes, you may form ama. For
detailed information on foods and eating habits for each body type and the
seasons, visit the foods and recipes section.
Digestion can also be weakened by poor eating habits. For
instance, not eating at the same time every day, not eating the main meal at
noon when the digestion is stronger, skipping meals or eating between meals can
all throw the digestion out of balance.
An irregular daily routine can also disrupt your digestion and
cause ama. Mental, emotional and physical stress is another cause of incomplete
digestion and ama. If you’ve ever tried eating when you’re upset, and felt the
stomach pains afterwards, you know why this is so. In general, any time you go
against your own nature, or fall out of harmony with natural law, your
digestion will reflect that and create ama.
An Ama-Reducing Diet:
If a person has simple ama, it’s generally possible to remove it from the body
by enhancing or balancing agni, the digestive fire. First of all, it’s
important to begin an ama-reducing diet. This is a simple diet, consisting of
warm, freshly-cooked whole foods that are light, easy to digest, and are
suitable for the person’s body type and season.
The ama-reducing diet includes fresh, organic vegetables; sweet,
juicy fruits; whole grains such as quinoa, couscous, rye, barley, amaranth,
millet and rice; and easily-digested proteins such as mung dhal or lentil soup.
Lassi — a drink made in the blender with one part freshly-made yogurt, four
parts water, and salt or honey for flavor — is an excellent digestion-booster to
drink after a meal because it contains acidophilus, a friendly bacteria that
aids digestion. Cooked leafy greens such as chard and kale are especially good
for improving elimination and helping to detoxify the body.
The vegetables and grains should be cooked with tasty spices
that are suitable for your body type and the season, such as Organic Vata,
Organic Pitta or Organic Kapha Churna. Avoid all of the foods that we mentioned
earlier as a cause of ama — fried foods, heavy foods such as aged cheese, meat,
rich desserts — anything that is difficult to digest should be left out of your
diet. Avoid eating or drinking anything cold.
Drinking warm water throughout the day is a good way to flush
out ama and toxins of all kinds, especially if you add detoxifying spices to
make a tea.
Detoxifying Tea:
Boil two quarts of water in the morning. Add ¼ t. whole cumin, ½
t. whole coriander, ½ t. whole fennel and let steep for ten minutes with the
lid on. Strain out the spices, pour the water into a thermos and sip throughout
the day. Start fresh by making a new batch of tea each morning.
LIFESTYLE TIPS:
The most important thing is to eat your main meal at noon, when the sun is
strongest and the digestive fire reflects that strength. If you eat too much at
night, or eat heavy foods such as meat or cheese then, the food will sit in
your stomach and create ama. Eat light at night and your food will be easily
digested before you go to sleep.
It’s also important to eat all three meals at the same time
every day. If your body gets used to a regular routine, the digestive juices
will start to ready themselves before the meal, and will be more efficient in
digesting. If you eat at variable times, your digestion will be thrown off.
Don’t snack between meals unless you are actually hungry, and
wait until the food is digested before eating a meal. If your digestion is
already occupied with digesting and you add new food on top of that, the result
is ama, the sour, undigested waste product of undigested food.
Other aspects of the ayurvedic routine are also important. Going
to sleep before 10 p.m. is essential, because then during the Pitta time of
night (10 p.m.-2 a.m.) your digestion has a chance to cleanse and rejuvenate
itself. If you stay up, you’ll probably feel hungry about midnight and will
want to eat, which will tax the digestion and create ama.
Waking up before 6 a.m. is recommended, because if you sleep
late into the Kapha time of the morning (6-10 a.m.), the channels of your body
will become clogged with ama and you’ll feel dull and tired.
Daily exercise that is suitable for your body type will stimulate digestion and help cleanse the body of toxins. It’s also important to manage your stress, and to have a job that you enjoy and is not too taxing for your body type.
So keep your body #toxin free and remain #disease free.
www.ourhealthmantra.com, #purnimabahuguna #Triaanyas # TriaanyasHealthMantra