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The Ayurvedic Approach to Doshas:
Four Ways to Increase Bone Density
Got milk? Keeping your bones healthy should be a top health concern
for anyone over 45, not just women. One out of two women and one in
eight men over 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their
lifetime--and that's something to think about.
Certainly drinking milk is a good start, since milk is high in
absorbable calcium, but there are many other factors involved in bone
density.
"Eating foods to nourish your fat and muscle tissue is just as
important as eating foods to nourish your bones," says Vaidya Mishra,
the Director of Research and Development at Maharishi Ayurveda
Products International.
Sound confusing? Not if you look at the ayurvedic explanation of how
bones are formed.
How Bones Are Formed
Bone is one of the seven body tissues, called seven dhatus, that are
formed in a chain of metabolic interactions.
"The majority of the muscle tissue, for instance, is transformed into
Sthool Bhag, which remains muscle," explains Vaidya Mishra. "But a
small percentage becomes Shukshma, a more refined material, and these
molecules form the raw material to create the next dhatu in the
chain, which in this case is the fat tissue. After fat the next dhatu
is bone."
So when you're talking about healthy bone tissue, you must consider
the health of the raw material that makes up bone tissue--the muscle
and fat tissue.
"There are four factors in creating healthy bone tissue," says Vaidya
Mishra. "The first is to make sure the Shukshma, or raw material, is
free of ama. Ama in the muscle or fat tissue creates weak bones."
1. Ama-Free Bone Material
Symptoms of ama in muscle tissues include mild muscular aches and
pains, stiffness, and slow recovery from exercise or physical labor.
Weight gain and a heavy feeling point to ama in the fat tissue.
The solution for both situations is to eat foods that do not create
ama yet nourish the muscle and fat tissue, such as light, easily
digestible proteins, good quality fats such as extra virgin olive oil
and ghee to cleanse the fat tissue, and spices such as turmeric and
coriander to cleanse the muscle tissue. Grains such as quinoa, oats,
barley, amaranth are packed with nutrients but low on ama.
Avoid eating leftovers, foods that aren't suitable for your body
type, processed, canned, frozen or packaged foods of any kinds. Avoid
bad fats such as transfats, hydrogenated vegetable oils and all
cooking oils unless they are cold-processed.
"Quantity is also a factor," says Vaidya Mishra. "A fat-free diet
isn't going to create enough raw material for healthy bones."
2. Nourishing the Bone Tissue
It's also important to support the bone tissue itself. "Eat calcium-
rich foods such as milk, lassi, and panir; sesame seeds; coconut; and
cooked greens like spinach, kale and chard," says Vaidya Mishra.
3. Enhancing Digestion
"The power of transformation in the gaps between the tissues must
also be high," says Vaidya Mishra. "If the digestive fire in the gaps
between the dhatus is too low, too high or imbalanced, then the
person is creating ama no matter what they eat."
To balance digestive strength, be sure to eat three regular meals a
day. Eat at the same time every day, so your digestion can learn to
prepare for the meal. Eat your main meal at noon because the
digestion is stronger at that time. The evening meal should be light,
since digestion slows down then.
Regular exercise is also important for strengthening the dhatu agnis
(and weight bearing exercise stimulates bone growth). Walking in the
early morning sun is ideal, because this mild exposure is not
damaging to the skin but still supplies Vitamin D (a necessary
cofactor for calcium absorption).
To strengthen the dhatu agnis, Vaidya Mishra recommends cooking with
a spice mixture and drinking spice water throughout the day.
Spice Mixture for Healthy Bones
Mix equal parts turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground
fennel and black pepper. Store in a jar. Melt a teaspoon of ghee in a
frying pan, add 1/2 teaspoon of the spice mixture, and enough steamed
vegetables for one person. Multiply this recipe by the number of
people you are serving. You can also add it to vegetables, grains, or
soups.
Spice Water for Healthy Bones
Boil two quarts of water on the stove. Add spices and steep for ten
minutes. Strain the spices and place the water in a thermos jar and
sip it throughout the day.
2 leaves basil
1/2 t. fennel seed
1/4 t. marshmallow root
1 piece of clove
2 peppercorn
4. Cleansing the Channels
If the channels that carry raw material to the bone tissue are
blocked with ama, then the bone tissue is not going to form properly.
"The best way to cleanse the fat channels is to include ghee in your
diet," says Vaidya Mishra. "The ghee can permeate the fat medium, and
the spice mixture sauteed in ghee adds a cleansing element."
Drinking spice water also cleanses the channels of muscle, fat and
bone.
Avoid vegetables from the popular nightshade family (tomatoes,
potatoes, eggplant and sweet peppers) as these block the channels of
the body. They also disturb the absorption of calcium and other
nutrients by making the muscle tissue more acidic.
Finally, as you approach middle age, both men and women should follow
a Vata pacifying diet, to enhance digestion, reduce ama, and
strengthen their bones.
Note : This ayurvedic information is educational and is not intended
to replace standard medical care or advice.
Copyright MAPI, 2002.
For more information on Ayurveda or to subscribe to free newsletters,
plaese visit http://www.mapi.com
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