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Working Under Stress
Your cell phone is ringing. E-mails pour in by the minute. Deadlines,
competition, budgets, bottom lines. Let's face it, the modern
workplace is stressful. As a result, more people than ever are
suffering from sleep disorders, anxiety attacks and even depression.
What we need is the ability to meet the mental demands of the day
without feeling over-stressed.
It was exactly this need that prompted Vaidya Rama Kant Mishra,
Director of Product Research and Development at Maharishi Ayurveda
Products International, to formulate the Worry Free tablets.
"People have told me that if they take tranquilizers it reduces their
anxiety, but then they feel so drowsy that they can't work," says
Vaidya Mishra. "Research shows that Worry Free provides the best of
both worlds: it not only reduces generalized anxiety and calms
stress, it also heightens alertness so you can meet the demands of
your day and prevent mental stress from mounting."
How does this herbal formula accomplish those three objectives?
Here's a chance to look deeply into the ayurvedic wisdom and
scientific research on this remarkable formula.
Reduces Generalized Anxiety
Researchers at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD)
conducted a randomized, controlled pilot study to measure the effects
of Worry Free on ten patients who suffered from Generalized Anxiety
Disorder, a condition that affects 25% of the population.
The treatment period was three months. One group took two tablets of
Worry Free twice a day, while the other group took a placebo. At post-
testing, after three months of taking Worry Free, 80% of the Worry
Free group no longer exhibited Generalized Anxiety Disorder,
exhibiting a two-fold greater decrease in the Hamilton Anxiety Scale
than the placebo subjects.
What is the Ayurvedic explanation for this dramatic drop in
generalized anxiety?
"In ayurveda, mental abilities are divided into three categories,"
Vaidya Mishra explains. "They are dhi (acquisition) dhriti
(retention) and smriti (recall). Worry Free helped patients with
Generalized Anxiety Disorder because it contains a special group of
herbs such as Herpestis Monniera (Brahmi), Aloeweed (Shankapushpi),
and Heart-leaved Moonseed (Guduchi), which have an enhancing effect
on dhi, dhriti and smriti."
These special herbs are called medhya herbs in the traditional texts,
and are known to not only nurture the three areas of the mind
individually, but also to nurture coordination among them.
"Muskroot (Jatamansi) and Greater Galangal are additional herbs that
clear the channels. These keep the gaps between dhi, dhriti and
smriti free of toxins and blockages," says Vaidya Mishra. "In the
Vedic understanding, the gap, or union, is where all intelligence
resides." Thus these herbs keep the coordination between acquisition,
retention, and recall working well.
"So if people who take Worry Free are confronted with a stressful
situation, they have the tools to make it a positive, rather than a
negative experience. They can recall related experiences from the
past to help them deal with the present problem, and they tend to
learn from each new one," says Vaidya Mishra, "They can do this
without disturbing their mind, without feeling anxious." One
additional herb in the formula also has a key effect. "Winter Cherry
(Ashwagandha) enhances the mind's overall ability to fight stress,"
says Vaidya Mishra. "Because it helps overall mental functioning, not
targeting just one area of the mind, people find that they can think
more clearly and can solve their problems without incurring stress.
They avoid being damaged by stress in the first place."
Reduces Cortisol and Other Markers of Stress
One of the measurements used in the UCSD study was the salivary
cortisol level. Cortisol is a hormone related to stress, and high
cortisol levels show high stress. In the patients who took Worry Free
for three months, the mean salivary cortisol levels went down 2.77
nmol/l. Again, Vaidya Mishra provides an explanation from Maharishi
Ayurveda. There are three subdoshas that govern the mind, he says.
Prana Vata is the subdosha of Vata that governs the brain, sensory
perception and the mind. Tarpaka Kapha is the subdosha of Kapha that
governs the cerebral-spinal fluid. And because acquisition, retention
and recall originate in the heart, Sadhaka Pitta (the subdosha of
Pitta that governs the emotions and their effect on the heart) is
also involved.
"When people overuse or misuse their minds, the subdoshas governing
the mind counteract that overuse by producing more fluid," says
Vaidya Mishra. "It's similar to the extra saliva that is produced by
the taste buds when you're about to eat chilies or other hot foods.
The extra saliva protects the whole digestive system, and prevents
the chilies from creating an abrasive effect."
When your mind is strained by engaging in excessive mental work, the
subdoshas go out of balance. Sadhaka Pitta begins to create a burning
effect and Prana Vata creates a drying effect. Then Tarpaka Kapha
generates extra fluid to counteract this effect and protect the brain.
"But if you overuse your mind over and over and over again, the
lubricating value of Tarpaka Kapha becomes excessive, and begins to
diminish the metabolizing fire (medhya agni) in the gaps between dhi,
dhriti and smriti," says Vaidya Mishra. "It's similar to the effect
of too much moisture in the digestion — it can put out the
digestive
fire (agni)."
When this happens, ama (toxins) start to be created. Ama accumulates
in the gaps and channels of the brain, and mixes with the fluids
created by Tarpaka Kapha, creating a harmful type of cortisol, the
indicator of stress.
"Cortisol in itself is not bad, in fact it's created by the body to
protect the brain," says Vaidya Mishra. "But when Tarpaka Kapha
becomes excessive and there is ama in the physiology, it does more
harm than good. That's when anxiety attacks and other signs of too
much stress take over."
The reason that the subjects' cortisol levels when down after using
Worry Free is because the Muskroot and Greater Galangal enhance the
medhya agni, says Vaidya Mishra. "Medhya agni began to burn brightly
again, ama was no longer produced and no ama was no longer mixing
with Tarpaka Kapha. Thus only a good quality of cortisol was
released, which actually protected the brain from stress. That's why
the salivary cortisol levels went down."
As mentioned earlier, Muskroot and Greater Galangal also help clear
the channels of ama, as does Winter Cherry. "Winter Cherry is such a
sharp, cleansing herb that it in itself self-sufficient, but when
combined with Muskroot and Greater Galangal, it becomes an extremely
effective agent for clearing the channels, enhancing medhya agni and
reducing ama," says Vaidya Mishra.
Relaxed But Alert
The subjects in this study and many thousands of people who have
taken Worry Free over the past six years have reported that it makes
them feel relaxed, but also more alert.
"My job involves a tremendous amount of mental stress and sometimes I
feel torn in several directions," says Molly Blackwell, a graphic
designer.
"Worry Free takes me to a whole new level of calm. It settles me down
so I can focus, accomplish and not feel confused."
Vaidya Mishra says that people feel more alert even though calmer
because of the factors already mentioned. The medhya herbs enhance
the capacity of dhi, dhriti, and smriti and improve coordination
between them. Other herbs clear the channels. Winter Cherry increases
overall alertness.
Researchers were so intrigued with this effect that a whole new study
is now being conducted to measure how much Worry Free increases the
alertness of the mind.
"We are confident that the new research will verify the experience of
so many thousands of people who have benefited from this traditional
Ayurvedic formula," says Vaidya Mishra.
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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