Consultation with Ayurvedic Practitioner Deana Dennard.

Ayurveda means "Science of Life," and, as a traditional medicine of India, was designed to elementally evaluate the mind, body and spirit. Ayurveda utilizes a symptomatic approach to health based on the three doshas (elements): Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Each person is a unique mixture of the three doshas, although one or two usually predominate. As the basis of the philosophy of Ayurveda, the use of the doshas parallels Chinese, Tibetan and other ancient disciplines.

Each bodily tissue, channel, organ and emotion has a predominant element which denotes its function. When the elements become imbalanced, a symptom occurs. This allows us to understand what a symptom is trying to tell us. We can choose to be aware of the message and make changes, or ignore it and allow the imbalance to continue. Ayurveda is a realistic way to understand and listen to the changes in our bodies and to make choices about the foods, plants and applications that are most appropriate for rebalancing our selves.