TREATMENT PLAN

In Ayurveda, treatment plans consists of taking herbal supplements to help heal the body, but lifestyle and food changes are equally important.  


I have given up all vitamins and pharmaceuticals.  I haven’t even taken an advil since I started seeing Dr. Teitelbaum.   I have also cut out gluten, nightshades, and caffeine, and have been taking Ayurvedic herbal supplements throughout the day.  I guess I should give up alcohol and sugar…but for the time being, I’ll just cut way down on them.  I’m writing my comments about the different treatments in italics.  The herbs I am taking are at the end of this blog.  

·         Start the day with a cup of hot water to flush any excess ama (toxic buildup) from the night and previous day’s digestion.   This makes me go to the bathroom, which I love.        

                   

·         After that Abhyanga- an oil massage starting at the head and ending at the feet.  The purpose it to dislodge toxins from the body, and stimulate the Marma Points (like pressure points or meridian points in Chinese medicine.)  Typically this is done before the shower but I do mine in the shower because I feel the oil soaks in better and I need the hot water to ease some of the morning stiffness.  (Not the fun kind of morning stiffness) I feel the environmentalist inside of me shaking many fists at the amount of time I spend in the shower lately.

·         Yoga and meditation before breakfast in the morning. Trying, but it is hard to fit it in! If not in the morning, I try practice when I get home at night.  

·         Eat only freshly cooked organic foods, no leftovers, no processed/canned/frozen foods which are considered dead because their Ojas has long since died off.  Seemingly impossible. Aside from using the occasional boxed soy and rice milk, which counts as processed and dead, I have been able to do this with breakfast and dinner, but lunch is hard!  No sandwiches, no restaurant foods.  I have been buying Whole Foods or Essene prepared foods which at best can be counted as leftovers.  Does this mean I need to get up earlier and cook a packed lunch for the day?? 

·         Do not drink or eat anything cold (especially during winter or while eating) this supposedly puts out AGNI (the digestive fire) which is needed to process food efficiently.  Fine with me except in the summer I LOVE iced soy lattes with honey.  

·         Do not drink any water but Fiji, or Everpure? Again the environmentalist side of me is hanging my head in shame.  I have carried a SIGG reusable water bottle for years, swearing off bottled water a long time ago.  I even designed a t-shirt with the slogan “Plastic is Forever.”  When I go to yoga now with my giant Fiji water bottle I offer explanations in my head to everyone I encounter. I’ve even considered filling my reusable water bottle with the Fiji water!  Crazy.

·         Avoid nightshades- white potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers and eggplant.  I’m going to miss you tomatoes.  You were my all-time favorite fruit/vegetable. 

·         Eat only cooked meals (no raw foods which are very hard to digest making the enzymes and nutrients unattainable…mostly for vata dosha) I liked this one.  I was never a fan of salads and raw foods. Especially in the winter.  Supposedly my vata dosha has something to do with it.

·         Do not eat past 7pm, so the digestive system can process the last meal of the day well.  Again, sooo difficult. We don’t even get home till 6:30 at night.  And, hello!  Cooking everything fresh here!  

·         Eat while sitting so the blood stays in the stomach, and drink a little warm water or herb tea with the meal.  Ayurveda stresses not too much liquid when eating.  

·         Eat mindfully in a very calm atmosphere (no TV, loud music, or reading) and never eat when upset.  Haha, yeah right.   I guess that means no more catching up on our family favorite tv shows. (We love 30 Rock, the Office, Animation Domination & South Park. Ooh, and True Blood in the summer.   If we had more time I think we would also love Modern Family and Glee, but have to cut the tv time somewhere.)

·         Go to bed by 10pm.  Dr. said this is very important b/c 10-12am is when the liver does its’ cleansing or repairing or something.  And less importantly because 10-2am is Pitta time of the day, and you get a second wind if stay up into Pitta time.  

·         Wake somewhere b/t 5am – 6am.  hahahhahahahha

·         Always boil milk before using and try to use raw, organic cow’s milk. I’ve been buying raw (unpasteurized) milk from Essene.  I have not used real milk in anything for YEARS.  I was definitely grossed out at the thought of not only real, but WHOLE milk.  I have to say, it’s not bad. Since I’m not drinking it cold, it is not grossing me out. 

Herbal Supplements: 


Pre-biotic drops in the morning on an empty stomach.  She explained that my intestines are a hostile environment and that the probiotics I am taking will not take effect in hostile “soil.”  The prebiotics will help make the environment friendly so the probiotics can take effect. 
Probiotics immediately after the pre-biotics, and again in the afternoon and before bed.
Muscle Maintain tablets – 2 a day
Pro-Apana drops—fix the lining of the gut
Bhumi Amla drops—cools and calms the liver
Immuno Correct drops—help the immune system correct itself.  Fibromyalgia is like an  autoimmune condition or might even be an autoimmune condition—doctors are not sure.  My doctor says that the when the body’s systems get confused, which can happen for many different reasons, it starts to attack itself.  She says the key to recovery is to bring all the systems back to normal. 
I put 1 drop of the previous 4 supplements in a 1 liter bottle of Fiji water and drink throughout the day.  So as to not overwork the liver, I take the following supplements the same way on the next day, and alternate between the two sets of supplements every other day.  
Multi Mineral Support—for energy
Apana Agni balance—fixes the enzyme system in the gut so food allergies go away
Moringa Oleifera—detoxes the bone marrow