Pitta Dosha Fire: Hot, Hot ,Hot

Pitta: Fire

Hot, Light, intense, malodorus, sharp

Positive Traits:

Sharp Intellect and speech, goal oriented, sales oriented, strong

Negative traits:

Anger, burn out, forceful

Prone to:

Heartburn, high blood pressure, red rashes, early greying, problems with eyes

To stay in balance:

Cool calm, good boundaries around work and play, cool sports and exercise, swimming skiing, being in nature,

Stuff I pulled off the web

Here are some of the common characteristics of people who have a predominantly Pitta body type.

Medium physique, strong, well-built

Sharp mind, good concentration powers

Orderly, focused

Assertive, self-confident, and entrepreneurial at their best; aggressive, demanding, pushy when out of balance

Competitive, enjoy challenges

Passionate and romantic; sexually have more vigor and endurance than Vatas, but less than Kaphas

Strong digestion, strong appetite; get irritated if they have to miss or wait for a meal

Like to be in command

When under stress, Pittas become irritated and angry

Skin fair or reddish, often with freckles; sunburns easily

Hair usually fine and straight, tending toward blond or red, typically turns gray early; tendency toward baldness or thinning hair

Uncomfortable in sun or hot weather; heat makes them very tired

Perspire a lot

Others may find them stubborn, pushy, opinionated

Good public speakers; also capable of sharp, sarcastic, cutting speech

Generally good management and leadership ability, but can become authoritarian

Like to spend money, surround themselves with beautiful objects

Subject to temper tantrums, impatience, and anger

Typical physical problems include rashes or inflammations of the skin, acne, boils, skin cancer, ulcers, heartburn, acid stomach, hot sensations in the stomach or intestines, insomnia, bloodshot or burning eyes and other vision problems, anemia, jaundice.

Physical Features

These people are of medium height, are slender and body frame may be delicate. Their chests are not as flat as those of vata people and they show a medium prominence of veins and muscle tendons. The bones are not as prominent as in the vata individual. Muscle development is moderate.

The pitta complexion may be coppery, yellowish, reddish or fair. The skin is soft, warm and less wrinkled than vata skin. The hair is thin, silky, red or brownish and there is a tendency toward premature graying of hair and hair loss. The eyes may be gray, green or cooper-brown and sharp: the eyeballs will be of medium prominence. The nails are soft. The shape of the nose is sharp and the tip tends to be reddish.

Physiologically, these people have a strong metabolism, good digestion and resulting strong appetites. The person of pitta constitution usually takes large quantities of food and liquid. Pitta types have a natural craving for sweet, bitter and astringent tastes and enjoy cold drinks. Their sleep is of medium duration but uninterrupted. They produce a large volume of urine and the feces are yellowish, liquid, soft and plentiful. There is a tendency toward excessive perspiring. The body temperature may run slightly high and hands and feet will tend to be warm. Pitta people do not tolerate sunlight, heat or hard work well.

Psychologically, pitta people have a good power of comprehension; they are very intelligent and sharp and tend to be good orators. They have emotional tendencies toward hate, anger and jealousy.

They are ambitious people who generally like to be leaders. Pitta people appreciate material prosperity and they tend to be moderately well-off financially. They enjoy exhibiting their wealth and luxurious possessions.

Signs of Pitta Aggravation

Angry, Irritable

Hostile, Enraged, Destructive

Impatient

Critical of self and others

Argumentative, Aggressive

Bossy, controlling

Frustrated, Willful, Reckless

Acidity, heartburn, Stomach ulcer

Fitful sleep, Disturbing dreams

Diarrhea, Food allergies

Bad breath, Sour body odor

Very sensitive to heat, Hot flashes

Skin rashes

Boils

Bloodshot eyes

Acne

Weakness due to low blood sugar

Fevers, Night sweats

Also See: Other Signs of Pitta Imbalance

When you experience symptoms such as, excessive body heat, digestive problems, a tendency to be hostile or angry and controlling, impatience, a tendency to exert excessive effort to achieve goals, vision difficulties, and being prone to make errors in judgment because of mental confusion or because passion or emotion blurs powers of intellectual discernment, there is a good possibility that you are suffering from pitta imbalance.

Indications of balanced pitta influences are strong powers of digestion, vitality, goal-setting inclinations, good problem-solving skills, keen powers of intelligence, decisiveness, boldness and courage, and a bright complexion.

Vata Dosha Are you mostly Space and Air

In Ayurveda there are three main body/Mind Types. Your uniqueness is combinations of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha or Air, Fire, and Water.

Vata Dosha:

Light, dry, cool, moving, irregular, rough, and quick

Positive Traits:

Joyful Vivacous Creative

Negative Traits:

Nervous Restless Airy Spacy

Prone to:

Dry Skin and Hair, weak immune system, anxiety, insomnia and constipation

To stay in balance Structure, Rest, Great Self Care, Yoga, Hydration, and good oils.

Here is something I pulled off the web for further reading:

Vata dosha

What is Vata?

Vata is made up of the two elements space and air.

The most revered ayurvedic text, the Charaka Samhita, defines the characteristics of Vata dosha: dry and rough (rookshaha); cool (sheetoha); light--lacking weight (laghuhu); very tiny, penetrating molecules (sookhshmaha); always moving (chalota); broad, unlimited, unbounded--akash means unbounded space (vishadaha); and rough (kharaha).

People with more Vata in their constitutions tend to be thin, with a slender frame and prominent joints, delicate skin that is naturally dry, and dry voluminous hair. They are quick and lively in thought, speech and action, and make friends easily. There is an element of airiness to their step, a quality of lightness in their laughter. Change is usually their second name. They are light sleepers and gravitate towards warm environments. Creativity and enthusiasm are hallmarks of balanced Vata.

If your prakriti or original constitution has more Vata in it, you will exhibit many of the characteristics and qualities of Vata when you are in balance than people who have more Pitta or Kapha in their make-up. And that's natural. But if the qualities become extreme, or more pronounced than usual at a given time, then the Vata in you has in all likelihood become aggravated or imbalanced, and needs to be brought back into balance. And if a predominantly Kapha or Pitta person starts exhibiting many Vata qualities, that indicates a Vata imbalance in that Kapha or Pitta body type. In both cases, it is then time to follow a Vata-balancing diet and lifestyle to help restore the level of Vata in the physiology to its normal proportion.

Factors that can cause Vata dosha to increase in the physiology include a diet that contains too many dry or raw foods, over-consumption of ice-cold beverages, exposure to cold dry winds, a variable daily routine, too much travel, and mental overexertion.

Signs that you need to balance Vata

Are you constantly worried, anxious, overwhelmed, fretful?

Do you feel tired but find yourself unable to slow down and relax?

Do you find it difficult to settle down and fall asleep at night? Is your sleep restless when you do manage to fall asleep?

Is your skin feeling dryer than usual, stretched taut or flaking?

Is your hair more brittle, with split ends happening oftener?

Are your lips raw and chapped? Is your throat constantly dry?

Is your digestion irregular? Do you experience problems with abdominal gas?

Do you feel like you cannot sit still, that you need to be constantly moving?

Do you feel "spaced out"? Is it harder to remember things for more than a short period of time? Is your attention span shorter than usual? Is it harder to focus?

Do your bowel movements occur less than once daily?

If you answered yes to many of the questions above, following a Vata-balancing diet and lifestyle can help restore balance to Vata.

What's you Dosha or Mind/Body type?

In my blog UnCover Your Health Within I talked about the age old question who am I? If you look back in recent blogs on this site you will find a test you can take to find out about your onion of who you are? You need to peel away at this onion by removing the outer layers first, you know if you cut right into the onion it can make you cry out in pain. The cut right to can work but supervision is advised even a specialised clinic.

I have done this both ways. I peel a bit and cut a bit. Peeling is easy though slower, cutting is sharp, though if you cut too deep a healing crisis may emerge and if you cut in the wrong place you have to wait to heal to cut again.

In Ayurveda these written test and knowledge help you peel the onion. Ayurvedic pulse analysis can help cut in the right place and know how deep to go.

First take these test and on your own try to hit the high spots of the obvious imbalances.

Let's look at the doshas:

Balance is the key: The three doshas According to Ayurveda, perfect health is a state where mind, body and spirit are balanced. All activities of the mind and body are governed by three biological principles or doshas -- Vata, Pitta and Kapha, each of which is made up of some of the five elements of creation or mahabhutas. Vata is mainly air and space, and governs movement in the body-the flow of blood, for example, or elimination, or breathing or thoughts flitting across the mind. Since the other two doshas, Pitta and Kapha, cannot move without Vata, Vata is considered the lead dosha. Pitta, mainly fire and water, governs heat, metabolism and transformation. Digestion is an important Pitta activity. Kapha is made up mainly of earth and water, and, accordingly, is linked to structure and moisture balance in the physiology. Among other things, Kapha controls weight and lubrication in the lungs, for example. Each of the doshas is also related to a season of the year -- Kapha with Spring, Pitta with Summer and Vata with Fall and Winter. When all of these doshas are perfectly in balance in an individual, it means that all the systems and activities of mind and body are functioning at optimal levels, and the individual, therefore, enjoys perfect health. When one or more of these doshas goes out of balance, disorders result. Some factors that can cause these doshas to become imbalanced are improper diet or eating habits, stress, pollution or the weather. Then, to restore good health, the dosha that has become imbalanced needs to be restored to its original make-up in that specific individual.

Prakriti and Vikriti

It has become common to associate Ayurveda just with superficial body-typing, based on the fact that every individual is born as a combination of one or more of the three doshas described above. Asking What is your dosha? or Are you Vata, Pitta or Kapha? is just barely scratching the surface of Ayurveda. It is much more important to go beyond introductory body-typing or finding out the Prakriti of an individual to determining what imbalances exist in a person's physiology (Vikriti) -- and then finding out how to restore balance.

Again take one or more of the many dosha quizzes online and shot me an email at info@drsteveradio.com if you have any questions.

how do you feel?

We are all a unique finger print, an original expression of life itself. We take in information through our 5 senses.

Sight

sound

touch

smell

taste

We interpret this stimuli through the organs:

eyes

ears

skin-largest organ of the body

nose

tongue

In Ayurveda it is very important to keep these sense organs clear and clean.

We notice are senses when things are not working.

Eyes, a speck of dust in the eye, blurred vision, watery or dry eyes.

Ears, lack of hearing, congestion, pain

Skin, itchiness, redness, spots, discolored, pain

Nose, stuffiness, lack of smell, itchiness, mucus, sore

Tongue, a whole science in itself. A great diagnostic tool. Bumps, grooves, color or lack of and of course taste alteration.

Take a few minutes and write down any symptoms of these sense organs.

Next Home remedies for these organs of sense.

See my blog Home Healing Remedies on healing of the eyes

Further reading from a web search:

Role of the Senses :- One of the most important factors in the disease process is wrong use of the senses. Sight, sound, touch, taste and smell are the five sense qualities through which environmental factors enter the body and mind. How we use our senses determines the type of food that we eat, the water we drink, and the particular lifestyle that we follow.

Sensory contacts are of four types: Excess, deficient, inappropriate and optimal. For example, we can take in too much light through the eyes, too little light, the wrong type of light, or the appropriate type and amount. Out of these four, only optimal contact promotes health. The three other contacts

cause disease.

Scientific studies show that disturbing sounds produce pathological changes in the blood. All of us have experienced how noise can disturb not only the mind but also the body. Just as sounds that are too loud can damage health, the same is true of harmful exposure to the other sensory qualities of sight, taste, odor, and touch. An excess of sensations disturbs the mind' and leads to wrong actions and dietary indiscretions.

Other medical sciences are beginning to discover this factor in diseases. However, only in Ayurveda are the senses given clear recognition as one of the primary causes of disease. Ayurveda covers not only physical factors but psychological factors as well. The senses are common factors that connect the two. If we look at disease only according to external pathogens and do not acknowledge the role of the senses, we miss much of the real problem. The senses are our real link to the outer world and our relationship with our environment, healthful or unhealthful, can be measured by how we use them. Sensory impressions are like food for the mind and determine how we think, feel and judge things.

Wrong Use of the Will :- The second main factor in the disease process is volitional transgression or wrong use of the will. It is called Prajnaparadha, which literally means "failure of intelligence", referring to human weakness by which we continue to perform wrong actions even after we have experienced them to be harmful. An example is an alcoholic who, even after having experienced a hangover and the side effects of drinking, perhaps swearing never to drink again, ignores this message of experience and starts drinking again. Wrong use of the will relates to causes from within our psyche that result in defective, excessive or perverted actions of body, speech and mind.

Unfortunately, most of us today are taught to indulge our senses and to pursue desire rather than to cultivate our will power and enjoy freedom from external influences. Not knowing the proper use of the, will, we create many unnecessary problems for ourselves. Ayurveda states that unless we strengthen our will and reduce our desires, we can never have health, much less peace and happiness in life. We will be pulled in various directions by conflicting desires and .never experience true happiness and contentment which cannot come through mere external stimulation. To counter this, we must cultivate a strong will and learn to achieve the lasting goals of life: Contentment, creativity and greater awareness.

Misuse of the Body : -Maintaining the proper and timely discharge of our natural functions ensures health, while their misuse causes disease. The misuse of bodily functions occurs mainly through either suppression or through forced excitation of our natural urges, what modern psychology calls repression or indulgence. According to Ayurveda, we should not unduly suppress our natural urges but should attend to them attentively as they naturally arise. If we suppress them, we derange and weaken the life-force (Prana) and cause our natural impulses toward healthy function to be impaired. Nor should we artificially excite our urges through the pursuit of self-indulgence. We should seek wholesome sensations and avoid those that are artificial or extreme.

While modern culture has emphasized removing repression, it has not always properly criticized the dangers of over indulgence. A toxic body creates wrong urges that indulgence only reinforces, turning them eventual1y into addictions that are hard to overcome. The rule is that if we are ever in doubt, repression is safer than indulgence, though a balanced approach is best of all.

Misuse of the Mind : - Like the body, the mind has its proper and timely functions that must be maintained for health and well-being. We should train and exercise our mind through regular concentration, contemplation and meditation. Wrong actions of the mind bring about wrong actions of the body and eventually result in disease. The mind gets disturbed owing to an increase in agitated (Rajasic) and dull (Tamasic) qualities in the mind, like wrong imagination or lack of attention. This causes the development of fear, grief, anger, greed, infatuation, envy and other negative emotions which imbalance both the body and the mind. To counter this, we should develop Sattva (clarity, contentment and peace) and avoid distraction and laziness.

Misuse of Speech : - Speech is our main organ of action that determines how we function and relate in the world. It has a great power to either help or to harm others. There is perhaps nothing as destructive as harsh words and' nothing as helpful as kind and considerate statements. Speech, therefore, has a key place in health and disease.

Misuse of speech refers to using language that is insinuating, untrue, untimely, quarrelsome, unpleasant, incoherent, harsh or abrasive. This not only harms others but also sets up negative energy patterns that harm ourselves as well. In short, any willful disregard for the natural condition and right usage of things, followed by wrong action or misconduct, is known as volitional transgression. Hence, one should use caution and not indulge in overuse or misuse of any function related to mind, body and speech.

Wrong use of the will and wrong use of the senses usually go together because, without the proper will power, our senses control us rather than us controlling our senses. Two important principles can help in keeping the will and senses directed productively rather than destructively. The 'first is to hold to non-violence and never wish harm to another living creature in thought, word or deed. The second is detachment, to remain above all desires, fears; enticements and allurements, accepting what life brings us. Then both body and mind will remain calm, centered and relaxed.

Effect of Time : - The nature of living beings is to die. What has a beginning most have an end? The effect of time, or the natural movement of change and transformation, is another cause of disease that no one can avoid. No one can escape the effects of seasonal changes and variations governed by the time factor from birth to death. Normal as well as abnormal seasonal changes affect the doshas, the mind and the strength of the body.

Similarly, each individual must face the natural process of aging. Disease naturally occurs through the process of growing old, particularly chronic diseases like arthritis. Although to minimize this certain methods like seasonal regimens and rejuvenation therapies are prescribed, one cannot avoid this altogether, nor should one try. Ayurveda says that we should live a happy life accepting old age when it comes, which has its beauty and wisdom, not trying to be forever young, which is not possible.

We come from the elements

Ayurveda says we are made up of 5 elements

Space

Air

Fire

Water

Earth

Each denser as we down the list.

We are each a unique make up of these. This makes up our who we are.

The difference between coal and a diamond is just energy and information.

You take coal which is just a simple carbon makeup, add tremendous pressure and time and you have a diamond.

Diamonds are more valuable because of marketing by De Beers. Diamonds are forever, hold on to them.

If you were on a deserted island and cold, which would you want coal or diamonds? Now I know some said diamonds, but coal is the warmer answer.

To find out your unique body type, take one of the many test online. What is your dosha?

To get a true read on your unique mind/body type come in and get your pulse check and talk to Dr. Steve

got to his web site to find out more DrSteveRadio.com

Maintaining Balance

by Alakananda Ma

After doing the work of getting back in balance, the next step is managing your constitution. And here it is good to remember that, although your predominant dosha is the one most likely to go out of balance, the other doshas can also be thrown off as well. To avoid disturbing the other doshas, stay away from extremes such as severe heat or cold, foods that are very salty, oily, pungent, or sour, consumption of large amounts of sweets or drinking too much alcohol.

If your constitution is vata, your best tastes are sweet, sour and salty. But this doesn’t mean that you can eat a lot of sugar. Grains and many vegetables fall under the sweet taste, and are much more balanced than cookies and candies. Try to avoid excess travelling and high impact exercise. Yoga, swimming, strolling and low impact forms of dance are ideal for you. Since vata is dry, remember to do self massage with a vata pacifying oil.

Next, let’s turn to pitta. You need to avoid hot, sharp, salty and oily foods, drinks and situations. Sweet, bitter and astringent tastes are best for you and summer season is your most challenging time. Eat plenty of bitter greens seasoned with turmeric, coriander and cumin and keep hydrated with cumin-coriander-fennel tea or hibiscus tea. Cool your head with coconut brahmi oil. Choose early mornings or evenings for exercise and walk in the moonlight whenever you can.

As for kapha, everything that is good for vata is bad for you! Your best tastes are bitter, pungent and astringent. Barley is your best grain if you tolerate gluten, while buckwheat or quinoa are alternatives. Start your day with a cup of spice tea including ginger, cardamom and cinnamon and take some brisk exercise before you start work. A sedentary lifestyle is your greatest enemy and simple things like using the stairs instead of the elevator can make a difference to your well-being.

Considering the tastes and lifestyle factors needed for your constitution can make a difference in how you feel on a daily basis, so plan your menus and daily activities accordingly!

Alakananda Ma is a British trained physician who was one of the first Western medical doctors to practice Ayurveda in the US. She is a renowned teacher, lecturer, writer of insightful articles on Ayurveda and also principal of Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula, a traditional gurukula, in Boulder, Colorado. For more information on Alakananda Ma and Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula please visit alandiashram.org

Ayurveda and Chiropractic

Ayurveda definition; An East Indian healing that is based on thousands of years of observation and awareness. The first system of medicine with a clear beginning, middle, and end. A look at life while living it.

It defines the stages of life, young, middle and wiser. The times of the day in their circadian rhythms. The psycho-physiological metabolisms of the body/mind into the humors or doshas: Vata or Air, Pitta or Fire, and Kapha or Earth/Water.

Ayurveda is all about balance. From the time you get up, to the routine throughout your day, and rest time. Each very important and each maintaining it's own balance or lack of it.

Balance equals Bliss and Joy, Imbalance though not always recognised start the seeds of dis-ease.

I will provide a few tips every week how to stay in balance with you.

If you go to my web site DrSteveRadio.com you can hear a 1 hour conference call on Ayurvedic principles and practice.

I also offer private consultations in person and by phone.

Chiropractic; a system developed over 110 years ago to analyse and correct the interference in your nervous system called Subluxation. Through a series of forces ranging from light to forceful to allow the nervous to be put into motion and find a way to right itself.

Chiropractic is based on the premise that there is an innate intelligence that resides within each and every living thing. When stress on the system be it mental, emotional, physical or chemical overwhelms the system, the body or physiology goes into a protective mode called fight or flight.

When in fight or flight the body loses it's capacity to maintain balance. The body then gets stuck or subluxated in a pattern that does not foster health and well being.

The chiropractic adjustment allows the body/mind to reset itself to a life sustaining pattern.

Having a good lifestyle of fresh food, clean water, and exercise helps maintain this balance.

Go to my web site to find out more about Chiropractic.

Next post about posture.