Ayurveda Article - Being Successful Without Stress

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ARE YOU BURNING TO SUCCEED?

 

Odd hours

Extended hours

Weekend hours

Computer breakdowns

Traffic buildups

Stock market fluctuations

Time pressures

Lay-offs

 

Life in 9-to-5 zone has always been stressful -- but never more so

than today, both for those in jobs and out of them. In the fast-

changing economies of the world, stress is the common currency.

 

What's all this stress doing to us? A sampling of the problems, from

the trivial to the tragic:

 

Nervous twitches

Eyestrain

Chronic back, neck and headaches

Acute anxiety

Extreme fatigue

Cynicism

Lack of enthusiasm

Loss of productivity

Depression

Death -- yes, believe it or not, the maximum number of heart attacks

happen on

Monday mornings.

 

And then, the scary statistics. A comprehensive recent study threw up

some depressing data on stress:

 

* 70 to 80 percent of all visits to the doctor are for stress-related

illnesses.

* People who experience high levels of anxiety are four to five times

more likely to die of a heart attack or stroke.

* Stress contributes to approximately 50 percent of all illnesses.

* Stress-related injuries on the job have increased from 5 percent to

more than 15 percent of all occupational disease during the past 10

years.

* The cost of job stress in North America is estimated at $200

billion annually; this includes costs of absenteeism, lost

productivity and insurance claims

* 7 out of 10 people say they feel stressed in a typical workday.

* Approximately 43 percent of those interviewed say they suffer

noticeable physical symptoms of burnout.

 

In the dynamic town of Ann Arbor, Michigan near Detroit, Dr. Paul

Dugliss, Maharishi

Ayurveda physician, sees a growing number of stress-weary patients

every day. "Their symptoms range from the typical to the unusual:

loss of appetite, ulcers, allergies, sleeplessness, digestive

disorders, depression. What's remarkable is that a huge number of

people suffering from burnout don't even seem to realize it,"

observes Dr. Dugliss.

 

Recently, for instance, he treated a young executive who had been

suffering chronic sinusitis for months on end. "No one seemed to have

been able to help her," recalls Dr. Dugliss. "Until I sat her down

and started to examine the clues scattered all about her personality,

from the restless movements of her eyes to the dryness of her skin. I

took her pulse, and it gave me strong signals that her Vata needed

calming and that her Sadhaka Pitta, which relates to fulfillment and

contentment, was running riot. I quizzed her thoroughly on the

quality of her diet and sleep, on the fluctuations in her work

routine and relationships.

 

"She finally understood the reason for her recurrent illnesses: job

stress.

Once nailed, the culprit's guilt was only too clear. Indeed, this 30-

year-old had been swamped with demanding projects and impossible

deadlines for months on end. Our meeting helped her recognize her

chronic sinusitis for what it really was: a distress signal from her

tired mind and exhausted body."

 

Dr. Dugliss combines his practice of allopathic medicine with

ayurvedic healing. He gave this patient a prescription that came as a

pleasant change from all the strong, side-effect-laden pills she had

been taking. "I gave her a combination of safe herbal medication

based on Maharishi Ayurveda and a new routine of meditation -- and

now she's feeling better than ever before."

 

"What is really beautiful about ayurvedic healing," says Dr.

Dugliss, "is that it responds to illness in a thoughtful, sensitive

manner. Does ayurveda do two quick tests and ask three quick

questions to decide what your problem is and what medicine you need?

No. Ayurveda tries to see what it is in your life that is out of

balance. It tries to evaluate the cause of the dis-turbance, dis-

harmony, dis-ease in your being," says Dr. Dugliss. The balance Dr.

Dugliss is talking about is, of course, both physiological and

psychological. "There are no two ways about it: the mind and the body

are inseparably bound. Ayurveda understands this vital and wonderful

truth -- and that is why I have so much respect for it."

 

Dr. Dugliss finds in his patients a welcome awareness of and new

curiosity toward ayurveda. "Most of them associate the words 'herbal'

and 'consciousness' with ayurveda. One thing, however, bothers me a

little -- too many people seem to think of ayurveda only in terms of

body-types."

 

And that, avers Dr. Dugliss, is just too simplistic. "The find-my-

body-type-and-tell-me-what-to-do approach to ayurveda is simply an

extension of the why-am-I-ill-and-what-is-my-pill habit that

conventional medicine teaches you. I agree that body type analysis is

an important part of ayurveda. But it is only one part of a deep and

comprehensive system of medicine. I advise my patients that the key

to understanding ayurveda is patience -- take the time, invest the

energy, and get intimately connected with yourself.

Develop the ability to know, love and heal the body, mind and spirit

you have been blessed with."

 

Ayurvedic dietary recommendations can seem a little intimidating to

newcomers to ayurveda. Use more herbs and spices, lightly cooked

food versus raw, no fasting, no eating on the run-those are dictums

that take some getting used to, no doubt. "But that is resolved when

you understand that ayurvedic nutrition is not about lists -- it's

about your approach to food, lifestyle and life itself. Every word of

ayurvedic advice has its basis in sound philosophical and practical

logic. What's more, you can bring ayurveda into your life bit by bit -

- don't rush yourself, for it won't work. Just like crash diets

don't work," explains Dr. Dugliss.

 

But does the question of diet have to figure at all in a discussion

of work-related stress? Shouldn't he be referring burnout patients to

therapists who can talk about managing multiple tasks and meeting

deadlines? "Interesting question-but the answer is a happy 'No!'"

smiles Dr. Dugliss. "There is no type of stress for which ayurveda

does not have an answer. The only difference is in the way ayurveda

approaches stress. Instead of examining your work-related woes at the

stem level, ayurveda starts from the taproot upward. That is why your

diet, the amount of sleep you get, the quality of time you spend on

yourself -- those are the factors I address first."

 

As part of his holistic healing program, Dr. Dugliss discusses diet

with his patients in detail. He does not, however, give them strict

guidelines and fixed menus to follow. "My effort is to bring home to

them the value of fresh, warm, lovingly cooked food, alive with

nature's own intelligence. Whole grains, handpicked fruits and

vegetables, hormone-free dairy products, herb-fragrant and spice-

infused soups and curries: they do more than build physical health.

They carry their harmonious properties right into the

microcirculatory channels of the body, seeping into your very being

as healers and rejuvenators," finishes the doctor.

 

But the star in his medicine cabinet, reveals Dr. Dugliss, is

Transcendental Meditation ®. "People start practicing it 20 minutes

twice a day, and soon, the knots of tension tied up inside their

nerves start to unravel. TM® has been scientifically proven to calm

the mind, improve the quality of sleep, reduce cholesterol levels and

lower blood pressure. Combined with a regular, healthy routine and a

nature-friendly diet, TM develops consciousness and awareness, so

that you are automatically in tune with the needs of the body. The

disappearance of stress is a happy by-product of these tremendous

benefits."

 

No wonder, then, that this systematic approach to healing stress

shows speedy and successful results. "Ayurveda doesn't have a magic

bullet - because it is not in the hunting game. It's in the healing

game."

 

 

 

Note : This ayurvedic information is educational and is not intended

to replace standard medical care or advice.

Copyright MAPI, 2002.

 

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