Guest guest Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 This is the concluding post in this series. It discusses the precautions in adding herbs to the formulae to be taken and the softening of the root causes of the disease. Links to earlier posts are available at the bottom of the page if you are reading this at the group website. We should be a little cautious when adding several different herbs/formulations into our body systems all at once. If one is already also taking some modern medicine under a doctor's care for a pre-existing condition, it would be most advisable to consult with this doctor before adding herbal medicines to the regimen. In general, it is not prudent to add more than two herbal formulations at a time but by honoring what our body tells us, we are able determine what is safe. Using more than one herbal mixture can sometimes be perfect and appropriate and if we can learn to listen to the Spirit of the body, we will know exactly what is appropriate. Until we are able to do that it might be wiser to err on the side of caution by using only one new formula at a time or by working with a vaidya and monitoring the body system closely during the first few days of any new addition. Let us now look at the root cause of disease. Experience has taught us that our physical bodies are a kind of diagnostic tool for our spiritual existence. If we are living in balance, in accordance with what is true and progressive for our path, keeping our minds positive and our emotions clear, we will not manifest illness. It is when we are out of spiritual balance that the physical warnings appear. An example will illustrate this. In the situation described in the second post of this series, where a patient began taking four different formulas at once and changed the enzyme formula he was accustomed to, the messages were clear. He was disturbed about gaining weight (ego reaction) and impatient (not sensitive to his body). If he had taken the time to tune in, he might have realized that the reason he was gaining weight had to do with some personality and emotional patterns in his life and that impatience with himself was one of them! In fact, once he started to notice the patterns, he could see that he would literally eat out of frustration, because he couldn't finish something he wanted to or something else wasn't happening fast enough for him. He was also being mentally very hard on himself and demanding that the situation turn around practically overnight, not considering that the weight didn't appear over night so how could it disappear overnight! Maybe he didn't tune in to his own imbalance because that would have meant he would have to deal with the issues concerned. He wanted a quick fix. He didn't have time to wait. In taking all the formulas at once, he was saying to his body " Heal yourself, and I mean right now! " Of course the body rebelled. It was doing it's job, which was to keep the physical alarm going until he discovered the imbalance that caused it. When he decided to switch to the new and improved enzyme version, he was clearly not trusting his own instincts. He thought that more must be better. He was wrong. He remembered standing at the shelf in the herb store, thinking that he ought to stick with what he was already taking. That was the instinct. Then, the logical mind said " But so and so raved about it. It must be better, look at all these extra ingredients! " . However, one of those extra ingredients created an allergic response. He learnt to look, not so much at why an ingested ingredient could cause imbalance, but why he chose to take it in the first place. It is in his choices, and becoming aware of his choices, that he found his answers. He would never have chosen the new brand if he had trusted his instincts in the first place, so the true cause of the allergic reaction was a failure to listen to the inner voice. This is termed Pragyaparadha in ayurveda, and is discussed in detail in post #14459 Working with herbs is such a wonderful journey into natural health and wellness that, when approached with respect in addition to responsibility and a sense of exploration, it can yield dividends for the rest of your days. Ayurveda provides a viable alternative to modern medicine and for some, is the preferred method and choice of treatment. Make wise choices and choices which work for you. Self treatment requires self-responsibility and monitoring. Don't try it if you are not willing to explore, expand and learn what may now be new to you. Editing help from Jane MacRoss is gratefully appreciated. Dr Bhate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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