ayurveda

Ayurveda contends that to maintain good health, we must keep all of our integrating systems - physical body, mind/emotional body, spirit/consciousness - balanced and working together.   Should one of these networks go off course, the other body systems are also affected since we cannot separate one from the other.  For instance, if our physical body is in pain, we our often grumpy, depressed, or tired.  It's difficult to keep the pain from affecting our emotions and ability to concentrate.  This is one way in which Eastern medicine differs from Western medicine: it sees and treats the patient as an entire unit, not a single symptom.

There is never a "one size fits all" approach in Ayurveda.  No two people ever get the same recommendations for self care because there are no two people that have the exact same symptoms, lifestyle, or circumstances.  In Ayurveda you learn how to make make your diet, your activity, your skin care, your thought processes... balance you. In Ayurveda you learn which foods balance your mood and your physical symptoms.  Certain oils, teas, and spices will ground or energize you, depending on your needs.  Use your intuition to control your own well being.