SVA and New Trends: A Tradition? Chris M. asked: “I’ve been reading the newsletters and learning lots of things from them. I like the new format. It becomes clear that my practice can be refined by the tips, and by reviewing things I think I already know. Also they have led me to some of the videos about recipes and so on. So, I noticed in one of them something about grapeseed oil as being a great thing. The local organic goods store had some. I had to ask where it was, so when I got it they said that it is the latest thing and there is a lot of discussion of it. Am I right that it is okay for all dosha types? Also, how is that SVA keeps staying ‘on-‐trend’? I suppose that it has to do with the competition out there in California, but I never hear about any of these latest foods until the Prana Center brings them up. Like quinoa, and then Vitamin D and Magnesium. So what’s the dynamic of that? I know that SVA is a living tradition, so is that part of what’s meant? How much of what’s new comes from what comes up in the health scene out there? And then Vaidya puts his stamp on it? Please note, I’m not complaining or criticizing. Just as long as he is investigating things, there’s other, more generally available things it would be nice to know the characteristics of, e.g. rosemary, and sage. And what about nettle tea? That’s more the pace of the health food stores over here. ©Adishakti LLC 2013. The information contained herein is for educational purposes only. It has not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). It is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases. Please consult with your medical physician for any medical ailments. www.vaidyamishra.com 1.888.9SHAKTI – USA, or 1.818.709.1006 globally.
Chris M.” Vaidya responds: Grapeseed oil is certainly good for Kapha and Vata types but not good for high Pitta constitutions. It can be somewhat heating for the liver so extreme Pitta-‐s may not be able to handle it very well. In general, Pitta types are best to stay away from it. Sage and Rosemary are great additions for cooking, again, particularly beneficial for Kapha and Vata types as they tend to be a little on the warmer side as well. Pitta-‐s can use with caution. I am still looking into Nettle tea and will share my findings shortly. As to what concerns your other bigger question about new trends and the SVA tradition, it is, in fact, a dictate of the spirit of Ayurveda, in general, and of my SVA lineage in particular, that whenever any dravya – a food or herb or spice item – gains prominence or becomes newly introduced and popular in a culture or society, it is part of the ayurvedic expert’s duty to evaluate it according to the ayurvedic siddhanta (established objective truths) and then adopt or discard the item based on whether it proves useful or harmful. For example, Marshmallow root was introduced into Ayurveda during the Mogul era. It was tested and found beneficial and adopted with the name “khatmi.” The ©Adishakti LLC 2013. The information contained herein is for educational purposes only. It has not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). It is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases. Please consult with your medical physician for any medical ailments. www.vaidyamishra.com 1.888.9SHAKTI – USA, or 1.818.709.1006 globally.
renowned Benares Hindu University professor and scholar of Dravyaguna, P.V. Sharma, author of more than 250 books, is known for introducing new dravya-‐s into Ayurveda. For example, he evaluated and adopted the herb known as Digitalis purpurea under the name of “Hrit Patri.” I was very fortunate to receive training from P.V. Sharma himself, as well as my father. They both taught and trained me in the art and science of evaluating new dravya-‐s, testing them ayurvedically for their beneficial properties and harmful propensities. That is how, when quinoa the seed grew in popularity here in Southern California, I had to evaluate it and I finally adopted and started to promote it as a good alternative to other grains, such as rice. As to what concerns Vit D, Magnesium, B12, etc., Ayurveda itself has actually been a great proponent of Vit D supplementation, and has supported the use of Vit D in the form of Cod Liver oil since time immemorial. So the concept of supplementing your diet with vitamins and minerals itself is not new, the only difference I bring is to make these dravya-‐s more user-‐friendly if you like. For example, with the Vit D or Cod Liver oil products, I make them more palatable so to say by making them more aromatic, but also create new delivery systems to make them more available in the physiology – I am referring to my Transdermal Alternative Delivery Systems. But I also refer to the latest research findings so that the reader understands that the latest findings of modern medicine have most of the time already been covered by Ayurveda! So Ayurveda already knew of and used the vast knowledge of minerals and metals. In the shastra-‐s or ayurvedic texts, we read of their use, toxicity, purification methods, different delivery modes, etc. ©Adishakti LLC 2013. The information contained herein is for educational purposes only. It has not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). It is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases. Please consult with your medical physician for any medical ailments. www.vaidyamishra.com 1.888.9SHAKTI – USA, or 1.818.709.1006 globally.
As far as Magnesium goes, the importance of this mineral for the human physiology was already present. I believe that is one of the reasons the seers or rishi-‐s valued Sindhav Lavan, that we call Soma Salt, as being the best of all salts because it contained traces of Magnesium. In the SVA lineage, the consumption of Sindhav Lavan or Soma Salt is considered necessary because it was observed that under certain circumstances, such as, for example, the situation we have nowadays with plantation soil being depleted of minerals due to ill-‐farming technologies and the use of pesticides etc., one may not get the proper intake of minerals through natural means, so oral mineral supplementation is necessary. In this sense, the magnesium content is already low in a lot of food items, which should naturally contain more Magnesium. Another problem is we are currently consuming more processed foods, such as white sugar, refined flour, etc. Such refined food items require more Magnesium molecules to get broken down and processed in our bodies. In addition, due to various cultural and social factors such as stress etc., people tend to have acidic physiologies. SVA recommend an alkaline and calcium-‐rich diet. But for this, more Magnesium molecules are needed to assimilate calcium. So you can see, there are many factors that lead me to focus on certain topics, certain supplements, ©Adishakti LLC 2013. The information contained herein is for educational purposes only. It has not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). It is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases. Please consult with your medical physician for any medical ailments. www.vaidyamishra.com 1.888.9SHAKTI – USA, or 1.818.709.1006 globally.
specific dravya-‐s, more than others. Another example that you bring up is Vit D. I have observed, through my pulse readings and overall observation that peoples’ livers tend to be more sluggish, less intelligent these days. Even though they may receive enough exposure to sunlight, due to their compromised livers, their physiologies are not able to process the UVB and therefore receive the benefits of Vit D. As a healer, I consider it my duty to consciously evaluate what minerals or vitamins, which grains, etc. are more needed in our contemporary sedentary lifestyles. Only a few decades ago, before the technologization of our culture, it was easier for our physiologies to metabolize more rice, or wheat. Whereas nowadays we tend to be less and less physically active, and this is one of the reasons I recommend that my clients replace their rice and wheat with quinoa seeds and flour instead. In the same vein, I am currently working on Vit B12 supplementation. The deficiency of Vit B12 is part and parcel of the same contemporary social issues in addition to the fact that more and more people are becoming vegetarian, or vegan. Sometimes I meet clients whose pulse shows that they physiology is so low on Vit B12 that they need to switch back to a meat diet – as you know Ayurveda is very much secular when it comes to health, and it will recommend the consumption of meat over any religious or ©Adishakti LLC 2013. The information contained herein is for educational purposes only. It has not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). It is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases. Please consult with your medical physician for any medical ailments. www.vaidyamishra.com 1.888.9SHAKTI – USA, or 1.818.709.1006 globally.
spiritual practices if that’s what is needed to save or improve a person’s health. But, it is very difficult for me to convince such individuals that they are low in Vit B12, and that they should eat some non-‐ vegetarian food. Generally, such individuals will opt for B12 injections or oral supplements. So you see, it is the demand of the time that has inspired me to research and formulate a transdermal Vit B12 formula that will slowly but surely support the emerging B12 deficiency epidemic. As an ayurvedic researcher, I always follow the siddhanth sutra-‐s of Charak Samhita. As you may already know, a siddhantha is a proven objective truth upon which Ayurveda builds its interpretations. One of the primary objectives of Ayurveda is “swasthanam swasth rakshanam:” that is to keep healthy people optimally healthy, not just barely healthy! And then, we could say that the second objective is: “Vyaditanam vyadi parimokshah:” or in other terms, if someone gets sick, Ayurveda teaches us how to get rid of the disease without bringing on any side-‐effects. These goals are supported by the principle or the siddhanth of “samanye” and “vishesh” – whatever a society or culture is collectively deficient in, the ayurvedic expert tries to identify the condition and then to address it by fulfilling the lack. You compensate the lack of something by adding more of ©Adishakti LLC 2013. The information contained herein is for educational purposes only. It has not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). It is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases. Please consult with your medical physician for any medical ailments. www.vaidyamishra.com 1.888.9SHAKTI – USA, or 1.818.709.1006 globally.
that, it is the law of similars. So you supply more of that which is missing. For example, if there is a Vit D3 deficiency, then you support that deficiency through Vit D supplementation; etc. This approach is explained in the theory of “Sarvada sarva bhavanam, samanyam vridhi karanam.” The flip side of this is, if anything needs to be taken out of the diet, if there is a surplus that is causing an imbalance, then you follow the siddhanth that says: “Rhas hetur visheshashcha, visheshashcha prithakritam:” this for example, would be the logic for avoiding or cutting out rice and wheat from the diet. Whenever, I am addressing new dietary “fad”s or the appearance of new dravya-‐s, I follow the steps given by these siddhanth sutra-‐s. I hope this answer clarified the question you had in mind. Thank you.
Probiotics for High Pitta Sidney G. asked: “I have been wondering how to use yogurt and cultured homemade buttermilk. My husband and I have high pitta at the moment but need the probiotics. In what way would you recommend using them? Thank you, Sidney G.” Vaidya responds: make fresh yoghurt, using preferably raw milk, otherwise, either non-‐homogenized and non-‐ pasteurized milk, and if not then at least non-‐homogenized milk, and add Natren’s probiotic culture ©Adishakti LLC 2013. The information contained herein is for educational purposes only. It has not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). It is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases. Please consult with your medical physician for any medical ailments. www.vaidyamishra.com 1.888.9SHAKTI – USA, or 1.818.709.1006 globally.
(www.natren.com). Then once you have that yogurt, make a mixture with: • 20% yogurt • 80% water • add ½ tsp of rose petal preserve blend this mixture and drink with lunch only. The whole idea is yogurt has to be freshly made, so it’s a pitta pacifying and not aggravating. When yogurt gets older and sour then it becomes pitta aggravating. Rose is highly pitta pacifying and is used extensively in the SVA tradition for this end.
Hepatitis C Lori E. asked: “I am a new student of Ayurveda here in Northern California. I was diagnosed with the Hepatitis C condition 18 years ago and I am on my journey to finding balance and liberation. I would like to know what treatments or studies and/or trials that have been conducted here or abroad? Do you have any current case studies? Do you have any suggestions? Thank you for you time and consideration, it is appreciated. Sincerely, Lori E.” ©Adishakti LLC 2013. The information contained herein is for educational purposes only. It has not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). It is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases. Please consult with your medical physician for any medical ailments. www.vaidyamishra.com 1.888.9SHAKTI – USA, or 1.818.709.1006 globally.
Vaidya responds: there are many studies on beneficial ayurvedic herbs and protocols. For example, you may want to look up: Philantus niruri or Bhoomi amla; Tulsi or Holy basil, but that is not the primary objective in SVA. Our practitioners use these herbs but every case is evaluated through its “hetu” or etiological factor, as well as the “prakriti” or birth constitution, and and “vikruti” or current physiological balance, as well as tolerance etc. In this sense, every individual receives specific protocols and guidelines based on their body’s Agni or metabolic functions as well. By this, I mean all types Agni: Pachak or digestive Agni; Dhatu or tissue Agni; Bhutagni or the metabolic functions in the liver, etc. For additional help, I recommend you contact SVA expert healer, Dr Marianne Teitelbaum at 1.856.786.3330. Dr. Teitelbaum has had great success curing this condition through SVA protocols and she will be happy to share some testimonials with you as well.
Green Protein without the Protein! Saraswati J asked: Dear Vaidya Mishra. I have been enjoying your green protein recipe for many years. Most days I will have this as my dinner with little else. Since I have my protein usually at lunch and don't need much most of the time, I make my green purée without the paneer at night. It feels too heavy ©Adishakti LLC 2013. The information contained herein is for educational purposes only. It has not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). It is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases. Please consult with your medical physician for any medical ailments. www.vaidyamishra.com 1.888.9SHAKTI – USA, or 1.818.709.1006 globally.
with the paneer. I switch up the greens and veggies that I use but keep the churna, Soma Salt, lime, and olive oil the same. I am wondering if I'm getting any benefits from this routine even though I'm not using the paneer?! Is it fine to use this as a blood builder, not a protein builder? Is it ok to eat it at night?! Ps: my dogs also enjoy this tasty treat and come running when they hear the blender! Thank you. I am so grateful to you and your priceless knowledge. Om shanti, Saraswati J, TX” Vaidya responds: it looks like your Agni is not able to handle paneer at night because the sun has already set. So what you are doing is very wise, the antioxidant and blood building ability of the greens must be helping you, and your dogs are the best witness for this! Keep it up ©Adishakti LLC 2013. The information contained herein is for educational purposes only. It has not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). It is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases. Please consult with your medical physician for any medical ailments. www.vaidyamishra.com 1.888.9SHAKTI – USA, or 1.818.709.1006 globally.
Infra-red Saunas “I have a question with regard to SVA’s take on the use of far- infrared (FIR) sauna. Contemporary health practitioners claim that FIR sauna has the great advantage of using a heat source that penetrates tissues much more deeply, which releases toxins and eliminates them via sweat. Dr. Mishra, please give us your knowledge on their use. Are there any unhealthy side effects that we should be aware of? Thank you! Bernadette C.”
Vaidya responds: dear Bernadette, the concept already exists in Ayurveda: through the use and combination of heating and pungent herbs and spices in the food -‐ Black pepper, Green chilies, Ajwain, Clove, etc. – that will penetrate the deep tissues to move out toxins and then flush them out through the blood with Coriander, Indian sarsaparilla, Moringa oleifera. This is a safer as well as practical method. But Ayurveda also mentions steam baths with herbal steam pouches. The steam dilates the pores of the skin allowing easier access to the volatile substances contained in the herbal pouch so they penetrate deep into the cellular level and releases toxins. I have also formulated SVA Advanced Alternative Delivery Systems, for example a specific formula with different oils containing herbs and Magnesium. These are easy to use: you simply apply on your body, leave it on for 20 minutes and then take a hot bath. This at least bypasses exposure to any electromagnetic radiation. SVA recognizes that in our day-‐to-‐ day life, specially if an individual has Kapha aggravation or a Kapha body type, or is experiencing clogged microcellular ©Adishakti LLC 2013. The information contained herein is for educational purposes only. It has not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). It is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases. Please consult with your medical physician for any medical ailments. www.vaidyamishra.com 1.888.9SHAKTI – USA, or 1.818.709.1006 globally.
channels (due to the micro-‐molecules of ama), then it is necessary to create thermo-‐genesis to unclog the channels. This can be done via food, or massage, a hot bath and/or steam. This is the age-‐old method and the only thing you would be missing there are the electromagnetic rays and radiation! You can also read my EMF booklet to find out more about the side-‐ effect of EMR and EMF on your physiology and why it is always best to steer clear of these.
Rosacea Lazzat asked: “Dear Dr. Mishra,I had history of Demodecosis (Demodex) -‐ infection treated with chemicals in the past and now doctor said I have Rosacea probably from it too. He gave me antibiotic cream but I don’t want to use it as I have Candida/yeast problem. How to help with it? And also should we put sunscreen moisturizer on face when go outside to get vitamin D? Thank you, Lazzat D.” Vaidya responds: Dear Lazzat: because you have a very specific condition, it is best that you work with a SVA expert one-‐on-‐one to get appropriate help. The expert will also help determine whether you should use sunscreen and moisturizer when you step out into the sun.
Gall Bladder and Weight Loss “What would you suggest to be used when a person does not have a gall bladder? My daughter's was removed at the age of ©Adishakti LLC 2013. The information contained herein is for educational purposes only. It has not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). It is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases. Please consult with your medical physician for any medical ailments. www.vaidyamishra.com 1.888.9SHAKTI – USA, or 1.818.709.1006 globally.
12. She has a very hard time losing weight. She started to eat healthier based on your recommendations-‐Ayurveda. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.” Vaidya responds: in general, after the gall bladder is removed it becomes difficult to process fat so she should be very careful in her consumption of fat overall. She should add more cooked leafy greens, summer squashes, incorporate the SVA Green Protein with chicken breast, adding SVA Pitta Masala to it. More loki (Indian squashes), more summer squashes, and the Pitta Masala will be cooling for the liver area that may tend to get out of balance because it has less support from the missing gall bladder.
Lemon Water for Alkalinity? Neelima B. asked: “I am hearing constantly that warm lemon water is ideal for alkalizing the body. In the last Q/A Vaidya Misra stated that it was acidic and should be avoided....Please explain and also the best products for alkalizing the body. Namaste, Neelima B. Vaidya responds: dear Neelima, in the SVA tradition, we prefer lime over lemon because the prabhava or ultimate energetic effect or impact of the lime is more somagenic or alkalizing, while that of lemon is acidic. If you want to alkalize your body it is best to use lime instead of lemon.
©Adishakti LLC 2013. The information contained herein is for educational purposes only. It has not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). It is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases. Please consult with your medical physician for any medical ailments. www.vaidyamishra.com 1.888.9SHAKTI – USA, or 1.818.709.1006 globally.
Water Filtration? Gaurav asked: “I’m wandering if you can provide some suggestions on flitration systems here int eh US that help purify the water in the best possible way (including making it netural or alkaline instead of acidic). Since Vaidya Mishraji suggests using netural pH Spring water the herbal memory nectars, I’m wondering if there is an alternative to buying the spring water sold in “Plastic” containers in the stores. Thank you. Gaurav N.” Vaidya responds: Mountain Valley Spring water is your best bet. Filtration is not an option according to SVA. Chlorine has already been added to any water flowing from your tap. After the addition of chlorine, the pranic energy of the water is totally depleted. Even if you remove the chlorine through a filtration system, you cannot restitute its prana! Water without prana is of little use except for washing and cleaning. For your drinking use, you should at least consume pranically charged good spring water. Mountain Valley Spring Water is what I personally use. It can be delivered to your home in glass containers rather than plastic.
©Adishakti LLC 2013. The information contained herein is for educational purposes only. It has not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). It is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases. Please consult with your medical physician for any medical ailments. www.vaidyamishra.com 1.888.9SHAKTI – USA, or 1.818.709.1006 globally.
©Adishakti LLC 2013. The information contained herein is for educational purposes only. It has not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). It is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases. Please consult with your medical physician for any medical ailments. www.vaidyamishra.com 1.888.9SHAKTI – USA, or 1.818.709.1006 globally.