bodhiBlog - Bodhimed

Super Quick Agave Lemonade

agave sweetened lemonade My kids love lemonade but I don't give them sugar without good cause. We've been using agave syrup as our sweetener of choice for a while now, and it doesn't seem to make the kids crazy. So I figured we could make lemonade with it too! We've tried making honey lemonade, but the honey just doesn't dissolve well. Our super easy way to make agave lemonade takes only 2 seconds. I just squeeze a few tablespoons of lemon juice into a glass, stir in about a tablespoon of agave, and add water! I make it as they ask for it, rather than keeping a pitcher in the fridge, but I suppose that would save me some time. Since the agave syrup doesn't spike their blood sugar, I pretty much make it every time they ask!

Ayurveda for Allergies

My Ayurveda teacher, Dr. Vasant Lad, once remarked that here in the US, we make sure our cars are well lubricated, but we don't do that for our own bodies. Especially here in New Mexico, it is so important to keep our internal functions well-oiled. With all the allergy suffering here, the best thing one can do is to apply oil to the sinuses.

People are getting hip to the neti pot, and that definitely is a good thing, but some type of medicated oil or ghee is the best for soothing inflammation and clearing mucus. I recommend Super Nasya oil, which is a combination of lotus, basil, eucalyptus, sesame, rose, olive and sandalwood oil. It makes everything smell great, and it works amazingly for allergies and congestion.

My Sick Kid

Today, my six year old, Cobin, woke up with horrible stomach cramping and immediately launched into constant diarrhea and vomiting. I did, in fact, head off to work leaving him with Grandma. But I returned within 90 minutes after hearing him moaning and groaning by phone.

Grandma had already started giving Cobin the homeopathic remedy I'd prescribed -- Ipecacuanha 30 c, 2 pellets every 15 minutes. She'd also put a heating pad on his belly which he loves. He had fallen asleep after his first dose and awoke a little while after I got home.

I continued the Ipecacuanha and it appeared the vomiting had stopped, but when the diarrhea became more severe I gave him one of my favorite kids' remedies because they're funny and they ALWAYS work: Diarrhea Dinosaurs by KAL. I think the actual name is Dinosaurs Dinorrhe-X, but we call them Diarrhea Dinosaurs. They taste like sour apple and seem to have the same binding effect on the intestines that the sour and astringent flavor has on the taste buds. Cobin's face made a huge pucker, and so far so good.

These things just run their course, but I'll keep up on this regime unless things get worse! Cobin's in no mood for acupuncture....

Fly the Ayurvedic Skies

With 4 hours to wait for my connection at the Tampa Airport, I’m left thinking about how to make this experience as Ayurvedic as possible. Travel, by definition, aggravates Vata dosha, the wind principal. Travel is movement, and air travel in particular, with the radiation exposure and high speed travel through space, sends one’s Vata soaring through the friendly skies. Dry, recirculated air wreaks havoc on Vata dosha as well. So what is an Ayurvedically-responsible traveler to do? Here are several handy tips that will keep you feeling firmly grounded even at 30,000 feet.