Bodhimed

Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?  If we choose to have this faith, then even an accident is no longer just an accident.  It can be seen as a warning sign that we're not paying attention to something important.  I never thought I'd be thankful for an injury.  But surprisingly, having a sprained ankle the size of a grapefruit has helped me to appreciate the power of slowing down. 

Running on Adrenaline

According to Ayurveda, my own genetic constitution is predominantly Vata, otherwise known as Wind.  By nature I tend to be active, verging on hyper if I don't take care to stay grounded.  As I discussed in "The Yoga of (Un) Multi-Tasking", I usually operate by doing several things at once, especially with my kids.  Like many people in our fast-paced society, I can thrive on an energy level that is akin to an adrenaline rush.  There's an illusion in this way of life that we need to be super busy and fast in order to be productive.  This can be described in Ayurvedic terms as a systemic Vata imbalance in Western society.  Everyone is rushing around like the wind, doing too many things at the same time and often missing the joyful subtleties that only stillness can reveal.  Especially in the dry, high-altitude climate here in Santa Fe, it's easy for the wind element to become aggravated.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an extremely painful and debilitating condition that in the U.S. affects over one milllion adults and 1 in every 250 children.  Ayurveda classifies rheumatoid arthritis as Ama type of joint pain.  I'm excited to discuss this last segment in the series because this Ama type can be so difficult to treat in conventional medicine. I'll also present the Kapha type of joint pain as we finish this series on keeping your joints healthy with Ayurveda.

Kapha Type of Joint Pain

People of Kapha (earth + water) constitution or imbalance tend to experience this type of joint pain where there is stiffness and dull achiness in the joints.  There is likely to be swelling due to edema, or water retention.  The affected area, or even the whole body, may feel heavy and cold.  This type of pain is more pronounced in damp, cold weather as the attributes of Kapha are cold, dense, heavy, and slow. 

Part One of this series on keeping your joints healthy with Ayurveda focused on Vata type of joint pain.  Moving on to Pitta type, I'm sure many of you will identify with this category because almost every joint or muscle injury results in the Pitta type of pain.  The pain may or may not become chronic, but certainly in the initial stage following an injury, Pitta rules and causes swelling and inflammation. Let's discuss how to diagnose this type and then how to treat it.

Whether you're a yogi, an athlete or a couch potato, it's likely that you occasionally suffer from some type of joint pain.  Joint pain is so common that sales of the best-selling natural remedy for joint pain, glucosamine/chondroitin, are estimated at $2 billion! I'm happy that helps some people, but I find the traditional Ayurvedic herbal formulas and oils for joint health to be more effective and more healing of the root condition.  Here's Part 1 of the Ayurvedic breakdown of the different types of joint pain so you can determine which one you have and what you can do to keep your joints in optimal condition.  Part 1 will cover Vata type, while Parts 2 and 3 will cover Pitta and Kapha types.