Category Archives: Consultations

Fibromyalgia commonly presents as muscle pain, stiffness and tenderness throughout the body. The patient usually does not know the cause of the pain and has often tried many things to alleviate their symptoms. The ayurvedic approach to fibromyalgia is very specific and scientific. First, Ayurveda counts fibromyalgia as an imbalance not a disease. Imbalance means a disorder of energy within the body and mind. Ayurveda give hope to sufferers of fibromyalgia as it shows that the condition is treatable and manageable with ayurvedic treatment, diet and lifestyle.

Symptoms of fibromyalgia

Musculoskeletal pain

Stiffness and/or tenderness throughout the body

Fatigue

Mood disturbances (e.g. depression and/or anxiety)

Cognitive difficulties (e.g. trouble concentrating, forgetfulness, and disorganized thinking)

What causes fibromyalgia?

Nervous system imbalance

According to Ayurveda, fibromyalgia is an imbalanced state of vata energy. The physiological principle at the basis of nervous system stability and activation is called vata. A state of vata imbalance means the pitta (metabolism) and kapha (immunity) are also thrown out of balance.

Build-up of toxins and impurities

Toxins (ama) and excess vata are the main pathogenic factors in fibromyalgia. Toxins accumulate through consumption of improper diet and/or weak digestion. When toxins accumulate in the tissues and block the channels, they can cause tenderness, pain and hypersensitivity.

Accumulation of stress

Fibromyalgia can be triggered by stress. Stress at work or in the family, stress caused by life-changing events, a history of abuse, physical ailments such as infections and allergies are all triggering factors for fibromyalgia.

Ayurvedic management of fibromyalgia

Ayurvedic detox (panchakarma)

Panchakarma is the bio-purification method in ayurvedic medicine. It is an ideal treatment for managing fibromyalgia as it cleanses the cells and treats the root cause of the disease. The program consists of three main stages: preparing the body, releasing and eliminating the impurities, and rejuvenating the tissues. Cleansing the gut and intestine is the core of ayurvedic detox and it includes purgation therapy (cleansing of upper gut) and enema (cleansing of lower gut).

To prepare the tissues for mobilising and releasing the toxins, you begin by taking medicated ghee (internal oleation) at home. The ghee penetrates every cell of your body and works as a carrier to move the toxins from your tissues into the digestive tract where they are expelled. The treatments you receive in the clinic keep the body primed to do its natural process of detoxifying. Treatments include ayurvedic massage with herbalised oil (abhyanga), nervous system treatment (shirodhara), herbal paste massage (udvartana), full body herbal steam bath (swedana), and medicated enemas (vasti).

As the toxins move out of the tissues and into the alimentary canal, the treatments focus on removing them from the bowel. When your panchakarma is complete, your tissues and digestive tract will feel clean and ‘as new’. Your doctor then advises you on how to rebuild your tissue strength and immunity through healthy diet and lifestyle.

Diet, nutrition and digestion

Improper diet plays a role in causing and exacerbating fibromyalgia. Some foods make vata highly active, thereby aggravating fibromyalgia symptoms, including increased sensitivity to pain.

Consultation with an ayurvedic specialist will help you understand which foods to avoid if you are suffering symptoms of fibromyalgia. They will also recommend a diet based on foods that can be easily digested, creating micronutrients that can assimilate into the tissues and rebuild tissue strength.

The diet normally advised for patients of fibromyalgia is a modified vata-pacifying diet. It includes:

vegetable soups

coconut water and coconut milk

fresh drink made from carrot juice (33%), water (33%), juice of 1 beetroot, juice of 1 red pepper, spinach (handful), juice of ginger root (2cm), juice of garlic (1 clove)

cooked vegetables including squash, zucchini, sweet potato, tomato and pumpkin

foods spiced with cumin, coriander, fennel, black pepper, ginger, asafoetida, garlic and turmeric

moderate quantities of green salads with simple dressings of lemon juice, olive oil and a pinch of salt

kichari (recipe made by cooking white basmati rice and moong dhal and spices)

warm milk with warming spices including cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and clove.

Fibromyalgia patients should reduce:

hot (spicy) and fried foods

processed sugar

bitter and astringent foods such as brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, broccoli, kohlrabi and potatoes.

raw foods (less than 20% of your diet)

high levels of black tea, coffee, alcohol, yoghurt, chocolate and cocoa.

Ayurvedic herbs and herbal formulations for fibromyalgia

For improved digestion

Ashta Churna, Trikatu Churna, Hinguvachadi Gulika

For managing inflammation and pain

Kaishor Guggulu, Triphala Guggulu, Mahayogaraja Guggulu, Rasnadi Kashaya, Guggulutiktakam Kashayam, Tumeric + Pepper, Dashmoolaristham

For managing mind and psychological health

Ashwagandha, Brahmi, Shatavari, Brahmi Vati, Saraswataristham

For improved immunity

Chyawanprash, Vidharyadi Leham, Guduchi, Amalaki, Tumeric, Licorice

Managing lifestyle and psychological health and wellbeing

Establish routines to ensure healthy diet, good sleep, and a balance of work, exercise, and family, friends and fun.

Avoid worry, hurry, fear, stress, grief and anxiety.

Manage stress with practices like meditation, yoga, and spiritual activity.

Perform ayurvedic rituals every day, such as self-massage, oil pulling, tongue scraping, and sipping warm water frequently throughout the day.

Exercise regularly according to your energy. Breathing exercises and restorative yoga poses are excellent.

Find out the factors that aggravate your symptoms and avoid them.

Be social, share love, happiness and sorrow.

Consult an experienced ayurvedic doctor who will tailor your personal diet and lifestyle to manage your symptoms and improve your quality of life.

If you or somebody you know is experiencing symptoms of fibromyalgia, get in touch with the ancient science of healing, Ayurveda. At Vibrant Ayurveda Wellness Centre, we are ready to manage your fibromyalgia with our team of experienced doctors and therapists using the natural tools of healing.

Breathe Ayurveda September 2021

Ayurveda consultation & Holistic Support

`Breathe,´ offers online Ayurvedic consultations, from The Clinic via the Phone, WhatsApp, Skype and Zoom!

Initial Ayurvedic Health Consultations

Initial consultations are 75-90 minutes long.

During this initial consultation, I will go over your detailed health history.

One of my goals is to trace sources of illness to their root cause.

I offer a sensitive and holistic environment.

A thorough assessment of your diet, lifestyle, pulse, tongue, abdominal area, face and nails are performed to determine your original constitution (Prakruti) and current state of doshic balance (Vikruti)

Re-Alignment Program -Virtual or F2F

Your constitution or Prakruti will be determined in the previous consultation and a program will be developed to bring you back to your state of natural ease, balance and health. You will be supported to make the changes in your life that will bring lasting effects and enhance your healing process. Overall, your treatment path will be one intended to restore your full alignment to nature and return you to your optimal state of living.

Ayurvedic Therapies

Kansa Wand facial massage using beautiful oils for each dosha balance-coming soon!

Specific programs to Aid Digestion

A comprehensive guide for diet and regime to ease specific imbalances

Dosha Balancing Diet Plans

Vata, Pitta & Kapha pacifying meal plans for when an imbalance occurs

Unique Ayurvedic Nutritional Food Guide

An in-depth focus on special qualities of Ayurvedic foods and their effects on the digestion and body

Face, Body daily Rituals Guide

A 1-to-1 guide on oils & herbs specific for your constitution and how to adopt the daily Ayurvedic rituals including stretches and yoga tips specific for your imbalance and dosha.

Virtual Consultation required steps as follows:

All Virtual / Online Consultations must be Scheduled and Paid for in advance. Otherwise, the appointment reservation is considered incomplete and can be cancelled OR reallocated to another paying client. Thank you for your understanding.

1) Pre-Payment:   Click Here to Pay Online

2) New Client Form:   Click Here

3) Body Constitution Form:   Click Here

Have you scheduled your first Ayurvedic consultation? Or are considering making an appointment? Let’s face it, you might not know anybody who has had an Ayurvedic consultation before to discuss what one is exactly like. So if you feel apprehensive about your first Ayurvedic consultation, then you are not alone. Many people feel the same way, and the reason is that they just don’t know what to expect. You may have a lot of questions such as, will it be similar my other doctors’ visits? Do I need to know what Ayurveda is? The answer to your questions is no. Then what should you expect?

You don’t have to be sick to benefit from a private Ayurvedic consultation. You can have an Ayurvedic consultation simply to know better about yourself.

An Ayurvedic doctor can help you understand your Ayurvedic constitution (dosha), which may always be helpful in many cases.

In times of illness, an individual consultation can give you a new point of view on your condition and help you work with your symptoms for better results.

Now that you are ready to take a plunge into this holistic approach, it’s time to divulge into the things that you can look forward to in your initial Ayurvedic consultation.

When getting your initial consultation, be prepared to spend about an hour with the practitioner. Ayurvedic consultation involves a thorough examination of your body through which the consultant really gets to know you. It consists of examining important areas of the body and their functioning, which reveals the balances and imbalances in your body.

Pulse – Taking the pulse is to determine one’s constitution and the current state of imbalance in the body. The pulse is taken on the right wrist for men and left for women. Ayurvedic practitioners feel the pulse to determine the strength of vata, pitta, and kapha in the body.

Urine – The color, frequency, any Pain or discomfort during urination and the quantity of ones urine can indicate their hydration level, if there is enough fluid intake, complications and dosha imbalances.

Stools – Our Daily elimination is an indication of our digestive health. The consistency of ones stools can reveal a lot about ones imbalances.

Tongue – Ayurvedic examination includes, the consultant checking the color, shape, presence of scallops on the sides, movement, coating, or cracking on the tongue.

Eyes – since the doshas affect the shape and the colour of the eyes, an eye examination is a very important part of any Ayurvedic consultation.

Nails – nails are also indicators of imbalances in the body.

General appearance – One’s body shape, colour and texture of hair and even their energy levels, can indicate the predominance of vata, pitta, or kapha in the body.

After evaluating all these aspects the Ayurvedic doctor will make a very clear suggestion on the Ayurvedic practices that one should adopt in terms of food, lifestyle, meditation etc., the most important aspect to be Remembered is that most Ayurvedic practices involve lifestyle and diet changes that take time to implement. Hence it is highly suggested to make one change at a time for better results

Now that you know a few things on what to expect on your first Ayurveda consultation, get on with your first visit or start scheduling one! Contact us here for more information.