I once read (in My Gita, by Devdutt Pattanaik) something like that the main difference between gods and demons is that gods can see possibilities beyond the measurable. This insight resonates deeply when I consider the role of storytelling in our lives. By sharing our personal...
by Dr. Claudia Welch Personal Experience When I was 19, I went to live in Benares, India to study Ayurveda… I thought. It was a year-long program through the University of Wisconsin, and the heftiest program requirement was to write a 100+ page research paper. I planned...
रागादिरोगान् सततानुषक्तानशेषकायप्रसृतानशेषान् औत्सुक्यमोहारतिदान् जघान योऽपूर्ववैद्याय नमोस्तुतस्मैः Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdayam:I:1 rāgādi-rogān satatānuṣaktān-aśeṣa-kāya-prasṛtān-aśeṣān autsukya-mohāratidān jaghāna yo’pūrva-vaidyāya namo’stu-tasmai //1// Obeisance be unto that unique and rare (incomparable) physician [that’d be God] who has completely eliminated limitless diseases that are closely associated with and spreading all over the body and mind, perpetually causing...
ऋ॒तं च॑ स॒त्यं चा॒भी॑द्धा॒त्तप॒सोऽध्य॑जायत ṛtaṃ ca satyaṃ cābhīddhāt tapaso 'dhy ajāyata Truth was born and the order of truth from the kindled fire of energy of consciousness. Rig Veda 10.190.1 I’ve been reflecting on the relationship between the Sanskrit words, “satyam” and, “ṛta” or, “ṛtam.” Satyam: The Chandogya Upanishad tells us...
Osteoporosis (An Excerpt from the beginning of chapter 16 of Balance Your Hormones, Balance Your Life, by Claudia Welch) Americans spend about $5 billion a year on drugs to protect bone health, roughly 50 percent more than they spent for this just five years ago. Thinning...
By Dr. Ramkumar, Dr. Robert Svoboda & Dr. Claudia Welch Note: This is an evolving work. We have already changed the title and edited the article a bit in response to thoughtful input from readers. We have added links at the bottom of this article to...
By Dr. Claudia Welch Disclaimer, Introduction and entry into svādhyāya (self-introspection): While certainly Black people and people outside the US are welcome to read this, I am a white woman, and it is generally intended to speak to the perspective and perhaps shared experience of other...
by Dr. Claudia Welch With a crazy percentage (and that link is to an article that only includes percentages of the leading causes of death; there are many other causes we'd have to add) of disease being caused by poor lifestyle (stress, overwork, too much or...
Prologue: I have undergone pañcakarma a handful of times in India. In order to contextualize how I found the experience, and to hopefully support yours should you find yourself in India for pañcakarma, here is an overview of pañcakarma. If you are already familiar, feel...
How do we decide whether or not to undergo a, "preventative" procedure like a mammogram? First, we might want to educate ourselves. This is trickier than it seems at first. Because many of the sources of our information may be difficult to trust. Consider, as one of any...
Dear Friends, My previous book, "How the Art of Medicine Makes the Science More Effective: Becoming the Medicine We Practice" was just released in January 2017 in paperback under its new (much better) title: "The Four Qualities of Effective Physicians: Practical Ayurvedic Wisdom for Modern Physicians". In...
Abstract The Problem: Sensory control v. repression of urges. The solution: Read on...
Ayurveda, Self-Reformation, & The Mediterranean Diet Study. [Warning: I hope this article isn't too preachy...
Dr. Welch talks about two major considerations in breast health - considerations she wished all women knew about so we could all have the best mammarian (yes, she knows that is not a word) health possible....
A few months ago, I was reading about how one of the big Hindu Gods (Brahma) was lusting after his own daughter. She would try to escape his line of vision but he kept creating himself new faces, so he could continue to look upon her in...
I suppose that, at any given time, there are always at least a few places on this planet that manage to manifest lofty ideals in practical ways that inspire and transform whoever participates. In my estimation, vaidyagrāma, an Ayurvedic eco-village that provides education and Ayurvedic treatments...
Ancient Āyurvedic texts describe four qualities one must possess to become an effective physician: Excellence in theoretical knowledge, lots of practice, dexterity and purity. Dr. Welch explores some of the weird and interesting aspects of these qualities and how cultivating them can enhance our ability...
It’s happened. I can feel it. You probably can too. Autumn. Quite a personality she has, isn’t it? I have a friend who has a difficult time with Autumn. Not surprising. In Chinese medicine, Autumn is associated with lungs and grief. It is a time of...
I just spent such a delightful weekend with the Kripalu School of Ayurveda students, who should be graduating, like, any minute now. It was truly, madly, deeply enjoyable for me to spend time with them. Hopefully it wasn’t lousy for them either. I am also aware...
Sometime in maybe the 2000s, I started hearing a lot about, “oil pulling.” How it was an ancient Ayurvedic practice used extensively for thousands of years. And it seemed to cure everything from cavities to cancer. I had never heard of it. I had been studying Ayurveda...
by Dr. Claudia Welch Note: You can find organic doṣa-pacifying oils listed in this article at Banyan Botanicals and other places. Good to check that they are made with organic herbs that are harvested in a sustainable way. We do not get commissions for naming Banyan...
Note: While much of this article is about plants and medicine, all these ideas apply equally to animals and food. Treating animals as commodities, packing them into unnaturally crowded areas and interacting with them in those environments has been shown to be clearly associated with...