Researchers point to nutritional imbalances as a possible cause of chronic fatigue syndrome. As an Ayurvedic practitioner I go one step further, and include fibromyalgia, epstein barr, and most other autoimmune diseases. Many of my autoimmune disease clients find they are sensitive to foods and drinks they were once able to tolerate. They may also find that a variety of foods and food additives-- caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, dairy products, and dyes, among other things--trigger symptoms. I recommend that my clients eat a dosha balancing diet, if they will do this they will find great relief, the Ayurvedic dietary changes help restore energy. I also recommend that they eat a vata--controlling diet. They should drink soup and eat food that is very mild--not too hot, not too cold, it should be spiced but mildly spiced. Also, they should not consume anything that is cold, especially cold water and ice cream. They should drink hot water only. I also recommend a diet low in protein, because protein demands great quantities of energy to digest and produces heaps of nitrogenous wastes. You want a small amount of protein and a balance of carbohydrates and fats all cooked into one soup or a juicy one-pot meal, so your organism doesn't require a lot of energy to digest. I also recommend avoiding foods that contain caffeine or concentrated sugars. these are so concentrated that they cause your system to go into a tizzy, overreact, and make the symptoms worse.
I always think my clients are going to be so excited for the new found information, that they can finally feel better, that they will run home and get started on their new journey. However, I always find all kinds of resistance from clients who think they can’t live without a salad, or couldn't possibly drink just hot water, and, no ice cream? I continually council my students and client that the foods we eat are killing us. However it is not just the food, but also the amount of foods we eat. According to Ayurvedic principles, when you eat in moderation, your body and mind are happy. But when you eat too much, you overwhelm your agni (the digestive fire), creating chaos in your belly and inviting unpleasant imbalances such as gas, weight gain, and depression.
It is so puzzling to me, the way we resist not only life’s difficulties but also life’s potential sweetness. I notice it in students and certainly in myself: the subtle tendency to hold back from anything that changes the balance in our lives. We don’t just resist something unpleasant, like working with a difficult health issue. We often have a strange resistance to, getting a Thai Therapy (any type of therapy that would help to heal us) or opening fully to a friend or lover, or, especially, allowing an emerging state of inner expansion--even when we sense that we are cutting ourselves off from something great.
I often find that the clients that put up the most resistance are the ones that are afraid of encountering the hidden memories or emotional dragons that can turn up if they look too closely at themselves. There’s no question that as you journey along the road to pure spaciousness, you will pass through zones of feelings that you normally shove beneath your awareness. But if you’re willing to summon the courage to take that journey, you’ll usually find that the dragons are nothing but blocked energy and that when you look at them they’ll start to melt away. More often, the resistance stems from fear--fear of your emotions, fear of the unknown, and, finally, fear of your own essence, your own grandeur.
Nancy Adams Certified Thai Yoga Therapist
Certified Yoga Instructor
and Ayurveda Consultant
These are my own thoughts. I sometimes take writings from others to support my own ideas.
