BEAR FooT DOCTOR ® In Step With Nature - Bear Foot Doctor's health blog

WEAKNESS WITHIN THE CHANNELS - flirting with the Ayurvedic concept of Khāvaigunya

1/30/2024

In Ayurvedic Medicine, weak spots in the body are known as khāvaigunyas.
Khā means an empty or vacant space leading to weaknesses in the scrotas or micro-channels responsible for transport and transformation of nutrients to the bodily tissues.
Vaigunya means that there is a defect or deformity resulting from such weakness, leading to the opportunistic progression of disease.

These weak spaces and defective channels or khāvaigunyas are regarded as a prevalent underlying factor to diseases. The actual causation or etiology of illness is termed ‘hetu'. Together these present a picture of disorder and suffering.

We all need the good healthy functioning of our scrotas or micro-channels for healthy nutrients and other necessary constituents to flow with unobstructed movement internally around our bodies, as it is essential for us to support ourselves in good health and function properly. Khāvaigunyas interrupt such healthy flow.

We need to maintain:
Ayana - the transport of essential heathy nutrients.
Sravana - the ability for these nutrients to permeate and infiltrate our tissues.
Mokshana - the capacity to eliminate and effectively excrete all resulting metabolic waste products.

Diseases and illnesses that take advantage of the Khāvaigunyas are numerous and multifactorial. They can be attributed to previous trauma, genetic disposition, emotional stress, iatrogenesis, poor diet, malformation of tissues, or the debility and retention of toxicity within the body. Ideally, we need to inhabit an environment with clean soil, water and air free from pollutants and allergens. We also need to exercise, positive communication and the comfort of touch. It is important to support our immune systems properly and develop an all encompassing sense of happiness and wellbeing.

Most of us have physical or mental areas that we acknowledge to be particularly weaker than others in our own individual constitutions. By acknowledging this and then by working to ameliorate them, we will be more resilient to anything that challenges us in the future.

If you want to study this specific area of Ayurveda in more detail, there is a list of a few reference books below, for further reading.

Finally, a positive thought to take with us all - “let’s fill any vacant spaces with strength rather than weakness, with happiness rather than sadness and love rather than hate.”

References -
Charak. Charak Samhita. Edited by Jadavaji Trikamji Aacharya.
Ist ed Varanasi: Krisnadas Academy: 2000.

Shustruta. Sushruta Samhita. Edited by Jadavaji Trikamji Aacharya.
8th ed Varanasi:
Chukhambna Orientalia 2005.

Vasant Lad. Textbook of Ayurveda Volume 2: Vasant Lad Ayurvedic Press 2006.

MELISSA -THE SOOTHING BALM OF THE GODS

10/15/2021

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), is a wonderfully fragrant herb with an aromatic lemony scent. It is a perennial member of the mint family with small white flowers and has numerous useful medicinal uses. In Greek mythology Melissa was one of the nymph nurses to Zeus, sister to Amaltheia. But rather than feeding the baby milk, Melissa appropriately for her name, fed him honey. It was after this enchanting character that lemon balm was named and this is why an alternative name for Lemon Balm is Bee Balm.

John Evelyn (1620-1706) articulated that lemon balm’s long tradition as a tonic remedy which can raise ones spirits and bring comfort to the heart. He wrote - “Balm is sovereign for the brain, strengthening the memory and powerfully chasing away melancholy”.

Its principle actions are that of a a diaphoretic, a relaxing nerve tonic, an antispasmodic, a carminative and employed in treating viral infections such as cold sores. It is in essence both cooling and calming so can be used to ameliorate many hot inflammatory conditions which in Ayurveda are referred to as excesses of pitta. It is a fantastic medhya herb, enhancing memory and calming anxiety and depression. It is trophorestorative, as it tonifies and repairs the nervous system and is antioxidant. It helps to regulate the thyroid.

It can be applied externally to skin conditions such as herpes, shingles, hives and urticaria. Lemon balm leaves make a delicious refreshing tea.

COVIDCENTRICIY - THE CONTEMPORARY MINDSET OF THE MASSES

1/4/2021

As we test more people for Covid-19 we are currently finding more positives (both real and false) and this is being automatically translated by the government and media into a reason in itself to control and limit our behaviour, schooling and economy. But what is this information that they are using actually telling us?
For example if I test 500 randomly selected people for a viral skin infection, I may find that 75 people are infected. Then if I repeat this test the following day on another sample, this time containing 1000 people and find that a further 135 cases test positive - I would be wrong if I then claimed that: “THE NUMBER OF VIRAL SKIN INFECTIONS HAS ALMOST DOUBLED IN ONE DAY,” that would be incorrect - as the ratio of viral skin infections has not in fact doubled, but remains roughly the same as it was before - IT IS THE NUMBER OF POSITIVE TESTS THAT HAS DOUBLED - BECAUSE DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE HAVE NOW BEEN TESTED! So actual case numbers may tell us little, when they are reported in isolation from other significant information.
One fact that is unquestionable, is that as more people are being tested for Covid-19, more cases will be isolated. Therefore, it is often claimed that the number of subsequent deaths is increasing. When one reads that: “another 479 people have died WITH coronavirus in UK hospitals, hitting an eight-month high, as a new mutant strain rips through parts of the country.” This number doesn’t necessarily come close to telling us the number of people who have actually died directly BECAUSE of Covid-19, it just means that the number of people being tested has increased and if any of these patients happen to have received a positive test result 28 days or less before death, they are deemed to have died WITH IT. As we all know, dying WITH something, is not at all the same thing as dying BECAUSE of something, in fact the two can indeed be mutually exclusive. You can die with a bruised finger, but that does not mean that this was in anyway, shape or form the actual cause of your death. It is important to also acknowledge that if someone is deemed to die BECAUSE of a Covid-19 infection, they may have already been at the very end of their life and it unfortunately happened to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Test and you will find ........ but the more cases you find, doesn’t automatically translate to more deaths or serious illnesses. According to 'Population UK' the overall population in the UK has increased by approximately 0.63% since the emergence Covid-19. There are now more people living than there were at the start 2020! Which when compared to an estimated population drop of 40%-60% during The Black Death, can only be seen to be encouraging!

However to date unfortunately you are still much more likely to die or become dangerously ill BECAUSE of non-communicable diseases - (those that are not transmitted between people) - than you are of Covid-19*. So perhaps we should be paying more attention to preventing physical, mental and economic malaise, instead of unremittingly indulging in seemingly endless “covidcentricity.” There is scant evidence that by imposing lockdowns on society, we will properly address these other more pressing issues. Finally, a salient point is that those who are in charge and deciding and enforcing when lockdowns should be imposed, are still being paid in full during these lockdowns. This is certainly not the case for everyone in the workforce!

*https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/top-ten-leading-causes-of-death-in-the-world.html

*www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death

OH NO IS IT COVID TOE?

5/7/2020

“Covid toe” is a rash, very similar in appearance to chilblains. It has been noted on patients’ feet even when no other symptoms of Covid-19 are being manifested. This rash appears as asymmetrical chilblain type lesions around the hands and feet. It is often found in younger patients and these lesions can be itchy and painful. In extremely rare cases - approximately 6% - there can be Livido or necrosis.

“Covid toe” is thought to be a result of restricted blood circulation. Dr Lindy Fox who practices at the University of California, San Francisco, was suddenly inundated with patients suffering from these toe problems. A lot of these people had never suffered from chilblains in the past. Other doctors elsewhere have also had an increase in patients suffering from these lesions. Some physicians are now insisting that “Covid toe” should be a reason in itself to test for Covid-19.

As the majority of cases worldwide have so far presented in children and young adults, some professionals are postulating that “Covid toe” may be a healthy immune response as the body attempts too rid itself of the coronavirus. Fortunately it has been noted that most of the patients exhibiting this condition are getting better by themselves, so “Covid toe” should not automatically be regarded as a dangerous symptom if it presents, as it can follow a benign clinical outcome and resolve without treatment.

Some patients with this problem have tested negative for the coronavirus. This may be because they really are chilblains and have nothing whatsoever to do with Covid-19. This could be due to staying at home and walking around barefoot more than usual during lockdown. Alternatively they could be a preventative immune reaction that occurs before the virus actually takes a full hold.

Another possibility is that sometimes when patients actually test positive, the lesions may be an epiphenomenon. In other words, they are symptoms that accompany the disease without being causally related to it.

So currently considerable mystery surrounds the manifestation of “Covid toe”. We still don’t know if it will be possible or not to draw a definitive correlation from studying the condition as a way of determining how mild or severe the disease is within the patient’s body.

LIGHT ON THE HORIZON - WILL THE CORONA VIRUS STOP SPREADING SOON?

3/11/2020

The new virus on the block ……. SARS-CoV-2 and the disease it can cause COVID-19 are constantly in the news at present. On March 6th, statistics released indicated that 98,000 cases had been confirmed in 88 countries with many experts suggesting that this figure was currently still on the rise. Fortunately only a relatively small percentage of those that are infected have died, but none the less, it is unfortunately causing a considerable amount of public panic.

But and it is a big but, there may be a light on the distant horizon. As spring and eventually summer arrive will we start to see a decline in numbers especially here in the Northern Hemisphere? Obviously we all hope that this will happen and some professionals think that it is more than likely. John Nicholls a pathology Professor at Hong Kong University, reckons that he can predict when the corona virus will start to become inactive. He postulates that there are three things that the corona virus does not like, these are sunlight, high temperature and high humidity.

Those of us that understand Ayurveda can see the sense behind correctly balancing the Doshic principles of Vata, Pitta and Kapha during any healing process. In this case we can attribute sunlight and the open air to the principle of Vata, high temperature to Pitta and the principle of moist humidity to Kapha.

John Nicholls estimates that sunlight may be effective at stopping the corona virus growing by approximately 50%. Ian Lipkin who is the Director of The Columbia University Center for Infection and Immunity has also been studying the effect of sunlight on the corona virus. He suggests that UV light from the sun breaks down viral nucleic acid. If you are out in open air and sunlight, it’s generally “cleaner” than indoors simply because of the abundance of UV light on warm sunny days. The light from the sun is also an important source of vitamin D. This vitamin is a necessary component in a healthy immune system. You may need to consider supplementing it if for one reason or another you are deficient. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GCSXNGc7pfs&feature=youtu.be . Nursing people in the open air, was seen to be effective in the outbreak of Spanish flu in 1918 https://medium.com/@ra.hobday/coronavirus-and-the-sun-a-lesson-from-the-1918-influenza-pandemic-509151dc8065

High temperature can also inactivate the virus according to Professor Nicholls. Between 4 degrees and 10 degrees Celsius the virus remains intact, but at 30 degrees it becomes relatively inactive, or does it?

A scientific research paper - “Influenza Virus Transmission Is Dependent On Relative Humidity and Temperature” - Anice C Lowen, Samira Mubareka, John Steel and Peter Palese, was published in 2007. It looked at the pattern of spread in a population of guinea pigs intentionally infected with flu in a laboratory. High temperatures and specifically high humidity slowed the spread of the virus. At extremely high levels of humidity the virus was halted completely. Warmer air holds more moisture which prevents airborne viral infections travelling as far as they can in dry air. In humid conditions, any small liquid droplets in coughs and sneezes gather more moisture as they are expelled. This makes them heavier and unable to remain airborne; thus reducing the airborne ability for the disease to travel.

Interestingly, Nicholls also suggests that currently he doesn’t expect areas such as Australia, Africa and the Southern Hemisphere to have such large rates of corona infection that are being presented in the Northern Hemisphere because at the time of writing they are still experiencing the effects of summer. To conclude: let’s hope that most of us remain healthy and can eventually put this problem behind us. But please do not panic, as high levels of stress are detrimental to our immune systems.

CHILEAN NITRATE

12/1/2019

This iconic artistic masterpiece composed of art deco tiles is proudly positioned on the southern wall of the house of the late merchant Guillermo Cabrera Gutiérrez - standing at the entrance to O’Daly Street, Santa Cruz, La Palma in the Canary Islands.

It was created around 1929 by the artist Adolfo López-Durán, who later became a professor at the Madrid School of Architecture. The ceramics were painted and fired at the Valencian tile house of Ramón Costello.

‘Nitrato’ is an important organic fertiliser for assisting the growth of crops. It consists of nitrates from natural rock deposits found in the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile. The Atacama is extremely dry and is able to readily extract minerals from the air and sea. It is a natural non synthetic plant fertiliser containing 15% nitrate nitrogen and 2% potassium. Chilean Nitrate was imported to Europe in the 19th century, to enrich farm soil that had become nitrogen depleted. Thus it nourished and gave strength to plants, when they faced adverse environmental growing conditions. Which remind us, that healthy plants build healthy people. This statement is as true today, as it was then. So this work of art is not only a beautiful example of artistic advertising, but it also sends out a healthy message.

MEDITATION

10/27/2019

Excessive attachment to the body is a common cause of physical, emotional and spiritual pain. Meditation is good for treating psychological problems. These may range from depression, to extreme anxiety and panic attacks. It can be used to assist insomnia and also severe emotional disturbances such as grief and addiction. Meditation is an ideal treatment for stress on all levels.

It is beneficial in controlling pain and can be used to treat arthritis and joint problems, as well as a host of wide ranging health issues, both acute and chronic.

It can be used as a vital tool in the interview process: by encouraging the patient to adopt certain meditation techniques, we may be able to find out more about what’s troubling them. If the patient is relaxed by meditation, a fuller and deeper picture of their health can emerge.

When we go for a good walk in the fresh air, it is possible to meditate at the same time. Often when we go out for a walk, we are absorbed in our own thoughts and problems. It’s true to say that people sometimes find it easier to shift their fears and worries whilst walking. But if you leave your issues at home and simply walk and mediate, you may feel even better still!

To meditate whilst walking is really simple, you focus your thoughts on how each foot contacts the ground as it is doing so. You concentrate all attention on the experience of walking itself, whilst clearing your mind of all other thoughts. Just focus on the sensations in your feet and legs and nothing else at all. Why not try it for yourself for about 20 minutes a day and see if you feel any different afterwards?

ORGANIC HONEY

10/5/2019

Ayurveda considers that honey is Sattvic in nature and is regarded as the finest sweetener for food. Sattvic foods are foods that are abundant in Prana - the universal life-force that gives life to all sentient beings in both plant and animal kingdoms. They are foods such as fresh organic
untainted fruits, vegetables and honey.

Honey is sweet, astringent and pungent in taste, slightly warm in energy and sweet in post-digestive effect. It takes on the properties of the flowers from which it is made. For instance sage flower honey will have nerve calming properties. Honey tends to balance the three constitutional Doshas, but in excess it can aggravate Pitta, so like everything else, it should be consumed wisely and not excessively.

When it has matured slightly, it is the finest sweetener for a Kapha constitution.
Whereas fresh raw honey is better for both Pitta and Vata constitutions. Internally, honey works as a demulcent, emollient, laxative, nutritive and a tonic. It can help discharge phlegm, dissolves fat and nourishes the mind and senses. It is rejuvenating and is considered good for improving immunity. Royal jelly is considered by some to be superior in this regard. Raw honey can be used for convalescents and to build vigour in children.

Cooking honey is not at all a wise thing to do. This can denature it, resulting in the loss of its medicinal properties. So please only add honey to lukewarm food after it has been cooked and allowed to cool down slightly. Honey is a good Anupana and mixes well with health giving herbs helping to facilitate their penetration into the deeper tissues of the body allowing them to assist us. Externally, one can apply it to wounds and ulcers to utilise its excellent wound healing properties.

The Paradox Of Being Ginger.

9/24/2019

The Ayurvedic phrase “prabhava”, refers to the potential for medicinal plants and herbs to have special effects that are not necessarily just confined to their taste or energy. These can be physical such as cathartic or antitussive, or act on the mental emotional level, or indeed both. Sometimes prabhava is an unexplainable action that cannot be traced back to any logical reasoning;
it can be quite paradoxical in its nature.

For example, if we look at the properties of Zingiber officinale or ginger, we see its Taste/Rasa is pungent and sweet and its Potency/Virya is heating. These pungent and heating properties are useful for using in cases of digestive and respiratory problems as they promote good digestion and help rid the gut of toxicity. Ginger is also very rejuvenating and its pungent, sweet and heating qualities are good for the heart and circulation. It is also used for helping coughs and assisting breathing problems.

On the other hand however, ginger is also an excellent anti-inflammatory employed in cases of pain and arthritis; it also reduces oedema and swelling in the limbs, but because it is heating rather than cooling in its nature, as is normally the case with anti-inflammatory, herbs, one can become somewhat perplexed. But Ayurveda does not see this as being paradoxical or contradictory at all, as this is regarded as a special potential or “prabhava”.

It is interesting to be aware that sometimes the surface properties of a plant do not immediately reveal the complexities of all of the medicinal actions that it possesses underneath. We need to look much closer and deeper to see matters in their entirety.

BORAGE

7/25/2019

Borage (Borago officinalis) is part of the Boraginaceae family, it is very common in Britain. It is possible to make a tincture from the leaves and flowers. Its distinctive blue star shaped flowers (see photograph above) are part of the British summertime and are used to garnish the traditional English recreational beverage known as Pimm’s.

Constituents:

The flowers and leaves contain mucilage, tannin, saponins, essential oil, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, potassium, calcium, Vitamin C, volatile oil.

Properties:

Quality – Guna – Light, unctuous
Taste – Rasa – Astringent, sweet, salty, bitter
Post digestive effect – Vipak – Sweet
Potency – Virya – Cooling
Doshic signature – Reduces Pitta & Kapha. Increases Vata
Channels – Srotas – Rakta (circulatory), shukra (reproductive), mutra (urinary), prana (respiratory), majja (nervous), stanya (lactation).

Actions:

Artavashamana – regulates menstruation
Brmhana – nourishing tonic, anabolic
Jivaniya – promotes energy
Jwaraghna – relieves fevers
Kasavasahara – relieves coughs & breathing problems
Medya – brain tonic, nervine
Medohara – regulates fat metabolism
Mutrala - diuretic
Rasayana - rejuvenative
Stanya – increases breast milk

Indications for internal use:

Tension, anxiety, convalescence, exhaustion, adrenal fatigue, depression, bronchitis, whooping cough, asthma, emphysema, catarrh, sore throat, dry cough, pleurisy, fevers, obesity, inflammatory skin problems, eczema, psoriasis, poor milk production, boils, skin rashes including chicken pox & measles, inflammatory arthritis, dysuria, urinary infections, oedema and hypertension.

Indications for external use:

Soothes irritated skin conditions, itching, bruising, sores, ulcers and wounds, insect bites, soothes inflamed, painful arthritic joints and tissues, gargle and cleansing mouthwash.

Dose for internal consumption: Tincture 2-4ml tds.
Precaution: None.
Safety: No known relevant herb/drug interactions.