How Ayurveda can help
Ayurveda, an ancient and natural health-care tradition originating in India over 5,000 years ago, gives us the knowledge of how to live in harmony with our bodies for a healthy, happy, stress-free life. Ayurvedic texts emphasise that health is found through consistent awareness and monitoring of our intake of Prana (life-energy), through our five senses, our food, our breath, our word and thought and action. It can effectively help cure many chronic ailments but its main goal is prevention.

Ayurveda is a natural system of nutrition and healthcare that balances your whole being: physical body, mind, emotions and sprit. It can balance your digestion, treat symptoms or illness, and restore balance and wellbeing Ayurvedic treatment focuses on four main areas; cleansing or detoxification (physiological balancing, rejuvenation to enhance energy and longevity) and mental and emotional wellness (to release stress and anxiety).

There are many ways to treat symptoms and following a consultation an individual plan will be tailor made with you to suit your needs either with massage therapy, dietary and lifestyle advice or a combination of both. The beautiful gift of Ayurveda is - alongside being able to help with most illnesses, it will show you a way to live healthily that suits your own lifestyle, based on knowledge that is easy to grasp and not so easy to forget.

Your first appointment will begin with an assessment of your general health, medical history, diet and lifestyle, questions about your sleep patterns, digestion and emotional state. A physical examination will take place where we take your pulse and look at your tongue. From this assessment we can determine the state of the doshas within your body and recommend a course of treatments.

Main health problems and areas that can be helped with an Ayurvedic approach are:

• Digestive problems e.g. constipation, bloating, indigestion, gas, IBS, acidity
• Insomnia, low energy, fatigue
• Menstrual problems, pain, irregularities, menopausal symptoms
• Muscle and joint pain or stiffness, arthritis, back pain, neck pain
• Weight gain or weight loss
• Skin conditions e.g. acne, eczema, psoriasis, dry skin
• Addictions e.g. sugar, coffee, smoking
• Stress, tension, anxiety, worry, irritability, overactive or over stimulated mind
• Headaches, migraines, sinus problems, allergies
• Depression, low self-esteem, general under-the-weather feeling

Ayurvedic treatments consist of the use of:

• Ayurvedic massages using herb-infused massage oils (see massage therapy)
• Herbs and herbal remedies
• Nutritional advice tailored to bring balance to a person's Doshas
• Advice on lifestyle habits and any changes you may wish to make (diet and lifestyle consultation)
• Management of stress, insomnia, anxiety, depression
• Panchakarma (the Ayurvedic cleansing treatment) - this highly effective treatment involves dietary changes and a programme of internal cleansing traditionally offering five methods of cleansing, it restores and maintains good health, strengthens the immune system and protects the body against diseases by removing toxins and rejuvenating your body's internal systems.
• The Detox plan offered at Ayurvedawest11 is based on a traditional Panchakarma system and involves 3 out of the 5 procedures for cleansing - basti, nasya, purgation (see Detox plans)

The philosophy of Ayurveda and its treatments are aimed at putting people in touch with themselves on a deeper spiritual level compared to other holistic therapies. It places great emphasis on the purity and consciousness of the therapist, whilst giving the massage, as their ability to remain inward and focused during the treatment holds the key to the balancing of your mind and the harmonising of your energy (See Ayurvedic Treatments).

The search for a Magic pill:
"Especially important are the group of lifestyle therapies and how they relate to the movement of time according to dosha cycles. People always forget the power of the daily lifestyle and the power it has to change health problems. People are always looking for a magic pill - there is a magic pill - it is the daily thinking, acting and being that create health every moment. This is the real magic of health and it is free." Atreya Smith