I read the Deepak Chopra's book 'Perfect Digestion' during my flight from California to India, and put down the summary below.
Chapter 1: Quantum mechanics of Digestion
· The human body is not a solid, particulate, static, fragmented, "frozen sculpture" that exists in isolation from the rest of nature. Rather, Ayurveda recognizes the body as part of the natural continuum. From this point of view, the human body is a dynamic field of energy. It is constantly participating in an exchange with the larger of field of energy that surrounds it, which comprises the rest of universe.
· In recent years, quantum physics has provided us with these some basic insights into the nature of human functioning. The body is made up of atoms. And what are atoms? It may be easiest to think of them as particles whirling at lightening through vast empty spaces-colliding, disintegrating, darting back and forth-but atoms are not really particles in the sense that pebble is a particle of rock or a twig is a piece of tree. Rather, they are minute fluctuations of energy in the infinite expanse of energy that modern physics calls the unified field. It is from the unified field that all natural forces emerge, giving rise to an entire material universe, including your body.
· Fundamentally, your body is as void of matter as is intergalactic space. It may be surprising to realize that an apparently solid mass of living, breathing matter is in reality mostly empty space-nothing more than a perceptual illusion, a reflection of the more basic underlying intelligence that structures the entire universe. It may be surprising, but nature's truth often is.
· Atoms in our body keep replacing.
○ 98% atoms in anatomy were not there a year ago.
○ Bones are recreated in a 3 month - brand new.
○ New liver is created every six weeks
○ Even in brain, specific atoms of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen are totally different from what they were one year ago.
○ In digestive tract, stomach linen is created every 4 days.
· Human body is complex system:
○ Everyone of the thousands of processes inviolved in the healing of a superficial wound is incredibly complex and incompletely understood.
· Intelligence in the body:
○ Ayurveda recognizes the intelligence that exists in every organ in every cell of the body.
· Effect of food vs Emotions:
○ A specific food can have produce diarrhea and cramping within a few hours, feelings such as stress or anger can have a more long-term effect.
Chapter 2: Digestion and the Ayurvedic Doshas
· 3 Doshas:
○ 'Dosh' = Governing agent. They are ultimate, irreducible metabolic principles that regulate the flow of intelligence throughout the physiology.
○ Ayurveda defines 3 doshas- Vata, Pitta, Kapha
§ Vata: Controls all movements
§ Pitta: responsible for metabolism and digestion
§ Kapha: governs the structure of body.
○ Characteristics of 3 Dosha:
§ Vata:
□ Light, thin, build
□ Performs activity quickly
□ Irregular hunger and digestion
□ Etc
§ Pitta:
□ Medium build
□ Shart hunger and thirst, string digestion
□ Etc
§ Kafa:
□ Solid powerful
□ Steady energy
□ Tranquil, relaxed
□ Etc
§ Kafa are considered to be best.
Chapter 3: Understanding your digestive tract
· Digestive Fire (Jathragni):
○ The small intestine has the digestive fire, and the small intestine is called 'grahani' in Sanskrit. 'Grahani' means 'one which grasps things'. Small intestine, by the process of absorption, "grasps" the essence of foods, and it is here that food is metabolized on the level of its nutritional intelligence.
○ Not following good eating practices damage the digestive fire.
Chapter 4: How to make friends with your gut
· Vata type- variable digestive fire
· How to increase digestive fire:
○ Breathing deeply for several minutes- Pranayam
○ Digestive fire is diminished by:
§ Long hours of sleep
§ Low physical activity
§ Oily food
§ Sweet food
· When to eat:
○ One should eat when one has burning sensation in his gut. If one eats at this time, the food is propery digested. If not ate at such time, the food is converted to fat and toxins.
· Ojas and Ama:
○ Ojas:
§ What is Ojas: It is a biochemical located in between the consciousness and physiology.
§ In Cherak's words: It is the ojas which maintains all living beings by its saturation, and without ojas no life of creature exists. Ojas is the initial essence of embryo and also the essence of its nourishing material. It enters first into caraic cycle and if it is destroyed it leads to destruction. It is the sustainer of life in the heart, it is the cream of the nutrient fluids in the body.
§ By increasing the ojas, one can rebuild oneself into the physical manifestation of strength and good health.
○ Ama:
§ What is Ama: It is of sticky substance and has a marked tendency to obstruct the channels through which ojas normally flows.
§ Increase of Ama means less energy, problems with digestion etc.
§ Many problems with digestion are caused by Ama.
§ Visible sign of Ama: white coating on the tongue. When it is present on tongue it is also present throughout the digestive canals of the body.
□ The channels are not only conduits for blood, lymph and nutrients from food, but for the flow of energy itself.
· Experimental evidence of relation of emotion vs digestive health:
○ Book: Gastrointestinal health, Steven Peiken
§ An army surgeon was able to study a patient who, as a result of a gunshot wound, had developed a permanently open passage between the interior of his stomach and the surface of his body. Over the course of prolonged observation it became obvious that the patient's emotional state caused variations in the coating that protects the stomach lining, the mucosa. When the patient was emotionally upset, there was also an increase in the production of acid and a slowing of normal stomach contractions, so that scid-rich secretions remained int the stomach longer than usual. Severe irritation resulted.
· The below bullet points cover instructions from various chapters in the book
· How to strengthen digestion:
○ Eat in settled and quiet atmosphere
○ Take a few minutes to rest quietly after your meal.
§ One should sit or lie down for few minutes, so that the digestion process can start easily.
○ Always sit down to eat.
○ Don't eat when you are upset
○ *Don't eat when you are not hungry. (from previous section in chap 4)
○ Avoid overeating:
§ One should eat 3/4 of his stomach, which gives feeling of satisfaction without any sensation of having overeaten.
○ Avoid cold foods and cold drinks:
§ Cold foods and drinks damage digestive fire.
§ A Ayurvedic herbal tea called 'Vata tea' is a good substitute for cold drinks.
○ Don’t talk while chewing food.
○ Eat at a moderate pace.
○ Do not eat until preceding meal has been digested.
○ Favour meals with freshly cooked foods
§ Although many people believe that raw foods are a good source of dietry fiber, Ayurveda points out that raw foods are harder to digest and are more likely to irritate the colon. A certain amount of raw food, sch as salad, are fine to include with diet.
○ Avoid eating milk, cream, butter until the IBS symptoms are in control. (However Vata people should take milk etc, because it helps fight with the dryness in the body.)
○ Ghee is soothing to digestion, if taken in small quantities.
○ Ayurveda recommends avoiding cucumbers, green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale, sprouts of any sort, and grapes. (page 51)
○ Coffee, tea, chocolates should be avoided.
○ Corbonates beverages of any sort should be avoided.
○ Pomegranate is good for diarrhea associated with IBS.
○ Lassi is very good to treat IBS symptoms.
○ In meals, heavier food should be eaten earlier and then lighter foods.
○ Aroma therapy: The following aromas are good-
§ For Vata types: basil, orange, clove
§ For Pitta types: sweet, cool aromas like sandalwood,rose, mint, cinnamon
○ After bowel movement one should do massage of sesame oil as part of daily routine.
§ Rejuvenates the skin
§ Tones the muscles
§ Eliminates impurities
§ Promotes youthfulness
§ Complete massage instructions are given on page 76-77
○ Lunch should be heavy at aroun 12:00- 12:30. The sun is at the top, and this time is middle of Pitta period. And Pitta is responsible for digestive fire. And since Sun is at the top, it also aids in digestion.
○ Breakfast is not necessary according to Ayurveda. If needs it should be light like milk and cereal. Since the sun is rising, there is less support from environment to digest heavy food.
○ Dinnertime, the sun is setting and there is less digestive powers than the lunch time, but more than breakfast. Example: hot soup and bread, hot cereals, assorted vegetables.
○ Ayurvedic daily routine: (page 81)
§ Mornings 6 AM to Noon
□ Wake up
□ Take warm water
□ Urinate and unforced bowel movement
□ Brush teeth
□ Seasame oilo massage
□ Breathiung meditation
□ Shower using warm water, neither hot or cold
□ Exercise
□ Light breakfast (if needed)
□ 30 minute morning walk
§ Noon
□ Lunch
□ Few miunutes rest after lunck
□ 5-15 mins of walk
□ Breathing meditation in late afternoon or early evening
§ Evening
□ Moderate dinner
□ Few miunutes rest after dinner
□ 5-15 mins of walk
□ Bedtime
○ One should chew more- it produces more saliva which triggers the production of other digestive substances.
· How to eliminate ama:
○ Upvaas: One day each week on liquid diet
○ Sipping hot water: Like hot water is used to clean things, similarly ama, which is sticky and greasy, can be cleaned my sipping hot water every 30 minutes.
§ The water should be really hot, that one has to blow air to sip it in.
§ The quantity of water is not important, than the frequency of water.
§ 3-4 times a day sipping is not enough.
§ Thermal container is best to keep the boiling water in to sip the day through.
· Ayurvedic herbs to improve digestion:
○ Amalaki
○ Bibihitaki
○ Chitrak
○ Dhanyaka
○ Lavanga
Chapter 5: Diet and the art of determining what to eat
· Measure of value of food in east vs west:
○ West: West believes that the food can be understood by evaluating its material qualities like protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, cholestrol, vitamins, calories etc.
○ East(Ayurveda): Ayurveda in addition to above, also considers food's intelligence value. Techniques to find food's intelligence:
§ Taste:
□ Sweet
□ Sour
□ Salty
□ Pungent
□ Bitter
□ Astringent
§ Above sequence reflects the which one is metabolized first.
□ It implies sweet should be taken first
□ Salad should be taken last
§ A balanced diet always have all tastes present.
Chapter 6: The role of your emotions
· Self-referral vs Object-referral:
○ Self-referral: This simply means you look inward, inside yourself, in order to influence your next behaviour or action. In our society, self-referral is very uncommon.
○ Object referral: It is very common in our society. In this an individual relies on external cues to determine behaviour.
· What to do when have overwhelmed feelings:
○ When you feel upset, pause for a moment and allow your attention to settle on the sensations occuring in your body. If you close your eyes for a few seconds, your mind will immediately be attracted to some particular are of physiology, perhaps your stomach or heart. Just remain your senstations to be there for few minutes. Gradually you will discover that the physical sensation begins to moderate. When you open your eyes, you will find that the emotional component has also diminished. (Page 65)
· Sound, aroma therapy has also been talked about.
Chapter 8: Exercise
· Common mistakes about exercises:
○ Performing too little exercise or none at all
○ Performing exercises that don't suit them
○ Overexercising
· The Ayurvedic principal is not "no pain, no gain" but "no strain produces maximum gain".
· Marmas: Marmas in Ayurveda are described as the meeting places of consciousness and physiology.
○ There are 107 Marmas, and some more details are given in page 86-87
Chapter 9: Constipation, Diarrhea, and Intestinal Gas
· Constipation
· Diarrhea
· Intestinal Gas:
○ One should chew while keeping mouth open.
○ One should eat more slowely and with less conversation
