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°ma – Metabolic Waste, The root cause of disease °ma is big topic in Ayurveda. In fact, all diseases are classified with or without Àma. It is what makes us sick, what gives us diseases and what we need to eliminate from our bodies. °ma is the result of undigested matter that gets lodged in our bodies. Once it starts to accumulate in the body it will not only affect our body but our mind as well. If it is not removed it will result in any number of symptoms which ultimately if untreated can result in disease. Ayurveda states that many diseases begin as Àma. Once undigested matter accumulates in the body the digestive functions become weak and this leads to a weakened immune system. This is why a strong agni is so important as it is the strong fire of our agni that has the ability to digest everything we eat and burn up any Àma in our system. So, if our agni is weak, our fire will not be strong enough for proper digestion and anything we don't fully digest will form Àma. Once Àma is in our body it travels around until it finds a nice little place to settle and it will grow and grow. Not only will it grow, but it will also travel and spread throughout the body. So how do you know if you have Àma? Let’s consult a classic text. The signs and symptoms of Àma are clogging of channels, low energy, sense of heaviness, restlessness, lethargy, indigestion, kapha-type congestion (expectoration), accumulation of the three malas (wastes: feces, urine, sweat), loss of taste and exhaustion. -AÈÇÀðga HÃdayam SÂ XIII.23 Other signs to look out for are: Coating on the tongue Bad Breath Strong Body Odor Blockages - constipation, sinus, etc. Loss of appetite Aches and pains Loss of enthusiasm Lack of mental clarity Waking up tired, even after a good nights sleep Well pretty much any symptom of illness is a sign that your body is not in harmonious balance and that Àma may have started to form. J I V A K A A Y U R V E D A ——————————————————————————————————————————————— 949-497-3134 [email protected] www.jivaka.com 1 But don’t despair there are things you can do to remove Àma and strengthen your agni. Treatment will depend on your constitution, your doshic imbalances and your bodily limitations, but here are some general things you can try: Tongue scraping A light, fresh, whole food diet. The diet would mainly be a kapha reducing diet as Àma is heavy, sticky and has the ability to get stuck, just like kapha. So stay away from dairy, nuts, bread, pastries, sugar, red meat, eggs and root vegetables for starters, and have lots of ginger and other heating foods and spices (be careful if you have excess pitta). Avoid processed foods, heavy, oily, fried food Regular eating habits - Eating meals at the same time each day. Avoid over-eating, fast eating and eating late at night. Ginger, cardamom, fennel, cinnamon, or dandelion root tea - choose based on your state of imbalance (vikÃti). An Àyurvedic self massage. This type of massage uses hot oil which is left on the body for at least thirty minutes. It helps removes blockages and Àma (toxins) from the body. Vigorous Exercise. My teacher swears by jogging as a sure fire way to get your digestion working and burn up Àma. But any sport or vigorous exercise that will get your heart moving, heat you up and get you sweating is great. This will burn the Àma and flush it out of the system. Living a sedentary life leads to Àma. Reduce stress – yoga, meditation, tai chi, qi gong, etc. The Sanskrit word Àma means raw, uncooked, unprocessed metabolic waste. It is a morbid substance that becomes toxic to the system. °ma in the gastrointestinal tract is easy to eliminate, but Àma in the liver, dhÀtus (tissues) and cells can be very difficult to detoxify. Sources: Text book of Ayurveda: Volume 2 by Vasant Lad AÈÇÀðga HÃdayam by Vagbhatta http://www.antheasayurveda.com/ J I V A K A A Y U R V E D A ——————————————————————————————————————————————— 949-497-3134 [email protected] www.jivaka.com 2