Cool Your Jets! It's Pitta Season!
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Summer is the season of pitta dosha. Since all of us are prone to more heat-related issues in the summer, here are some signs of excess heat and a few simple, cooling remedies.
The main sites of pitta are: small intestine, gray matter of the brain, sweat glands, liver, spleen, gallbladder, blood, eyes and skin...so it's typical to see signs of pitta imbalance manifesting in any (or all, but I hope not!) of these body parts.
Typical signs of increased pitta dosha are:
sensations of heat, loose stools or diarrhea, acid indigestion, ulcers, heartburn, excessive perspiration, burning or red eyes, oily skin, acne, rashes, hives, inflammatory disorders, infections, nausea, irritability, anger, hate, jealousy, criticism.
Do any of these sound like you? Not to worry. Help is at hand!
Simple tips for cooling pitta dosha:
· Stop eating spicy, sour, salty, fried and fermented foods right this instant. Put citrus fruits, eggplant, tomatoes, cooked spinach, yogurt, vinegar, aged cheeses, pickles and nuts aside. Also, stay away from alcohol and caffeine. All of these increase heat.
· Start eating berries, cherries, coconut, melon, red grapes, greens (kale, arugula, romaine, broccoli), cucumber and dairy. Drink coconut water, mint tea and pomegranate juice (I love pom brand pomegranate-cherry juice!).
· Make sure to eat frequently enough to keep your blood sugar even. Pitta types often become hypoglycemic when hungry which makes them irritable and crabby. Be sure you have snacks in your handbag, car or desk drawer!
·Do daily self massage with coconut or pitta oil. Apply sandalwood oil, jasmine or pitta perfume to your bellybutton.
·Spray yourself, your room, your bed sheets, your clothes with rose water or cooling aromatherapy blends.
·Wear white, light blue, violet and other "cool" colors. Silver and pearls are also considered cooling.
·Directly from the ancient texts: Drink cool milk out of a silver cup. Take a moonlight stroll by a lake or river. Mingle with agreeable friends who help cool pitta's fiery nature.
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NEW! Supplement Recommendations
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Until recently, I haven't been sold, for various reasons, on the idea of taking supplements. Then I started to see more and more compelling information presented by medical authorities I trust in these matters, especially Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. David Amen. I still firmly believe in eating a clean, dosha-appropriate diet and responsible use of herbs as first lines of defense but well-researched, excellent-quality supplements have their place in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
The main reasons I'm convinced we need supplementation are:
Degradation of food quality -- soil depletion, pesticides, processing and environmental pollution are all factors leading to food that is less nutritious than ever. It's no longer possible to get the nutrients we need from food alone.
Stress and lifestyle choices -- Stress can deplete your energy, lead to acceleration of the aging process and worsening of degenerative diseases. Drinking coffee and alcohol and taking certain medications can also be depleting.
Since not all supplements are created equal and they can be very confusing to sort out (it's like you need a PhD to enter the vitamin aisle at the health food store), I'm going to write about those I feel are most essential, one at a time, in forthcoming newsletters.
I've partnered with a supplement "aggregator" selling products handpicked by Dr. Mark Hyman. This is crucially important as I'll be the first to tell you that I'm no expert in the field of supplements but I do my share of reading and learning. I've further culled the selection to present only those supplements I find most useful--many contain ayurvedic and western herbs. These are the highest-quality supplements available and sold only by health-care professionals.
The site is: http://karenklutznick.healthylivingshop.com
In order to use the site, you have to register and enter "karenklutznick" in the "Provider" box.
You'll see the supplements sorted by category on the left side. I can't control these categories and my pitta mind craves the ability to arrange them differently. They also don't list all the products I've chosen to sell. You can use the alphabetical listing to browse and see everything.
Not all of my supplement recommendations will come from this site because Dr. Hyman doesn't have everything I recommend, I have a few nutritional tricks of my own up my sleeve!
This month, I want to talk about basic multi-vitamin/mineral products. Not every person needs to take every supplement I'll be discussing here but this is actually essential for everyone. Your food, even if you're growing it yourself, organically, and eating it fresh out of the ground, isn't going to give you enough basic nutrition.
Here are my picks:
· Multi Thera 1 Capsules -- Don't let the "1" in the name fool you...the daily dose is 6 capsules. This is the one I ordered for myself. It's a good, balanced multi-vitamin that's reasonably priced. Six capsules contain 800 iu of vitamin D3 so, if you're taking another D3 supplement, be sure to take this into account.
· UltraNutrient -- This is another well-rounded multi-vitamin that requires 4-6 capsules a day. It contains hawthorn berry (cardiovascular support), turmeric (anti-inflammatory, tumor inhibitor), milk thistle (liver support) and ginger (digestive support). If you overheat easily, especially in the summer, heating herbs like ginger and turmeric may cause you trouble.
· VitaPrime -- VitaPrime is a good basic, pared-down formula (but still far better than your basic drugstore-brand vitamin) that only requires you to take 2 tablets a day.
· VitaTab Chewable -- Great for kids over 4 years of age and adults who don't like to swallow pills. I haven't tasted them but they've been formulated "with the finicky palates of children in mind".
Lastly, in the Wellness Packets section, there are daily supplement offerings containing all the basics plus more (things like EFAs, additional calcium and magnesium, liver support, etc.) in daily, single-serving packets. There's Wellness Essentials, Wellness Essentials for Women, Wellness Essentials for Men, Wellness Essentials for Pregnancy and Wellness Essentials for Blood Sugar Support.
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Recipe: Cooling Cucumber Milk
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There are several particularly cooling beverages suitable for hot summer days and elevated pitta. If you have signs/symptoms discussed above, it's very simple to incorporate these into your daily routine. Coconut water, grape juice, cherry juice and pomegranate juice are examples. This one is especially cooling and delicious. It's meant to be used in moderation, not as an everyday beverage...unless you really, really have a problem with heat.
CUCUMBER MILK
1/2 cucumber, peeled
1 cup of cold milk
1 pinch of sugar
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve chilled.
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 Love,
Karen Klutznick
312.445.8532
KK AYURVEDA
KK@KKAyurveda.com
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