Yoga & Ayurveda Blog

Pleasant touch (via massage or gentle strokes) has also been found to increase the level of oxytocin. Being very precise, we do not yet have any scientific trials documenting what happens to the oxytocin level in the person who gives the massage or provides the pleasant touch, in this case the mother or the father. However, the typical oxytocin effects (lower blood pressure and reduction in stress hormones) have been found in the person giving the massage, suggesting that the level of oxytocin...

The primary conscious behavior or thought process that increases oxytocin is caring for another. Appreciation, generous touch, gratitude, and emotional connections with others also raise oxytocin levels. In addition, oxytocin appears to be behind many of the health benefits from meditation, massage and acupuncture.

Fats are one of the most misunderstood areas in the diet. Most people are concerned with how much fat they are eating. But it's not the amount of fat which is killing America and bankrupting our health care system. It's where the fats come from, how we process them and how we disrespect their properties that are contributing to our national health crisis.

There are three major factors affecting one's relationship to fats: the processing (karana), the quantity (rasi) and the inherent nature...

Knowledge of how to create a healthy pregnancy and what to avoid is a traditional part of ayurvedic medicine. While a complete discussion is too much for a simple article, here I have identified 15 practices that should be avoided by all pregnant women. These become even more important in high risk pregnancies. (Please share this article with any woman who is pregnant or may become pregnant – it could make all the difference in the world!)

1. Avoid Aggressive Exercise: Aggressive exercise...

Abstract: Effect of antibacterial honey on the ocular flora in tear deficiency and meibomian gland disease.

Purpose: To assess for differences in the ocular flora of patients with dry eye caused by tear deficiency and/or meibomian gland disease and to assess the effect of antibacterial honey on the ocular flora in these forms of dry eye.

Methods: In this prospective, open-label pilot study, bacteria isolated from the...

Prostate cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation are often untargeted and can entail serious health risks. However, a new treatment method may sidestep some of these health consequences by using gold molecules to destroy cancer cells.

A description of the unique method appears in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Unlike many traditional chemotherapeutic treatments, which release toxic chemicals into the bloodstream, the new technique employs...

Each gold-based molecule is covered with peptide chains that facilitate binding to the cancerous cells. Without these chains, the molecules would be quite toxic. However, once injected into the blood, these golden compounds—which are shaped like popcorn—snare up to 50 cancer cells around them.

The researchers who developed the technique said that physicians may then expose these clusters to surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, which is a medical imaging process that allows doctors...

The December 14, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association included a report of research done at Harvard by a team led by Robert B. Saper, MD, MPH,(1) that exploded across the U.S. and even overseas. The news resulted in worried patients calling their Ayurvedic practitioners for assurance that their recommended herbal protocols were not those containing toxic metals. In turn, practitioners were turning to their herbal suppliers for confirmation that the herbs they offered were...

When the patient is strong and the disease is weak, use panchakarma directly.

When the patient is weak and the disease is strong, strengthen the patient and weaken the disease before doing panchakarma.

From Dr. Robert E. Svoboda