When one or more of these doshas goes out of balance, disorders result. Some factors that can cause these doshas to become imbalanced are improper diet or eating habits, stress, pollution or the weather. Then, to restore good health, the dosha that has become imbalanced needs to be restored to its original make-up in that specific individual. In future presentations in this column I will discuss these doshas at greater length-how one can tell if one or more of them is not in balance and ways to restore balance. It has become common to associate Ayurveda just with superficial body-typing, based on the fact that every individual is born as a combination of one or more of the three doshas described above.
Proper digestion is crucial for good health.
If digestion is not optimal, toxins, called ama or digestive impurities, build up in the body and clog the channels of flow. Not just the blood vessels, but all the microcirculatory channels in the body as well as the energy pathways. Ama weakens the physiology, creating conditions fertile for disease and infection to take root. Panchakarma-are techniques designed to flush ama out of the physiology. Although single ayurvedic herbs and spices such as Brahmi, Turmeric and Ashwagandha are popular, I think that one of the most significant contributions offered by Ayurveda is the science of herbal combination-formulations that personify sanyoga, the fortuitous blending of a variety of herbs that results in a formulation offering the dual benefits of synergy and balance.