Balance your mind, body and spirit Decrease stress Possibly prevent and cure disease Ayurvedic therapists

think we are all made up of 3 elements known as doshas. These are

Air and space (vata dosha , which allows movement !ire and water (pitta dosha , which allows chan"e or transformation and is responsible for di"estion and metabolism #ater and earth (kapha dosha , which "ives structure or cohesion These 3 doshas allow all the or"ans of the body to work to"ether in harmony. They also create your relationship with the environment and universe (cosmos . Therapists believe we usually have stron" features of one dosha, but the others also influence us. $ur health is directly dependent on the correct balance of all 3.
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People with cancer using ayurvedic medicine

People with cancer often use touch therapies such as massa"e and aromatherapy. %any people say these therapies help them to cope better with cancer and its treatment. But we don&t know much about some of the treatments that are part of ayurvedic medicine, such as special diets and herbal remedies. These treatments could be harmful to your health or interfere with your conventional treatment. Always check with your doctor before you start usin" any type of complementary or alternative treatment. 't is also very important to find out all you can about any therapy before decidin" to use it. (ook in our complementary therapy section for more information about why you should tell your doctor if you are usin" any type of therapy.
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Research into Ayurvedic medicine

Ayurvedic medicine involves the use of several types of therapies and people use it for many different types of illness. )ome of these therapies, such as massa"e, may lower stress and help you to rela*. %ore than +,, herbs and plants are used in ayurvedic medicine. )ome early laboratory and animal research su""ests that compounds taken from traditional ayurvedic medicines may be able to slow the "rowth of cancer in animals. 'n America in +,-- researchers took a compound called #ithaferin A (#A from the ayurvedic medicinal plant #ithania somnifera. They found that in the laboratory #ithaferin A stopped the "rowth of some types of breast cancer cells. 't also stopped the "rowth of breast cancer in mice. )everal other studies support these findin"s.

An 'ndian study in +,-- looked at sela"inella bryopteris, a traditional 'ndian herb referred to as )an.eevani. 't found that compounds taken from the herb stopped the "rowth of cancer cells in the laboratory. The compound also reduced the development of skin tumours in mice. A /) research study also in +,-- looked at acetyl0--0keto0beta0boswellic acid (A1BA taken from the "um resin of the boswellia serrata known as salai "u""al or 'ndian frankincense. Traditionally, this substance has been used in ayurvedic medicine to treat inflammatory conditions. The researchers found that A1BA slowed the "rowth of bowel cancers in mice and made the cancer less likely to spread. The man"osteen fruit has a lon" history of medicinal use in 2hinese and Ayurvedic medicine. 3ecently, the compound alpha0man"ostin taken from the outside layer of the fruit was shown to kill various types of cancer cells in laboratory studies. This led 4apanese researchers to test alpha0man"ostin in mice. The substance slowed the "rowth of breast cancer in mice and it was much less likely to spread to the lymph nodes. Althou"h this early research looks promisin", there is no evidence that ayurvedic medicine can prevent, treat or cure cancer in humans. #e won&t really know whether ayurvedic medicine is helpful for cancer patients until lar"e randomised clinical trials have been carried out.
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What Ayurvedic medicine involves

To decide on a plan of treatment your practitioner will take your medical history and assess your doshas. To do this they e*amine your ton"ue, lips, and nails. They look inside your eyes, ears, nostrils and mouth. They may also e*amine your back passa"e (rectum and "enital area. They listen to your lun"s and heart, and take your pulse. The practitioner will also take into account your emotions, your relationships with other people and even the season and time of the day. They hope to be able to balance all these factors in your life and restore or maintain your health and well bein". They will then discuss which treatments will help you most. 5our relationship with your practitioner is very important. They are responsible for creatin" a safe settin" in which you can both work to"ether and decide on your treatment. 'f you don6t feel comfortable with anythin" that your practitioner is doin" it is important that you try and discuss this with them. (ook in our complementary therapy section for information about dealin" with difficulties with your practitioner.
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Possible side effects of Ayurvedic medicine

Dependin" on which treatments you use, you may have some side effects. )ome herbal medicines are safe, but not all. There is very little published information on the herbal

remedies used by ayurvedic therapists, so always let your doctor know before takin" any of them. )ome common herbs may have dan"erous side effects if you take them with cancer treatments. There is more about the safety of herbal products durin" cancer treatment in our section about complementary and alternative therapies. !ollowin" certain diets when you have cancer is not always safe either. A"ain, be sure to ask your doctor before startin" on any diet. (ook in our about complementary therapy section for more information about the safety of alternative diets. 5o"a, rela*ation techni7ues and massa"e are "enerally fairly safe. /nless you have problems with your muscles and bones, most doctors would not worry about their patients usin" these therapies alon"side their conventional treatments. )ome methods of ayurvedic medicine can be very harmful. Blood lettin" can be dan"erous for anyone, and especially for people who are ill. Because of their disease or treatment, many people with cancer already have low blood counts. (ow blood cell counts can cause fati"ue, breathlessness and other symptoms. 3emovin" blood will make these symptoms worse. !orced vomitin" is unhealthy and can upset the levels of salt and minerals in your body. Takin" re"ular enemas and medicines to clear your bowel is known to cause side effects. )ome can be serious and potentially fatal. )ide effects include

'nfections 2onstipation 'nflammation of the bowel )alt and other mineral imbalances in the body 5ou should never use enemas or la*atives to clear your bowel if you have abdominal pain, vomitin" or feel sick. Always ask your doctor first. #e advise anyone with cancer not to rely totally on ayurvedic medicine and not to avoid conventional medical help.