So a routine of daily abhyanga (self-massage), yoga including inversion & Surya Namaskara, pranyama (Nadi Shodhana, Ujjayi), and meditation would be appropriate, I gather. Ama (white coating) on the tongue would indicate gut biome out of whack and bad digestion?
Either you are a Ayurvedic practitioner or you have studied Ayurveda. I was very impressed with your reply. yes, all thos interventions are perfect and apt. Coating on tongue is bad digestion (according to Ayurveda and Chinese medicine) and one of the reasons could be poor gut microbiome. Warm/hot water kick starts the digestion thereby several digestive disturbances are alleviated.
Kitano wrote:Ram, interestingly my mom, who's between a 3/4 and 4/4, did yoga for decades, even her favorite, the plough into her late 80s. Now at 97, she has weekly massages as she can't get off the floor easily. So this practice is consistent with increasing CSF and lymphatic drainage.Time to get start on a practice my mom has nagged me to do for years! Just this year, I began the tongue brushing, another routine she's done for decades.
My best wishes to your mom. She would be a perfect role model for all of us as we enter those years. In Yoga and Ayurvedic systems, Massage (with warm oil) is a highly revered practice. Now we know why. It is one of the best methods to get the blood and lymph flowing especially against gravity.
I suggest using a U or V shaped metal tongue scraper/cleaner. Walgreens carry those.
Thank you for your participation and comments. I am 50 years, very fit and slim, exercising 5 or more days a week (racquetball, power walking, light weights). I've been thinking of purchasing an inversion table for a couple of years now and since reading your thoughts on the possible benefits of increased cerebral blood flow, this idea is gaining traction (pun intended!). I have considerable joint pain due to defective collagen and I think the inversion table would be of tremendous benefit to my neck, back AND brain. Is there any reason for me NOT to use an inversion table? Thank you!
I had mentioned the use of inversion table in my grant application for those that could not do yoga inversion. So yes, inversion table would be a perfect substitute. Check this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOMjnh8HaLw
Kim wrote:I am interested in why it is best to drink warm water. I know that it is common in some cultures (China comes to mind). Also, does drinking green tea in warm water "count."
As we grow older our digestion gets compromised. This can create all kinds of problems (according to Ayurveda and Chinese medicine) and one of the reasons could be poor gut microbiome. Warm/hot water kick starts the digestion thereby several digestive disturbances are alleviated. Green tea is warm water is a great way to incorporate green tea and the use of warm water. I do that daily.
Would using a foam roller accomplish the same thing as a massage with regard to stimulating the lymphatic system and increasing blood flow?
You said
Most importantly: Massage the entire body with the massage oil. Wait for 30 mins before having a shower. If you do not like oil on the body, do a dry massage. Massage helps stimulate the lymphatic system.
I've incorporated into my morning meditation the pose I see Muslims take in their daily prayer practice. I need to adde it through the day, even if I'm not taking special time out for meditation.Due to weak connective tissue I can no longer do yoga inversions, and I can't sit back on my heels, but the part of this practice where the head comes forward to the floor while the hips are off of the feet is a very gentle one I can do. With weak connective tissue I'm very leery of inversion tables, unless the slant is kept minimal, then I'd think they are useful for those of us with weak connective tissue.
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
rrao2015 wrote: Either you are a Ayurvedic practitioner or you have studied Ayurveda. I was very impressed with your reply. yes, all thos interventions are perfect and apt. Coating on tongue is bad digestion (according to Ayurveda and Chinese medicine) and one of the reasons could be poor gut microbiome. Warm/hot water kick starts the digestion thereby several digestive disturbances are alleviated.
Dr. Ram, I'm not a practitioner. I've meditated for 25 years and have studied Ayurveda to some extent, though not recently. Even took a self-pulse reading course. It didn't dawn on me till recently about ama - tongue coating & biome. I used to have coating but couldn't figure out how to get rid of it. More recently my mouth biome efforts seem to be paying off with a pink tongue. I recently also correlated many pranayama techniques, such as ujjayi (inhale and exhale very slowly with constricted glottis), with Buteyko breathing. The objective being 1) nasal breathing and 2) increasing the serum CO2 levels (and the CO2 level which will trigger the "air hunger" or "out of air" signal from the brain). Also being able to exercise with closed mouth and the constricted glottis on exhale, including high intensity interval training. Hence moving the CO2 "bar" for the "air hunger" signal. I look at oil or dry skin massage, yoga and pranayama as preparation for meditation. Meditation being more effective when the muscle tension is removed and brain is more relaxed due to the breathing exercises. In fact some kriya meditation techniques also increase serum CO2 levels as they are breath oriented. Likewise, this machine http://www.resperate.com/ has been approved by the FDA as an adjunct for blood pressure treatment. All it really does is time your breaths/minute and the objective is <10 breaths/minute for a total of 15 minutes. Again it is stopping overbreathing and increasing serum CO2 levels.
Rep, I use a foam roller on the base of my skull for relief of pain. Now that we know the lymphatic system extends upward into the brain, I feel certain I am stimulating that system.
I did buy an inversion table, however I have a new concern. When I received my 23andme results I discovered (and it has been confirmed by my geneticist) that I have much higher risk for intracranial aneurysm according to newest research. (I completely forgot about it until I was hanging upside down and it felt like my head was going to explode.) This risk is in addition to my connective tissue disease and female gender. I wonder if the double apoe4 would come into play with the "leaky blood brain barrier" when hanging upside down? I really want to keep and use the table but I'm feeling conflicted and indecisive. I can find very little research on this and intracranial pressure.
Silver, do you actually know if you have a berry aneurysm? They often can be seen on MRI. The ones too small to show on MRI are at lower risk of bleeding than the bigger ones.
These are the thingies that usually cause intracranial haemorrhage in the otherwise healthy person. Higher blood pressure is a risk for them popping. And intuitively so would a connective tissue disorder.
Stavia, I'm pretty sure I'm clear with no berry. I did show up with a venous angioma on my mri a few years ago when they were checking out some weird nerve issues. Apparently a small percentage of people are born with this anatomic brain anomaly. I feel as if I should be renamed "5%" as I have several unusual findings, found in a minority of the population, always between 2 and 5 percent. I'm convinced I'm just special lol. Thanks for your input. At this point, I'm keeping the inversion table because I hate to waste the financial investment. I'll use it at a moderate incline.
