Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary

Is Your Food Giving You A Mood Disorder?

Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary, MD, author of “The Prime” and “Sound Medicine,”​​says what you eat could be causing your mood disorder, but consulting your dosha could help. Dr. Chaudhary is an internationally recognized expert in the ancient practice of Ayurvedic medicine (pronounced eye-yur-vayda and translated to “knowledge of life”); a practice that believes everyone has a set body type and energy that comes along with it called your dosha. She says whether you are feeling anxious, irritable, depressed, restless or empty could have a lot to do with your dosha type and what you are eating.

Author of The Prime and Sound Medicine books.  drkulreetchaudhary.com.  Expertise in neurology and Ayurveda medicine.

What is yoda medicine from 7.000 years ago?

Western thinks about time as linear.  Eastern thinks time wraps on itself, is cyclic, honors wisdom from times past.

Star Wars movie is based on yoda medicine. 

We are layers of energy, each energy field has different qualities.  Physical body is densest form of our energy.  Food impacts the mind and the mind impacts the food we eat.

Dosha – mind/body type.  Changing our food changes our neurology.  Doing all the right things can be bad if it’s not right for your dosha.

Ayurvedic concept of Ama – mental or physical debris stashed in your body.  Could be an undigested experience in life.  Older you are, the more it becomes seated and integrated.

Choose appropriate food and herbs, but also simultaneously release the underlying program associated with a disease.  Can explain instantaneous healing.

Where is the memory of the disease being carried on?  In your mind.

Use the body to heal the mind.  First get the body stronger first, get digestion in order.  Use herbs that change mind from inside out, e.g. Shankhpushpi , ashwaganda.  Then meditation, EMDR,  life span integration therapy. 

When the brain changes its pattern, the body changes.  Changing the body first is easier than changing the mind.   Using will power first is the difficult way.

Don’t get into a space of having to police yourself.  Ask how you feel, then ask what you need to do to feel better.  Stack the deck in your favor.

What type am I?  Not all things work for all people equally.  Yet there are certain patterns we see.  Vata, pita, kapha doshas.

Vata – composed of elements of space and air.  Pita –  Fire and water.    Kapha – Water and earth.

Vata – when in balance: talkative, enthusiastic, creative.  Out of balance – anxiety, constipation, insomnia.

Pita – Very energetic, goal oriented, determined.  Out of balance –  angry, impatient, inflammatory conditions.

Kapha – Winnie the Pooh,  easy going, loyal, taking life as it comes.  Out of balance – overweight, lethargic, depressed, Eeyore.

Usually one dosha is dominant, a second dosha can come close.  80% are a combination of two.  Age, life events, seasons can throw off.  What factors bring it in balance or out of balance?

What is your tendency in certain circumstances?  Dynamic relationship with your environment.  Can start with foods.  Food influences the mind.  You will think the way you eat.  Food Influences our microbiome and neurotransmitters.

Fermented foods worsen pita. 

Know your body mind type.  Gets rid of the guesswork.  Just changing a few core habits and foods can help balance the dosha. 

It’s liberating.  Understand your own narrative so you are in control.  We are not broken, just embrace who we are without judgement.  Nurture those qualities.

Story of changing a patient from being a jerk to not by honoring the patient’s dosha.

Vata – cook with ginger and cumin, ghee.

Pita – aloe vera juice (1 tsp), add amla powder into foods.

Kapha – black pepper, cloves, cinnamon.  Tends to be stagnant.

Costco has grass fed ghee from New Zealand.  Ghee is a medicine in Ayurveda.  Relieves anxiety.  If you can’t sleep, rub ghee on the bottom of your feet at night and put socks on.

If you understand yourself better and make better food choices, the supply will be there.

Vatas are afraid of losing creativity, but instead become more focused and efficient when balanced.  Turn into a laser beam.  Become more productive, more you.

How about addictions like alcohol?  Her book The Prime helps with food addictions and all addictions.  The gut is involved in all addictions.  Need to reprogram the mind using herbs, e.g. brahmi, ashwaganda.

Involved now with Dr. Sinatra’s Healthy Directions supplement company.  Teaches people about Ayurveda.  Provide key herbs, which are exposed to ancient healing sounds.  Available this summer. 

Listener: I am kapha with high blood pressure.  Kapha responds well to diet.  If you eat properly, everything gets better.  Minimize sugar, animal products, dairy.  Eat more vegan diet. 

Tea of cumin, coriander, fennel – 1 tsp each, boil in 4 cups of water, strain, sip throughout the day.  Balances all doshas, especially good for kapha.

Is high blood pressure due to dehydration?  Depends on the dosha.  Vata runs dry, so increased hydration would help them. 

Listener is vata with constipation.  Classic vata issue.  Take triphala at her recommended dosing.  Reestablishing gut wisdom and microbiota.  

Is ghee in coffee okay?  Yes, but then reduce the coffee and keep the ghee.  Substitute dandelion root.  Mushrooms not used so much in Ayurvedic.  A heating food.  Are living off the energy of the dying.  Not used long term in Ayurveda.

Dosha quiz on her website, drkulreetchaundary.com.

Dr. Chaundhary