Of the three doshas described in Ayurvedic medicine, Pitta is the one that is associated with water and fire. The interplay of these elements creates a transformative property and is associated with processes such as digestion and detoxification. When Pitta is too hot, the Ayurvedic practitioner will look to cooling herbs to bring the body back into balance. Traditionally, Pitta imbalance is generally characterized by night sweats, irritated skin, and anger. Western trained providers tend to think about systems involved in the presentation of an illness, such as the nervous or endocrine system, as do providers trained in Eastern disciplines...

The air feels warmer and the sun is shining brighter. As many people have noticed, the skin feels different than it did in winter, feeling itching, tight, or extra dry or oily. Winter is governed by the doshas Kapha and Vata. Cold, dry, rough, heavy, dense, slow, and cloudy qualities have followed us for months. Ama, or toxins, accumulated during winter start to move with the increased Vata energies of mobile, subtle, clear of spring. Without proper detoxing, these qualities can stay in the skin, despite the growing pitta qualities outside. With the renewed feeling that spring brings, we all...

Notice the shifting of weather, the fluctuations between cold and hot, the days getting longer. Spring is breaking through! As this week is officially spring, we are reminded of new life and the budding of dormant beings. Men and women attempt to clear out the clutter of winter and the sluggishness the cold creates. The body feels heavy and slow but as spring melts away the fatigue of winter, many couples think about growing their own families during the season of growth. This month, we focus on fertility for the couple. Spring is a tridoshic time of the year. Vata...