Welcome to Integrative Med's first interactive blog! You'll need a pen and a paper scrap to continue this test that will reveal what your tendencies say about your health. Choose the description on the right that is the closest match for your body and behaviors. When you tally your "V's," "P's," and "K's," you'll discover whether you are a strongly one type or that you are a dual or triple type!

Vata Types
The term "vata" comes from a root that means "to move." Vatas are like the wind, full of motion and resistant to routine. Vata individuals are excitable, alert, and quick to act. They love to change it up. Vatas are known to rearrange furniture, move city to city, and travel the world.

Dry, light, cold, rough, subtle, mobile, clear, and astringent are the main characteristics of Vata individuals. These attributes manifest in dry hair, thin body frames, light sleep, cold hands and feet, stiff muscles, rough skin, subtle fears and insecurities, shifting moods, open mindedness, clairvoyance, hiccoughs, and love of sweet sour, and salty foods.

When living in balance with their mental and physiological make up, Vatas are able to use their creativity, flexibility, and imaginations to live joyfully and happily.

A person with aggravated vata can become extremely anxious. Though mustering will power is sometimes difficult for vatas, it is essential that a person with strong vata tendencies stick to a routine.

Tips for Balancing Vata
- Stay warm
- Keep calm
- Avoid raw foods
- Avoid cold foods
- Eat warm foods and spices
- Keep a regular routine

Pitta Types
Pittas are fiery! "Pitta" is derived from the Sanskrit word "tapa," which means "to heat." A pitta person's body temperature is generally above the average 98.6 degrees. They've got strong appetites, metabolisms, and digestion to keep their internal furnace ablaze.

Hot, sharp, light, oily, liquid, spreading, sour, bitter, pungent, fleshy smell, red, and yellow are the main characteristics of pitta individuals. These attributes manifest as discomfort in warm weather, strong appetite, sharp memory, irritability, fair skin, oily hair, loose liquid stools, excess urine, sweat, and thirst, a tendency to develop rashes and inflammatory diseases, acidic pH, cynicism, nausea, heartburn, strong feelings of anger and hate, smelly armpits, breath and feet, flushed cheeks and nose, overproduction of bile, yellowish skin, and jaundice.

Pittas have keen, organized, penetrating minds. They have the drive to dig deep for facts and the logic to solve problems. Their talents make pittas natural leaders. They are often successful as doctors, engineers, lawyers and judges.

Their aptitude for taking charge can be problematic. When pitta is aggravated these individuals may become overly critical and judgmental of others or themselves. Pittas must practice keeping their cool whether it's by watching what they eat or by counting to ten before bursting into a tirade.

Tips for Balancing Pitta
- Avoid excessive heat
- Avoid excessive oil
- Limit salt intake
- Eat cooling, nonspicy foods
- Drink cool (but not iced) drinks
- Exercise during the cooler part of the day

Kapha Types
Kaphas are geared toward stability. Their bodies and minds work slowly and steadily. Kaphas tend to gain weight easily, because of their slow digestion and metabolism. They have strong muscles and heavy bones. They are loving, calm, and forgiving. Kaphas have the mental and physical resources to sustain the long life, if they maintain balance and health.

Heavy, slow, cool, oily, damp, smooth, dense, soft, static, viscous, cloudy, sweet, and salty are the main characteristics of kapha individuals. These attributes manifest in their large body frames, slow walking and talking, cold clammy skin, oily stools, lubricated joints, chest and head congestion, gentle nature, dense pad of fat, compassion and kindness, love of sitting, sleeping, and doing nothing, deep attachment in relationships, foggy mornings, and strong sexual desires.

Kaphas have great stamina and strength. Vigorous exercise is great for them, but they'd rather sit and relax. It's important that kaphas work to maintain balance, because their taste for sweets and fatty foods can lead to obesity. Problems like hypertension, diabetes, and heart attack are common among kaphas.

Tips for Balancing Kapha
- Get plenty of exercise
- Avoid heavy foods
- Keep active
- Vary your routine
- Avoid dairy foods
- Avoid iced food and drinks
- Avoid fatty or oily foods
- Eat light, dry food

LEARNING MORE AND TAKING ACTION
Now that you have a sense of your type or combination of types, put your knowledge to work while keeping in mind these two fundamental principles of Ayurveda:

1. Like increases like
2. Opposites decrease each other.

For example, if you are experiencing excess kapha, you can look to vitta tendencies to find healing behaviors. Kaphas who stay active like vittas and eat the fresh foods that vittas favor shake that sluggish, lazy feeling to achieve optimum health. Contact your naturopathic doctor to learn more on how you can achieve your best life by appreciating your unique mental and physiological make up.

Source: The complete Book of Ayrvedic Home Remedies by Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.Sc. Published 1998 by Three Rivers Press in New York, NY.
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Whatever it is that stresses you out, you can thank your cave-dwelling ancestors for those headaches, mood swings, and racing thoughts. Back then sticky palms were great for climbing, constricted blood vessels prevented blood loss in case of injury, and blood sugar surged to promote peak physical performance. A fight-or-flight response was extremely effective in the days of the saber tooth tiger, but in today's world stress symptoms can further complicate a tough situation.

Being on red alert can help. College students' "all-nighters" are a great example of how a stress response is helpful today. It isn't only coffee that keeps them working through the night, stress facilitates insomnia. For them, insomnia is a performance enhancer. After midterms and finals, they get a nice break to crash and recoup.

Stress is a dangerous habit and an easy one to fall into given the pace of today's work place and family environment. Doing for others all the time can deplete your body's resources and disturb its balance. Constant stress can lead to migraine headaches, heart burn, infertility, skin problems, asthma, obesity, and chronic pain to name a few.

Know your stressors, so you can nip imbalance in the bud. Only you are able to tell when "it's all too much" before it's too late. You might not feel like yourself for a host of reasons. Maybe you've become a grouch or maybe your appetite has vanished. Stress has as many manifestations as it has triggers. Coping with the illness of a loved one and adapting to married life are very different scenarios, but both are severe stressors for many.

If you're starting to feel frazzled, take time to remember yourself. Engaging your senses is the best way to center your focus and let outside demands drift away. These calming exercises should help stresses melt away:

- Take all that extra energy for a walk. It's a great way to burn off the adrenaline educed by stress, and walking will release calming endorphins back into your brain. The same is true of all exercise. So, if you're stressed--get moving!

- Aromatherapy on the go. Often, it's impractical to taking time out for meditation at work, but a quick sniff of lavender oil is a proven stress buster.

- Try a candle flame meditation. Light a candle in a dimly lit room and find a comfortable position seated in front of it. Focus on the flame. Allow your thought to arise and pass by. You might imagine that they are lifted away by the burning flame.

- Bathe your troubles away. A hot bath does wonders for your body and mind. Let the warm water relax your muscles and ease your mind. Go a step further and incorporate scented candles to engage sight and smell. One more step to bliss: bring a bowl of berries and a glass of wine to the tub.

If you've been experiencing severe stress for a long period of time, the cycle can be more difficult to break. An appointment with a naturopathic doctor will take about an hour, so that you can discuss options that are most suited for your symptoms and lifestyle. Alternatives like massage, acupuncture, yoga exercises, dietary changes, or nutritional supplements are a few paths to elevating your well-being.
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The liver performs over 500 known functions everyday. It operates as a chemical factory producing hormones, enzymes, and bile. It is a filter that neutralizes toxins and a "battery" that stores back-up nutrients. It's the largest internal organ in the human body, and it has the ability to regenerate itself fully, even if 75% the original liver is lost!

Liver cleansing as we know it today unites Egyptian, South American, and Chinese traditions that date back 1000 years. The Ancient Egyptians cleansed their livers monthly. For the five days following the full moon, a simple mixture of fresh squeezed lemon juice and light olive oil (just two tablespoons of each) was taken in the morning before eating. In South America, the local bitter Boldo tree leaves were steeped to create a tea that settles the stomach and rejuvenates the liver.

Traditional Chinese medicine expresses the importance of springtime liver cleansing with a lovely metaphor. Spring is known as the Season of the Wood Element. A healthy liver is like a tree swaying in the wind. The tree is flexible because proper nutrients are flowing to all areas of its trunk and branches. If the tree is unhealthy, a strong wind will snap off the branches cut-off from the plant's life force. A healthy liver ensures balanced blood flow, digestion, and emotions. An unhealthy liver is liable to snap like the dead branches of a tree. When the liver is stressed, it must neglects one or more of its jobs. It's said that 1 in 10 Americans suffers from an imbalanced liver and that the problem is only getting worse. Why? The American life is filled with foods and other toxins that tax the liver. Here are some the results :

Allergies
Anger
Chronic Stress
Constipation
Frustration
Hormonal Imbalance
Headaches
Lack of Energy
Migraines
PMS
Poor Digestion
Poor Sight
Skin Problems
Stiffness
Tight Muscles
Weak Immune System

Right now is the best time to start a cleansing program. Traditional Chinese medicine marks March 11-May 22 as the official bracket dates for the Season of the Wood Element. If this is your first time going on a liver cleansing diet, ease into your detoxification program. Warm up with an herbal formula. You might try the Ancient Egyptian's lemon juice and light olive oil mix. Then, eliminate alcohol, fried food, saturated fat, fast food, junk food, and processed foods. Foods to include are in tune with the season. Raw and fresh food are best, especially the following:

Artichoke
Beets
Bitter Melon
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Collard Green
Cauliflower
Dandelion Leaves
Fresh Parsley
Fruit Juice
Ginger
Kale
Lemon
Saffron
Turmeric
Watercress

Try this diet for 3 days if it's your first time on a liver cleansing diet. Experienced liver cleansers can go up to 14 days on this diet. In China, an angry person is said to have a dirty liver. Your clean liver will help you achieve mental clarity, relieve stress, increase energy, improve digestion, and bolster your immune system. As toxins leave your body, you'll begin to feel light and joy enter in. Remember to ease back into normal foods, especially greasy fatty foods that can cause cramping.
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