DO YOU HAVE AMA? ~ the root of all imbalance?

What is AMA?

Ama is a Sanskrit word that translates to "uncooked" or "undigested".

Ama is the residual waste that lingers in our body, and is the by-product of incomplete digestion.

Essentially, we should start fresh each day with no lingering waste from the day before.

In Ayurveda, ama is the root cause of disease.

I think the word disease has become known as such an intense word, but really the word when broken down is dis-ease.. the inability for our body to passively function happily.

Just that simple, ama is the root cause of disease, should be an easy fix then?

There is an optimistic idea that our body naturally cleans and restores itself, given the time, nutrients and energy. However, if we do not give our body the time, nutrients and energy to do so, ama begins to build up. This build up can occur each day, building up until our body, months, years behind, begins to show symptoms of dis-ease.

What next?

Ama presents itself in the form of mucus, bacteria, inflammation, fat- all that nasty stuff we consider a nuisance. Over time, ama inhibits regulatory processes, absorption of nutrients, and increases the overgrowth of bacteria / viruses- it is believed in traditional medicine that the accumulation of ama is what forms plaque, tumours, cysts, etc.

Do YOU have AMA?

First off, ask yourself: do you have any of the symptoms listed above?

Next, it's time to figure out why ama is remaining inside the body instead of flushing away each night during our natural detoxification and regeneration cycles. For that I would recommend meeting with a specialist whether it is a nutritionist, naturopath or MD who can support you in the right direction, clearing your body's natural path to healing.

Traditional remedies to flush excess ama:

Fast

• Allow your body to have time to finish its last meal, this will completely use up waste.

• Space out your meals for at least 4 hours, this allows time for optimal digestion.

• Get active/go for a walk in between eating times.

• Stretch out the torso of your body in between eating times.

Drink detoxifying plants:

• Quality coffee

• Quality teas

• Burdock root

• Dandelion root

• Ginger root

• Turmeric root

• Fresh cilantro and parsley

• Seaweeds (I like to take spirulina tablets as a multivitamin)

• Beets

• Cabbage

Add spices into your life:

• Cinnamon

• Cardamom

• Clove

• Black pepper

• Nutmeg

• Chili

• Curry

• Drink chai

• Sea salt

• In general cook and season with fresh spices and herbs, try grounding them yourself for maximum active potency.

Consume healing oils like:

• Homemade ghee

• Pastured butter

• Simmered whole milk with spices

• Simmered coconut milk with spices

• 100% olive oil

• Quality active whole milk yogurt

Consume alkaline acids like:

• Kombucha

• Lemon, lime

• Raw fresh fruits and vegetables

• Fermented veggies

• Unpasteurized apple cider vinegar

Learn about Ayurveda, "the Science of Life", here.

Thanks for reading!

Samantha