Back in the
day, before we knew about things like kidney failure and bacteria, the body was
thought to be made up of humors. Black bile, yellow bile, blood, and phlegm.
Creative. But ultimately based on pretty much nothing but human creativity.
Thanks, Hippocrates.
So, with
time, medicine started basing itself on things like, you know, facts, and the
humoral system went by the wayside.
Except
traditional medicine didn’t get the memo. And let’s face it, the humoral system
is appealing, thinking of the body as a holistic system in delicate balance.
Certainly feels more intuitive than the complex intersection of biology and
physics known as modern physiology.
But therein
lies the beauty of the humoral system: it organizes the way we think about
our bodies. Whether or not this bears out in a lab is besides the point.
Traditional medicine and its focus on balance, diet, and the mind-body connection
bridges a pretty significant gap in the modern medical model.
Which
brings us to doshas. Ayurveda divides the body into three humors, vata (air),
pitta (fire), and kapha (earth). Like a simplified Captain Planet. Keeping
these doshas in balance is vital to health. They are also used to describe
tastes, seasons, and personality traits. Too much of one? Balance it with the
opposite.
Also, fair
warning, like a new mother, ayurveda seems to have an obsession with bowel
movements.
Vata: cold, windy; dryness, constipation, weight
loss, insomnia, anxiety, cold-intolerance; thin, light, flexible, easily
distracted, energetic, excitable; associated with the colder portions of autumn
and early winter
Pitta: hot; rashes, heartburn,
indigestion, heat intolerance; medium weight and build, strong sexual drive,
short-tempered, argumentative, witty, outspoken; associated with summer and the
earlier, warm portions of autumn
Kapha: cold, wet; weight gain, depression, allergies,
congestion; stubborn, loyal, patient, strong, likes following a set routine;
associated with spring and early summer
Most people
are made up of a combination, and are dominant in one or two. Take the fun quiz
to find out what your dosha(s) might be here.
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