Dear reader, today we are embarking on a trip into the world of Ayurveda! Let's get acquainted with ancient Indian knowledge about health, learn new English vocabulary and listen to the golden rules for a healthy, long life! This is definitely life-changing stuff - let's go!

Some information in advance: The word "Ayurveda" is Sanskrit and is composed of the words "ayur" (life) and "veda" (knowledge. Therefore, we are dealing with nothing less than the "knowledge of life". The roots of this science goes back to the Vedic high culture of the old Indian times, where people have documented their findings about medicine and health through thousands and thousands of years of medical practice and research. Archaeologists from the University of Missouri-Columbia have proven that ancient Indians were able to treat toothache as early as 7000 BC, because small holes were found in teeth from this time, which were probably filled with herbal healing pastes. At that time, Indian doctors were already able to precisely describe human anatomy and the digestive system and blood circulation. It is amazing how oftentimes we ignorantly look at the supposedly primitive life forms of our forefathers and mothers (I am totally including myself right now) - but when you get to know Ayurveda, you realize that with our current medical knowledge we stand on the shoulders of giants... the giants and giants of past millennia.

The essence of Ayurveda

The special thing about Ayurvedic Health Science is its holistic view and its constant focus on the central question: "What is the cause of the disease and how can healing take place sustainably?" Superficial symptom treatments are not found in Ayurveda. Human beings are taken as the multi-layered beings that they are, as a unity of body, mind and soul. I personally think that's really great! According to the Ayurvedic view, the linchpin of health is digestion, because we consist of the substances we absorb - and either they built us up ... or drain us. For this reason, I have done a 21-day retreat at the Ayurvedic Treatment Center of the Madukkakuzhy family in Kerala, which is lead in 9th Generation by Ayurveda doctors. All herbal medicines are produced in the in-house pharmacy and all guests receive individually cooked food every day. During my heavenly stay there, I heard these words over and over again which are now firmly integrated into my English vocabulary:

Bowel Movement – Constipation – Bowel Cleansing

The Ayurveda doctor Dr. Robin Maddukakuzhy asks me every morning during the consultation if I had a "bowel movement" and this means as much as whether I excreted the food eaten properly in the morning in the optimal consistency (soft) on the toilet. If you say "no" it promptly triggers worry lines on Dr. Robin's forehead and the conclusion is clear that I suffer from "constipation". If the digestion does not run optimally, toxins accumulate in the body and there is only one solution for this problem: Bowel Cleansing. The conversations in the Ayurveda Retreat generally revolves a lot around the topic of intestines and bowel movements and Dr. Jobin Maddukakuzhy, Medical Director of the Ayurveda Treatment Center and brother of Dr. Robin explains to me jokingly: "In Ayurveda medicine, no one asks you how was your food, only how was your shit." We both laugh and then he explains to me how the bowel cleansing will work for me. Gulp.

Jump into the future: 21 days later I leave the Ayurveda Retreat and have a wide smile on my face, a radiantly clean skin (THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU), a purring digestion, 1.3 kilos of toxins and body sloof less, a clear mind, a high energy level and a lot of knowledge on how I can maintain this health peak of my life in the long term. I'll tell you guys, with this knowledge I'll easily be 100 years old!

At the request of the Maddukakuzhys and because I found my time there so enriching, I made a video testimonial, which can be found on Instagram and YouTube:

Golden rules for a healthy, long life

Finally, I'd like to give you a few golden rules for a healthy, long life. These are universal principles with which you can do yourself a lot of good:

• In the morning after getting up, drink 1-2 glasses of warm water to boost the digestive fire. Gladly also with lemon or ginger slices, which has an additional laxative effect 
• Eat warm food for breakfast, because it is much easier to digest for the still sensitive and cold stomach in the early morning (e.g. porridge with steamed fruit). Attention: fresh fruit and cold milk breakfast is twice problematic: the fresh fruit contains acid, which is difficult to digest for the morning stomach. Therefore, it is better to eat fruit steamed or in the afternoon when the digestive fire is at its peak. And acid combined with milk coagulated in the stomach and this is a digestive nightmare and not recommended
• At noon should be the main meal of the day, because the digestive fire burns the strongest here
• In the evening until 7:30 p.m. at the latest, take the last and lightest meal of the day, e.g. vegetable soup, so that our body can use its energy for healing processes overnight and does not have to work hard
• The periods of meals should be about the same every day, so that the stomach can adjust to them and this saves energy 
• No more snacks after eating, which stresses the stomach, as it is constantly digesting and has to process differently displaced food porridge in parallel
• Do not combine hot food with cold drinks or cold dishes (e.g. no cold fruits, raw vegetables or cold salads for lunch) - this freezes the digestive fire. Room-warm drinks or salads are better
• Drink warm water in individual sips with each meal so that the liquid does not dilute the stomach acid too much and does not hinder the digestive process
• The combination of milk and fish, fish and meat and different types of meat at the same time are not recommended for consumption, as they are also incompatible in their properties and difficult to digest for the stomach

Here we now end our little trip into the world of Ayurveda - I recommend everyone to do an Ayurveda retreat sometime in the course of your live and to give your body this gift of ultimate health self-care. If you want to learn more about Ayurveda, the Maddukakuzhy family and their work:

www.ayurveda-kerala.org (Ayurveda Main Center in India, Parathodu)

https://www.ayurveda-deutschland.org/ihr-aufenthalt/ (German branches in Bad Kissingen and Bad Bocklet)

Enjoy the Healing Enjoy the Healing (that's what Dr. Robin said every day at the end of the consultation 😁),

Your Salome