Revised on 10/19/22
In This Article
How I Keep My Family (and Patients) Healthy
While raising six children, my wife and I quickly found out the importance of keeping them healthy. When one gets sick, they all get sick. Months could go by nursing them all back to health.
My book, Perfect Health for Kids is my story of how we did in fact six raise very healthy kids. It touches on all of the home remedies and tricks of the trade I learned along the way.
I of course deal with this almost daily with clients—advising people, and parents, on how to boost immunity, especially as the seasons change.
This below story about an adorable little boy who wanted to stop missing school. Aaron was an 8-year-old whose mom brought him to see me for a check-up before he went back to school one year.
Aaron is a vata body type and, come fall and winter, vata types are more prone to getting out of balance with frequent immune events.
The vata dosha is governed by the air element that predominates in the winter. If you live in the North, you’ve experienced the dry air that comes each fall and winter, bringing its unwelcome side effect of dry skin. What many people don’t realize is that if skin is dry on the outside, it is most likely dry on the inside, too. For vata types like Aaron, this happens mostly in the respiratory and digestive tracts during the dry winter months.
This is how I explained it to Aaron and his mom:
Dr. John: Aaron, does your skin ever get dry and flaky?
Aaron: I think so!
Dr. John: Just like you have skin on the outside, you also have skin inside your mouth, nose, and even your tummy. In the winter, when you get dry skin, the inside skin can dry out, too. The difference is that when the skin on the outside gets dry, it gets flaky, and your mom makes you put on lotion or rubs oil on your skin, right?
Aaron: Yes, I hate that stuff!
Dr. John: Ok, so here is the tricky part… When the skin on the inside gets dry during fall and winter, we can’t just put lotion on it, can we?
Aaron: Nope.
Dr John: On the inside, the body actually makes its own lotion; it’s called mucus!
Aaron: Yuck!
Dr John: The mucus is actually good! It keeps us from drying out on the inside. When it gets too dry, it is called a vata imbalance and it can make your feel bad. Have you ever had trouble going poo or it just takes a long time to go?
After a quick embarrassing look at his mom.
Aaron said: Well yes, sometimes.
Mom chimes in: Actually, it is not uncommon for him to miss days before he goes.
Dr. John: Aaron, that’s not a big deal. That’s just caused by dry skin in your tummy, and it’s easy to fix. What’s weird is that if you get too dry in your tummy, the body can make too much mucus in your nose and you will have to blow it a lot. Does that ever happen?
Aaron: I think that happens to me every time I go back to school!
Dr. John: Exactly, and is that one of the reasons you have to miss school sometimes?
Aaron: Yup!
Dr. John: Ok, so here is my plan to bring all this stuff back into balance…
Note: A vata imbalance starts as dryness. The body will overcompensate, and over-lubricate with mucus, resulting in excess mucus or a kapha imbalance. But it is important to remember that the underlying causeof this issue is a vata imbalance.
Dr. John: Aaron, I know you hate to take pills because they get stuck in your throat… So I have something that you will love, and it is not a pill! Are you in?
Aaron: Maybe!
Note: His mom told me he won’t swallow pills and is a super picky eater. I told her that, to keep him healthy, it is such a relief when they can learn how to swallow pills. One of my sons, when he was younger, had the same issue. Please read my article about how my son learned to swallow pills. I must say, this is a brilliant technique and might help kids like Aaron.
Dr. John: Ok Aaron, let me show you a jar of this stuff called Chyawanprash. It’s like an herbal peanut butter and jelly paste. Most kids love it and call it goop. It’s super good for you in the fall and winter!
I opened and showed him the goop and Aaron said, “Ummm, I don’t think so…”
Dr. John: Ok, I’ll make you a deal. If you take this stuff home and eat the whole jar in the next two weeks, I will give you five dollars!
Aaron: His eyes lit up and he said, “OK!”
We shook hands and off he went.
About two weeks later, my assistant knocked on my door. “There is a little kid out here that says you made a bet with him and you owe him five dollars??” they said.
I walked outside to see Aaron with a smile on his face that stretched from ear to ear.
“So you finished your jar of chyawanprash goop?!” I asked.
“Yup! He answered.”
I followed up with: Are you back to school?
“Yup!” he said.
“Do you feel good?” I asked.
“Great!” he said.
“So, I guess I owe you five dollars?” I said, happily.
“Yup!” Aaron said.
He was so proud of himself. I gave him the five dollars, his mother bought another jar of chyawanprash, and off they went, again!
Aaron reportedly had his best and healthiest back-to-school fall and winter ever! I had the same experience over and over with our six kids as they were growing up.
See also Chyawanprash: Ayurveda’s Elixir of Life
What is Chyawanprash?
With a supporting cast of over 40 organic herbs, chyawanprash is a classic easy-to-digest Ayurvedic formula and superfood that I have been using successfully for myself, my family, and my patients for years.
Chyawanprash helps support the body’s natural ability to remove toxic material, or ama. This paste boosts ojas, which, in Ayurveda, supports optimal immunity, vigor, and vitality.
At LifeSpa we have sourced an all-organic Chyawanprash that is made with the original herbal formula. This is the same formula that kept our six kids healthy for decades.
See also The Origin Story of Chyawanprash
NOTE: Chyawanprash is best for children over the age of 4.
Disclaimer: Chyawanprash is a traditional Ayurvedic preparation used for thousands of years as part of a holistic approach to maintaining overall energy and vitality. Aaron’s story of addressing a doshic imbalance is consistent with what ancient Ayurvedic traditions and hands-on practices have traditionally experienced, but should not be interpreted as the exact experience that everyone will have. All doshic imbalances are rooted in the lifestyle, diet, and history of the individual patient. The outcome of any treatment plan depends highly on those individual factors.
>>> Learn about scheduling an Ayurvedic Consultation with me here
