A pitta of the action

Jul 31 2008 by Hilarie Stelfox, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

AS a nation we’ve never been more eager to experience alternative and complementary therapies than we are today. But while some systems of medicine are new to us they’ve been used in other parts of the world for thousands of years. HILARIE STELFOX meets a practitioner of the ancient Eastern medical system ayurveda who is helping to establish a practice in Huddersfield

DR DEEPA APTÉ had only been talking to me for 10 minutes when she decided I was a person with ‘pitta’ characteristics.

According to the principles of ayurveda pitta people are of moderate build with a warm skin tone, strong appetite and thirst, interested in conversation and sports, with a sensitivity to heat and an ambitious, fiery, confident nature.

If I’d been larger of build, with oily skin, a deep sleeper, keen on water sports and satisfied with life then I’d have been a kapha.

The third bio-physical type in ayurveda is the vata; someone of lean build with dry skin, a fast talker, creative, friendly and imaginative.

To those of us raised in the West ayurvedic medicine has a somewhat archaic ring to it. Which is hardly surprising given that the Eastern medical system, which literally means ‘science of life’, has been practised for an estimated 5,000 years or more.

But Deepa, who is a qualified medical doctor in India as well as being an ayurvedic practitioner, has no problem reconciling her scientific training with the ancient beliefs of ayurveda.

“Ayurveda is the medical system from India and is still widely used there. I was brought up with it,” says Deepa, who studied conventional medicine and surgery before setting up ayurvedic practices in India and then Germany before moving to the UK.

“It is known as the mother of all medicine and works on body, mind and soul or spirit,” she added.

Deepa, who lives in London with her husband, a banker, and their toddler son, is widely respected among ayurvedic practitioners and lectures both here and in Germany (she speaks German, English and five Asian languages).

She writes for health publications and women’s magazines and is on the board of the Ayurvedic Practitioners Association of the UK.

Her involvement with the newly-opened Ayurveda Health Studio in Kirkburton came about through one of those fortunate coincidences.

The owner of the studio, therapist Suzanna Lewis, who also runs the Bridge Clinic in Shepley, experienced ayurvedic massage while on a trip to Kerala in India. When she returned to Huddersfield she told an Indian friend Sunita Castle that she’d like to bring ayurvedic techniques to her clients.

By chance, Sunita met Deepa at a wedding in India last year and asked for her help. The rest, as they say, is history.

Deepa, who also works for Ayurveda Pura, a company which supplies products to clinics, will be travelling from her practice in London on a fortnightly basis to help establish Susannah’s new health studio.

She has also played a major role in finding a full-time ayurvedic practitioner to take over.

Ayurveda sees the universe as composed of five basic elements: space, air, fire, water and earth. These five elements combine to give the three bio-physical forces of pitta, kapha and vata.

It is believed that we are comprised of all three, but at any point in time there will be a dominant one or two forces.

Treatment – through massage, herbal infusions, supplements, exercise and lifestyle advice – is tailored towards an individual’s constitution. As a pitta, for example, I should avoid salty, sour and spicy foods and concentrate on sweet fruits, green vegetables (sour) and cooling drinks. And the relaxing foot massage that I chose from a list of treatments was, says Deepa, ideal for a ‘pitta.’

Ayurveda is all about achieving balance and harmony, like the balance between yin and yang in traditional Chinese medicine.

In fact, there are many similarities between ayurveda and TCM. Both believe in a network of energy meridians and points throughout the body. Deepa says this is because TCM is an offshoot of ayurveda.

Ayurveda requires a certain commitment and patients have to take responsibility for their long-term health. The aim is to treat the cause rather than the symptoms of disease and prevent ill health with gentle, harmless methods.

The practice of yoga is an important element in living the ayurveda lifestyle and Deepa is also a qualified yoga teacher, specialising in hatha yoga.

“Western medicine is good for acute conditions and problems and ayurveda is good for chronic problems - everything chronic fatigue and MS to skin problems, hormone problems and nervous disorders. The aim of ayurveda is to go back to nature and get everything back in balance,’’ explained Deepa.

It will be interesting to see if ayurveda takes off in the North of England. It is, says Deepa, popular in Germany, where they have a culture of using herbal medicine.

So far, Suzanna says the feedback from clients has been positive and she’s looking forward to welcoming a permanent, full-time practitioner to Kirkburton. The clinic charges between £30 and £60 for treatments.

For more information about ayurveda treatments call 01484 609347 or check out www.ayurvedapura.com