Page 22 - March 2024

Menstrual Disorders

Among Teenagers

Menarche and the monthly menstrual I congratulated the children and handed
cycle (artava) are indicators of female out bracelets to those with pizza and

fertility and health. As mentioned in a salad on their plate!
previous article, artava is the subsidiary

tissue of rasa dhatu (plasma-lymphatic I thought about my daughter, who often
tissue). Therefore, the strength of the brought home-cooked Indian food (rice
menstrual channels is a reflection with veggies and spices or a bread called

of rasa dhatu and overall immunity. chapatti with a side of vegetable curry).
Menstrual complaints often begin One of the ‘hot lunch’ kids had teased

showing up soon after menarche simply her one day, so she started throwing
because of poor diet and lifestyle out her homemade lunch and buying
patterns that are inherent in the hot lunch just to fit in with the other

stressful, fast-paced Western world. I kids. Beyond the heartache I felt for my
experienced this firsthand in the school daughter, I was angry at the injustice of

cafeteria in our hometown. a school culture which encourages kids
to partake in poor eating habits just to
Not too long ago, I volunteered during “fit in”.

the lunch period at my daughter’s
elementary school. It was ‘Rainbow The gut-brain axis is at the heart of

Lunch’ day, which meant students who the thousands-of-years-old Ayurvedic
had a colorful plate of food earned a practices, as Dr. Vaidya fervently teaches
rainbow wristband. I was appalled when his students. The Standard American

I saw the sad salad bar made of pre-made Diet, for which the acronym “SAD” is
bags of dry lettuce and purple cabbage all too fitting, is high in fats, carbs, and

with a few strands of carrots here and government-subsidized corn, wheat,
there, sliced cucumbers, and ranch and soy and low in veggies, fruits,
dressing to douse it in. All refrigerated, vitamins, and nutrients. It’s the reason

cold, and very un-Ayurvedic! The hot why obesity is a pandemic, leading to
lunch that day was an even sadder chronic diseases like diabetes, heart

looking pizza with burned cheese on top attacks, strokes, and arthritis. It’s also
of thick, stale bread. I felt like a fraud as why adolescent mental disorders,

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