Circadian Wisdom

An Ayurvedic Guide to Living in Nature’s Rhythms

Dr. John Douillard, DC, CAP
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Table of Contents

Medical Disclaimer.. ......................................................................................................... 4

Introduction.. ...................................................................................................................... 5

DAILY CYCLES

1 - We Are Circadian Beings . . ........................................................................................ 7

2 - Your Circadian Day. . .................................................................................................. 1 1

3 - Ayurvedic Daily Routine (Dinacharya).................................................................. 1 8

4 - Mind-Body Vitamin D Benefits............................................................................... 2 2

CIRCADIAN EATING

5 - You Are HOW You Eat . . ............................................................................................. 2 8

6 - 10 Reasons Not to Skip Breakfast. . ....................................................................... 3 1

7 - Dangers of Eating Late. . ........................................................................................... 3 6

SEASONAL EATING

8 - Seasonal Eating for a Healthy Microbiome.. ....................................................... 4 0

SLEEP CYCLES

9 - Sleep Well + Wake Up Rested................................................................................ 4 5

10 - Blue Light + Screen Time....................................................................................... 5 1

11 - Reset Your Circadian Clock................................................................................... 57

12 - Increase Melatonin Naturally.. ............................................................................... 61

MOON CYCLE

13 - Menstrual Cycle Strategies................................................................................... 6 7

References........................................................................................................................ 79

Also by Dr. John Douillard.............................................................................................. 85

About Dr. John Douillard. . ............................................................................................... 87

3
Medical Disclaimer
All material provided from LifeSpa for the Circadian Wisdom eBook is provided

for informational or educational purposes only. Speak with your medical doctor

regarding the applicability of any opinions or recommendations with respect to

your symptoms or medical condition. The instructions and advice presented

from LifeSpa for the Circadian Wisdom eBook are in no way intended as medical

advice or as a substitute for medical counseling. The information should be used

in conjunction with the guidance and care of your physician.

4
Introduction

Circadian rhythms are the unique forces in nature created by daily and seasonal

light-dark cycles. Every living thing has evolved to react to these rhythms by

turning on and off biological clocks in every cell of the body. For plants, the cycles

trigger the opening of petals and the peak of their nutritional potency (midday).

Some animals, like bats, have evolved to turn on the biological clocks of digestion

and hunger hormones at night, as they consume thousands of mosquitoes.

Humans evolved to eat during the day and sleep at night, to give our species the

best chance of survival in a changing world.

Three billion years ago, the molecule melatonin was assembled in nature’s

laboratory and became the key to survival for all living organisms. Melatonin

became the survival link between light-dark cycles and all living organisms. For

early life forms to survive, knowing an austere winter was coming turned on

biological clocks to gorge on fats and carbohydrates in the fall to store as fuel

and insulation. In a similar way, we still today prepare for the darkness each night:

eating by day, storing fuel for the night.

In 1885, at the Chicago World’s Fair, humans entered a new world—one that

was lit by night and soon to be heated and cooled by season. Biological clocks

would soon need to be reset to keep up with a world endlessly trying to insulate

humanity from the circadian rhythms that took them so far. Then, in 1962, the

first LED light was invented, leading to another, more targeted, assault on our

circadian-based biological clocks. LED lights emit blue light, rather that the

orange hue of an incandescent bulb. Blue light handcuffs the pineal gland from

making melatonin and shields the body from receiving and reacting to light-dark

cycles. Orange-hued light, like a fire, candle, or original light bulb, is absorbed

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by the brain’s circadian master switch in the suprachiasmatic nuclei and, even

though it severely reduces melatonin production at night, it does not totally block

melatonin production, as an LED light does.

Today, TV sets and LED screens have created such an imbalance in the natural

regulation of our biological clocks that studies on circadian rhythms won the

Nobel Prize. Soon, experts predict a medical specialty called circadian medicine

will help folks reset their circadian and biological clocks and begin to live in

harmony with nature once again.

Well, that medical specialty already exists! It was developed 4-5,000 years ago

and is called Ayurveda. Ayurveda 101 is the study of nature and how humans

must live in sync with natural rhythms in order to survive. This eBook on circadian

medicine is rich with new science that backs the ancient circadian wisdom of

Ayurveda.

When we live flowing downstream with the natural circadian rhythms of nature,

life is easy and effortless. Merrily down the circadian stream!

Be Well,

Dr. John Douillard, DC, CAP

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 DAILY CYCLES

•1•
We Are Circadian Beings
—Let’s Act Like Them

Do you ever notice you feel differently in summer and winter? You crave different

foods, have different sleeping patterns, or experience different moods? Well, we

are circadian beings, which means our ability to survive and thrive as a species

depends on our connection to the nature’s rhythms.

We now know, from the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribe, the Hadza, that

our gut microbes are designed to change from one season to the next. 1 We

know microbes in the soil change seasonally and they have interdependent

relationships with plants and microbes in our guts. 2,3

Furthermore, we know carbohydrate-digesting microbes (Bacteroidetes) flourish

in summer, when more complex carbohydrates are harvested, and fat-eating

microbes (Actinobacteria) flourish in winter, when a higher-fat, higher-protein

diet is available. Clearly, science points us in the direction of seasonal eating as a

primary tool to stay in circadian rhythm. 4

Emerging studies find digestive efficiency, in particular digestive enzymes,

changes with the seasons. 5 Both starch-digesting amylase and the digestion-

promoting parasympathetic nervous system increase as temperatures cool in fall

and winter. 6

Of course, due to the fall harvest of starches and grains, it makes sense that

we produce more amylase. Ayurveda says digestive strength is stronger during

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winter, which would be necessary to break down heavy and dense foods: think

nuts, tubers, and meats.

It also makes sense that the rest-and-digest parasympathetic nervous system

increases during colder months, when we need warmth and a stronger digestive

fire. 6

Another difference is that receptors for neurotransmitters like serotonin,

dopamine, and brain-derived neurotrophic factors (BDNF) are more receptive in

light-filled summer months and much less receptive in darker winter months. This

explains why we see more mood-related concerns and depression during winter. 7

Nature’s biohack for this is to harvest roots in fall to boost BDNF, serotonin, and

dopamine receptor activity: herbs like ashwagandha, bacopa, and turmeric, as

well as foods like fish oils.

Learn more about these herbs here.

Studies in both animals and humans show increased microbial diversity in the

gut during winter and spring, with much less in summer and fall. 7 Opportunistic

harmful bacteria also increase in winter and spring, so we need our immune

strength most. Greater microbial diversity has been associated with greater
health and immunity, which is much needed during cold winter and wet spring. 4,6,7

Melatonin levels surge in winter, when daylight is

less. This acts as a natural birth control agent for

mammals. Conceiving in winter would render the

baby premature to handle the cold the next winter.

Melatonin is also the body’s most powerful immune-

boosting, detox and repair molecule, all of which we

need more of during darker winter months. 8,9,10

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How Delicate Are Your Circadian Rhythms?

In a recent study, gut bacteria in two groups of mice were measured during

normal exposure to light-dark cycles for two days. 2 One group was healthy and

the other had their circadian clock disabled to mimic jetlag.

The group with the disabled circadian clock saw disturbed gut bacteria function.

Most notable was that normal feeding signals governed by gut bacteria were

masked, so those mice ate incessantly during the two-day trial.

In fact, loss of circadian rhythms altered their microbiome so it

became very similar to that of mice and humans with high blood

sugar and obesity. 10

The same study also compared the microbiomes of a small group of humans.

One group flew cross-continentally and the other stayed in the same time zone.

The group who flew overseas had microbiome changes similar to mice with

disabled circadian clocks.

Jet-lagged humans have microbiological changes that put them at

higher risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes. 10

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According to Ayurveda, living in sync with natural circadian rhythms is key to

health and longevity. So don’t be surprised if you feel changes with travel or the

seasons, and take care of yourself as best you can!

Tips for Circadian Living

1. Eat whole, organic, unprocessed seasonal food. Get my free seasonal

eating guide here.

2. Relax when you eat.

3. Get to bed early.

4. Exercise daily.

5. Follow the Ayurvedic Clock.

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 •1•

Shape your Day the

Ayurvedic Circadian Way

The Ayurvedic Circadian Longevity Lifestyle

• Imagine finishing your day with the same

energy you started your day with . . .

• Imagine going through your day without

craving sweets, coffee, or chips . . .

• Imagine waking up early, without an alarm,

refreshed and ready to go . . .

• Imagine feeling like life is not a struggle—like

the wind is at your back and you are floating

joyfully downstream on the river of life!

• Imagine feeling healthier instead of older with each passing year . . .

These are not pipe dreams; they are the reality of living with awareness in

connection with the cycles of nature—the benefits of syncing up with nature’s

circadian rhythms are well supported by the new science of circadian medicine. 1

Circadian Medicine according to Ancient Wisdom

In nature, according to Ayurveda and similar principles in Traditional Chinese

Medicine, there are two 12-hour cycles, divided into three smaller cycles. Each

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four-hour cycle is linked to certain bodily functions governed by one of the

following:

• Vata (air element, increases in winter): controls nervous system

• Pitta (fire element, increases in summer): controls digestion and metabolism

• Kapha (earth-water element, increases in spring): controls immunity and

structural strength

According to Ayurveda, the daily lifestyle flow that syncs the body with nature’s

rhythms is also backed by circadian science, 1 and is as follows:

First 12 Hours of the Day: 6am–6pm

Note: Imagine 6am is sunrise and 6pm is sunset.

• 6am-10am: After sunrise, kapha increases, corresponding to the earth and

water elements and the season of spring. Spring is a time where the earth

holds more water, it is a muddy, heavy, congestive time of year. The morning

is a heavy time of day. Can you recall the feeling of being stiff, heavy, and dull

when you sleep in too late? This is an example of the heavy qualities of nature

increasing during the morning hours.

On the flip side, if you’re up before sunrise, you can avoid morning stiffness,

making morning the best time for exercise and physical labor. The heavier stiff

qualities experienced when you sleep in can provide structural strength to

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physical labor and exercise. Nature made sure we had strength for manual labor

before the noon-day heat. One study shows morning exercise actually lowers

stress hormones, which may be why so many folks like exercising in the morning.

It makes the whole day feel better. 2

This is also the time to eat at a good-sized breakfast, as it not only provides you a

good source of fuel for the day, but studies find eating a healthy-sized breakfast

helps reduce obesity and disease. 3-6

• 10am-2pm: Pitta increases, corresponding to the fire element and the

seasons of late spring into summer. This is the best time to relax and eat the

biggest meal of the day because digestive fire is at its strongest, hottest, and

brightest, just like the sun overhead. 7 Eating earlier in the day, including a good
breakfast and lunch, has been linked to numerous health benefits, including

reduced cholesterol and stress. 4 Not only that, but the nutrient blueprint of

the vegetables we eat has been found to be most potent at noon: a perfect

nutritional gift from nature. 8,9

Wait, think about that for a second. Two studies found that vegetables, even after

harvesting, increased in nutrient potency at noon, when our digestive strength is

highest. Fascinating studies like these make it much harder to ignore the fact that
we are intimately connected to the circadian cycles of nature. Also, noon-ish is

the best time to digest hard-to-digest foods, like wheat and dairy.

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If you skip lunch, like many people do, the circadian digestive clock still goes off.

Hydrochloric acid (agni) in the stomach is still produced and, if there is no food to

digest, this can predispose the stomach to acid irritation and inflammation down

the road. This is the one meal you do not want to miss.

• 2pm-6pm: Vata increases, corresponding to the air and ether elements

and winter. This is the best time for mental and creative energy, as the nervous

system is more active. Craving sweets at this time indicates exhaustion, blood

sugar issues, poor digestion, or that you didn’t eat a sufficient lunch. This is the

best time for a light supper, as heavy suppers do not digest well. 10

Ask yourself how you feel during these hours. If you are nibbling on dark

chocolate, ordering a latte, or ready for a nap, this is an indicator your blood sugar

may be crashing. Many people skip lunch because they are afraid they will fall

asleep in the afternoon. If you eat a meal and feel the need to pass out, you clearly

are not digesting your food well enough. So, instead of injecting yourself with

caffeine, sugar, or chips, let’s fix the underlying issue in your digestive system.

When the digestive system is optimal, you will feel energized from a large,

relaxing, well-prepared meal—not comatose.

Second 12 Hours of the Day: 6pm–6am

Note: The cycles repeat, but with different effects.

• 6pm-10pm: Kapha increases again. This time, the heaviness is not for

physical labor, but rather to settle the body and mind in preparation for sleep.

This is the time when cortisol (the stress-handling hormone) drops. 11 Sleepy-

time, here she comes!

In the West, this is the time most people sit down to eat the largest meal of the

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day. According to the circadian clock, the kitchen closes at sunset. According

to science and thousands of years of tradition around the world, we should eat

a big breakfast, a big lunch, and a light early supper. While it may be difficult for

everyone to stop and make lunch the biggest meal of the day, more and more of

my patients report that they really dread eating a heavy late supper.

Personally, we have six kids. My wife and I almost always have a big lunch

together . . . it’s our time. Then, in the evening, we all sit down for a family meal, but

because we are both still quite full from lunch, neither of us prefers a big dinner.

So, while the kids are chowing down, we have a light supper and very important

family time. It works great!

• 10pm-2am: Pitta increases again. Many folks get a second wind during

this time of night. It is common to be sleepy at 8 or 9pm (in the kapha time of

night), but by 10, you feel ready to go until 2am. It is pitta time, and we can get

all fired up! This, however, is not the best time to change the world on your

computer; it is actually the best time to be asleep. During these hours, the liver

goes into detoxification mode in an attempt to prepare the body for the next

day. 12,13 If you are up late regularly, you will disturb this circadian rhythm and the

liver will not be able to effectively detoxify you.

It is much like a janitor coming into your office to wash floors and clean windows.

The janitor notices you just finished a steak dinner at 9pm and you just started

watching a movie at 10. The janitor simply cannot do their job and decides to

call it a night and try again tomorrow.

Disturbing this cycle for years on end

can lead to the inability to detoxify,

liver and gallbladder congestion, and a

compromised ability to digest.

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 • 2am-6am: Vata increases again. This is a very important part of the sleep

cycle. This is the time when the brain drain toxins into microscopic lymph

vessels. Many people find it difficult to sleep during these hours. The sense

is that they have too much energy, but the reality is most sleep concerns are

a result of chronic exhaustion: too little energy, not too much. The nervous

system actually needs energy to sedate itself and fall asleep. In Ayurvedic

practice, we never give sedatives for sleep. We give deep rejuvenation herbs

to help rebuild the nervous system so it can reconnect with circadian rhythms.

This is the best time to sleep deeply and naturally, waking up before sunrise. 14-16

In traditional cultures, sunrise was when you started the day, but predawn was

reserved for bathing, yoga, meditation, and prayer. Work didn’t start until after

sunrise. The best way to be able to get up before sunrise is to regularly go to bed

before 10pm.

When to Sleep

Imagine you went to bed tonight at midnight and

woke up tomorrow at 10am. How would you

feel? In my seminars, when I ask this question,

most folks (barring teenagers) say they would

feel stiff, groggy, and as if they slept too much.

Imagine the next night, you went to bed at 8pm

and woke up at 6am. How would you feel in

comparison? Most folks say without hesitation

that they would feel more rested, alert, awake,

flexible, and as if they got a great night’s sleep.

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Surprisingly, both night’s sleep were 10 hours. How you feel from these two

different night’s sleep is not about how much sleep you got; it’s all about when

you got it. This is an example of the difference between living in sync with

circadian cycles or going against them.

Living in sync with circadian rhythms is the foundation of Ayurveda. Living a

lifestyle downstream with these powerful cycles is what makes life flow. It’s why

birds fly south and whales migrate. These are the rhythms of life forgotten by a

culture too distracted to appreciate the rewards of a life in sync with, rather than

in spite of, nature.

This article is excerpted from Dr. John’s latest book, Eat Wheat.

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 •3•

Ayurvedic Daily Routine (Dinacharya)

The most recent Circadian Medicine research suggests human genes have lost

the ability to perceive and stay in tune with nature’s circadian rhythms. 1-3

In our high-tech, fast-paced world, with endless distraction and entertainment,

more and more of us are becoming disconnected. Circadian disruptors, like

jet-lag, artificial and blue light, and shift/night work, disconnect our physiological

needs from environmental cues.

Scientists are only now beginning to understand exactly how important it is for the

body to stay connected to nature’s rhythms. Disconnect from circadian rhythms

is called chronodisruption.

Chronodisruption is linked to a host of health concerns, including

poor cognitive function, mood disorders, sleep disorders, diabetes,

obesity, daytime sleepiness, reduced school performance, reduced

driving reaction time, substance abuse, heart disease, and some

cancers. 10,11

While Ayurveda has emphasized the importance of a connection with nature for

millennia, it was nice to read in a recent issue of Scientific American that Circadian

Medicine “may revolutionize medicine as we know it.” 2

In fact, three researchers who discovered the molecular mechanisms that control

circadian rhythms were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2017. 7 Soon, we

can expect to see medical doctors who specialize in Circadian Medicine. But why

wait? Just find a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner!

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In this article, I share the Ayurvedic daily routine designed to maintain and

reconnect us to natural circadian rhythms. In Ayurveda, a daily ritual of self-care is

called dinacharya.

I have written full articles and eBooks dedicated to most components of this

routine, so if you are curious about the benefits of a certain technique, check out

the articles and the science behind it (click the links in the bullet points below) and

see if it fits for you.

This daily routine can become very elaborate, so I have listed the basics (marked

with an asterisk*), along with the optional components.

Morning Dinacharya

• Arise early in the morning, preferably

before sunrise.*

• Drink a large glass of warm water: with

lemon out of a copper cup is ideal.*

• Wash your face.*

• Scrape your tongue with a tongue

scraper which stimulates digestion and

elimination, preferably a copper scraper.*

• Brush your teeth with natural tooth

powder or paste.*

• Evacuate bowels and bladder, ideally within the first hour of waking.*

• Do 10-15 minutes of morning yoga and/or 15-30 minute brisk walk or

exercise while performing nasal breathing: see my nose breathing workout

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 articles and videos.*

• 5-10 minutes of breathing exercise (pranayama).

• 5-15 minute meditation or sit in silence: see my One-Minute Mediation or TAT:

Transformation Awareness Technique Meditation eCourse.*

• Shower or bathe.*

• Perform oil pulling: swish herbalized coconut or sesame oil in your mouth for

10-15 minutes while showering.

• Enjoy abhyanga (self-massage using oil): best with our Lymphatic Massage

Oil or Tri-Doshic Massage Oil—this can also be done in shower.*

• Breakfast: eat a small amount, but make it big enough to get you through to

lunch without needing a snack. Quantity may vary based on body type.*

Midday Dinacharya

• Lunch: relax and make it the largest meal of the day. Do not snack until

dinner.*

• Brief rest on the left side and light walking (10 to 15 minutes) after lunch to

facilitate digestion.

Evening Dinacharya

• Supper: the lighter and earlier, the better.*

• Evening yoga, breathing exercise, and meditation.

• Go to bed by 10pm.*

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From an Ayurvedic perspective, following this dinacharya will reconnect you with

nature’s rhythms. 5

For instance, exercising is most optimal in the morning, between 6am and 10am, 9

when the body is in its kapha phase and at its strongest physically.

Eating the largest meal of the day at lunchtime aligns with the pitta time of day,

from 10am until 2pm, when digestive fire is strongest. 8

Between 2pm and 6pm, vata time of day, the nervous system is most active, so

it is beneficial during this time to do calming, centering activities such as mental

work and meditation. 5

To experience a complete Ayurvedic lifestyle, try our 28-Day Ayurveda

Challenge, 6 an eCourse where you receive a new Ayurvedic challenge each day

for 28 days, including articles, tips, and videos—a program that has the power to

renovate your life and enrich your health and vitality.

How do you incorporate practices from dinacharya into your life?

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 •4•

Astonishing Mind-Body
Benefits of Vitamin D

Seasonal Vitamin D

Do you know how to optimize your vitamin D levels for every season?

A growing body of knowledge shows that, at optimized levels, vitamin D functions

as a hormone, rather than a vitamin, with numerous notable effects on the body.

Vitamin D Supports

• Healthy immunity

• Healthy mood

• Targeted support for over 2,000 genes

• Healthy bone formation

• Healthy glucose metabolism

• Musculoskeletal comfort

• Heart health

• Healthy skin

Many experts consider the benefits of vitamin D to be one of the most important

health discoveries of the past 100 years. In this article, I share new research on

vitamin D deficiency—which affects 87% of Americans—and walk you through

how to safely increase your levels.

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History of Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency, causing devastating bone-softening effects, was reported

as far back as the 1600s. Originally treated with cod liver oil in the 1800s, it wasn’t

until the 1930s that vitamin D deficiency was discovered as the cause.

Though called vitamin D, it is not really a vitamin, but a hormone. In fact, at

optimized levels in the blood, the active form, known as calcitriol, is now

understood as the most potent secosteroid hormone in the human body.

At optimal levels, its effects may extend far beyond bone support, showing

responsibility for many health-promoting processes in the body.

Vitamin D Overflow

About ten years ago, researchers discovered people in climates where

natural sun exposure is greatest experience greater longevity. In

northern climates, studies show up to 61% of Americans are vitamin D deficient,

going up to 87% in winter months! 1,2

For the past 80 years, it was believed vitamin D was only important for regulating

calcium and protecting bones. At levels below 45-50 ng/ml, this is vitamin D’s
main role. However, new research reported by the Vitamin D Council shows

23
higher levels of vitamin D may have a much greater role to play. For example,

when vitamin D3 levels are between 50-80 ng/ml, excess calcitriol (secosteroid

hormone form of vitamin D) heads towards the cells (not the bones), where it

targets over 2,000 genes (about 10% of the human genome).

This overflow of calcitriol has created a worldwide stir about the pervasive role of

optimized vitamin D. At lower levels of sun exposure and vitamin D, this overflow

simply doesn’t happen. The role of excess calcitriol in the cells is only now being

understood.

No Sun = No Fun

During summer months, UVB rays are strongest

between 10am-2pm. For most people, 10-15 minutes

of direct sunlight on unprotected skin during these

hours will be enough to manufacture ~10,000-

20,000 IU of vitamin D3. Get just enough sun to turn

your skin slightly pink. Darker-skinned people will

need more sun to optimize vitamin D levels.

How Your Body Uses Vitamin D 3

From the skin, vitamin D 3 (cholecalciferol) heads to the liver, where it is converted

to calcidiol (25 hydroxyvitamin D). This is the form that circulates in the blood

and is most accurately measured on a blood test.

From here, calcidiol heads to the kidneys, where it is converted to calcitriol

(1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D), the most active form of vitamin D, which circulates to

every tissue in the body.

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Vitamin D Supports Immunity

Vitamin D expert Dr. John Cannell developed a theory that some immune issues

are seasonal, due to seasonal variations in sunlight, which cause fluctuations in

vitamin D levels. 3,4 Vitamin D activates genes that support an immune response to

foreign entities in the body. 5

Vitamin D has also been shown to support healthy respiratory immunity. 6,7

Pro-inflammatory cytokines may be responsible for many lasting health issues.

Vitamin D down-regulates cytokine activity and supports healthy inflammatory

response. 7

Vitamin D Toxicity: Fiction or Fact?

Current understanding has it that the physiological requirement for vitamin D may

be as high as 4-5,000 IU/day for adults. Although the Food and Nutrition Board

established the tolerable upper intake level (UL) at 2,000 IU/day for adults, newer

research demonstrates this amount is very conservative, and it appears unlikely

toxicity would occur in healthy people with doses less than 10,000 IU/day. 8 For

adolescents, 2,000 IU daily for a year has proven safe and efficacious. 9

With many articles discussing that individual sensitivity issues may exist, it’s

important to be aware that vitamin D toxicity is rare. One study showed 4,000 IU/

day for several years was completely safe and only after taking 40,000 IU/day for

several years is there risk of developing toxicity symptoms. 5

That said, as I review the research, I am not so convinced that we can be casual

about intake of high doses of vitamin D supplements. Ideally, I think we should all

do our best to optimize vitamin D levels in summer, when UVB rays are available.

25
There is no vitamin D toxicity from the sun because UVA rays break down

excess vitamin D. Vitamin D is stored in fat, so we carry much of it into the winter

months if we optimize the summer’s UVB rays. Unfortunately, most of us work

indoors during midday summer hours, when UVB rays peak.

The Sunscreen Mistake

For the past 25 years, sunscreens have only blocked out skin-protecting UVB,

but not UVA. It was mistakenly thought that UVB rays potentially caused abnormal

cell division in skin cells, so sunscreens were designed with SPF factors that

reflect effectiveness of blocking only UVB rays. As it turns out, UVA rays are more

abundant and penetrate deeper, making them more harmful than UVB rays!

Additionally, twenty years ago, SPF ratings were only at 10, but today they

have risen up to 100, in the effort to make sunscreens more protective against

abnormal cell growth. Sadly, all this time, sunscreens have been blocking

protective UVB rays, while letting in harmful UVA rays.

Take a Vitamin D Test

While it is difficult to become toxic with vitamin D, experts believe it is ideal to keep

levels at the higher end of normal, which is between 50-80 ng/ml. To maintain

optimal levels, it is best to take a vitamin D test in the spring and fall. Once you

establish the winter and summer dose of needed supplemental vitamin D 3 that

maintains levels in the 50-80ng/mL range, you can reduce frequency of vitamin D

testing.

We offer an accurate Vitamin D Test Kit you can do at home. This test is

inexpensive, safe, simple, accurate, and approved by the Vitamin D Council.

26
 How to Optimize Vitamin D Levels + Prevent Deficiency

Summer Sun Exposure

Regularly receive midday sun exposure between 10am-2pm in late spring,

summer, and early fall, exposing as much skin as possible for 10-15 minutes if

you are fair-skinned, and longer if you are dark-skinned. Remember, you’ve had

enough when skin shows the first sign of a pinkish change.

Supplementation: Depending on sun exposure and testing, I generally

recommend a minimal vitamin D 3 supplementation in the summer: perhaps 1,000-

2,000 IU/day.

Test Your Levels: Test vitamin D levels to ensure you have optimized summer sun

exposure.

Winter Maintenance

Supplementation: Take 4-5,000 IU vitamin D 3/day for three months, and then take

a 25-hydroxy vitamin D test.

The goal is to get vitamin D levels between 50-80 ng/ml and keep them there.

Testing is the only way to know for sure you are maintaining these levels. Test

yourself in fall when levels are highest and in March when they are lowest. With

those two numbers, everyone can safely calculate vitamin D supplement needs.

Children: Take 2,000 IU of vitamin D 3 per day during winter.

27
 CIRCADIAN EATING

•5•

You Are HOW You Eat

Taking time to sit down, relax, dine, and digest your food are much-revered,

well-studied, health-promoting practices. There are even well-studied benefits

of taking a short rest or “siesta” after the meal to help the body efficiently digest. 1

Furthermore, Ayurvedic texts state lying on your left side or resting after a meal

will boost digestive strength and ward off a post-big-meal crash by allowing food

to be properly digested and released from the stomach naturally.

Modern science supports these ancient principles, suggesting that taking time to

relax and eat, resting after the meal, and/or walking after the meal—all traditional

Ayurvedic techniques—will help strengthen digestion, support weight loss, and

28
balance blood sugar levels. 2

Modern research indicates emotional stress will alter the intestinal skin health and

microbiome function, intimately involved in digestion. 3 To take advantage of the

research—like how a restful, relaxed environment during meals is beneficial for

health and digestion—follow another ancient Ayurvedic saying: “Better not to eat

than to eat while angry.” Make your meals a scheduled, relaxed event you look

forward to. And then, once at the table, take some time to relax and then begin to

eat your food.

Ayurveda takes this concept even further, with another old saying now backed

by science: “What you see, you become.” This means whatever you choose to

give your attention to will shape you, and thereby become you. Feelings and

beliefs make up much of what we give our attention to, altering gut microbes.

When gut microbes are impacted by stress hormones, it has significant impact

on our health, and ultimately our digestion. 4 This science allows us to connect the

concepts “what you see, you become,” “what you eat, you become,” and “how

you eat, you become.”

Three Mindsets While Eating

• Sattvic is a state of mind that is fully content, aware, peaceful, and calm

within itself. It does not require anything from the outside to make it happy.

• Rajasic is a state of mind that requires stimulation to be happy. Satisfaction

comes from the stimulation of our senses from the outside world.

• Tamasic is a state of mind that has become overstimulated, exhausted, and

depleted. It is inward, depressed, and withdrawn.

29
Rajasic and tamasic mindsets trigger a sympathetic nervous system response

that literally shuts off the digestive process, while the sattvic mindset activates

the parasympathetic nervous system that turns on and strengthens the digestive

process. The “fight-or-flight” and “protection” mindsets can put stress on your

emotions and microbes, causing imbalances in your microbiome, contributing to

difficulties with hard-to-digest foods. Our microbes are extremely sensitive, and

thrive in a healthy, balanced, peaceful, loving environment. 5

While all of us have experienced all three of the above mindsets, a sattvic mindset

while eating will turn on digestive strength, have a positive effect on microbiology,

give a life-supporting epigenetic effect, actually lengthen chromosomal telomeres

(helping curb the aging process), 6 and have a direct effect on the genetic code. 7

Don’t miss out on the most simple and potentially profound therapy to boost

digestive strength—sit, relax, dine. Take time to enjoy each and every meal!

Discover your emotional state of mind by taking my Emotional Body Type Quiz.

Learn about your mind and how to balance it!

30
 •6•

10 Compelling Reasons
to Not Skip Breakfast

While breakfast is one of the easiest meals to skip, missing it has powerful

repercussions on your circadian clock. Breakfast and a dose of morning sunlight

set your circadian rhythms in motion for the day.

For breakfast, I like to gather some seasonal greens from my garden and blend

them with flax and chia seeds into a room temperature green drink.

While I would prefer to steam them, we are still getting kids off to school these

days, so for me, breakfast has to be substantial, but relatively quick.

The green drink is always followed by either a bowl of oatmeal or a mixture of

nuts, seeds, and berries. I have this alongside a cup of chicory-based herbal tea

or Bengal Spice tea blended with a teaspoon of coconut oil.

A whopping 31 million Americans still haven’t gotten the memo to eat breakfast.

NPD’s Morning MealScape 2011 study found 28% of men ages 18 to 34 are guilty

of skipping breakfast. Teenagers are almost as bad, with 14% opting out. 1

Not convinced breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Let’s look at

some science and, of course, ancient wisdom.

31
10 Compelling Reasons to Not Skip Breakfast

1. Ancient Wisdom

Ayurveda, a system of medicine dating back 5,000 years, maintains that breakfast

and lunch are the two most important meals of the day, with supper being the

least important.

2. Breakfast Maintains Ideal Weight

A review of 19 studies involving over 93,000 participants found skipping

breakfast was associated with being overweight and obese. This was globally

observed regardless of cultural diversity among countries. The review concluded

consuming breakfast in all populations may be beneficial for healthy weight. 2

3. Breakfast Enhances Cognitive Function

Studies suggest those who eat breakfast enjoy better cognitive function, mood,

and satiety than those who skip it. 4

In a study on teenagers, those who ate breakfast self-reported higher energy

levels and less fatigue. Overall, findings suggest breakfast consumption

enhances cognitive function in teenagers. 5

In a review of 38 studies, breakfast eaters saw a robust boost in memory as

well as better attention, motor, and executive function. The review concluded,

however, that the time of supper the night

before played a major role in the cognitive

outcome. 4 Once again, we see that the

earlier the supper, the better!

32
4. Breakfast Helps Burn Carbs

Better During Exercise

In one study, breakfast consumed

two hours before an hour-long cycling

session increased the rate at which

the body burned carbohydrates

during exercise. It also quickened

the rate that the body digested

and burned food consumed post-

exercise. Interestingly, carbs burned

during exercise were not only from

the breakfast meal, they were also

burned from fat storage sites. 6

5. Breakfast Reduces Risk of Adult-Onset Diabetes

A study on 4631 adult men and women spanning almost nine years concluded

skipping breakfast may increase risk of type 2 diabetes, independent of lifestyles

and baseline levels of body mass index (BMI). 8

6. Breakfast Reduces Build-Up of Arterial Plaque

In a study of some 4,000 bank workers, researchers looked at breakfast-eating

habits and arterial health. They found that those who ate breakfast were less likely

to build up arterial plaque than those who skipped breakfast on a regular basis. 7

Breakfast had to be about one-fifth of the daily calories, at least 500 kcal if the

daily intake was 2,500 kcal.

33
7. Breakfast Reduces Risk of High

Blood Pressure

In the 2014 Korea National Health and Nutrition

Examination Surveys (KNHANES), those

who ate breakfast at least five times a week

compared to non-breakfast eaters were

evaluated. The study was adjusted for age,

sex, regular exercise, current smoking, systolic

blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure,

body mass index, waist circumference, and

red blood cell counts. The results showed a significantly lower risk for high blood

pressure in those who ate breakfast. 9

8. Breakfast Reduces Risk of Metabolic Syndrome

Those who ate breakfast were found to have lower risk of metabolic syndrome

compared to those didn’t eat breakfast. Metabolic syndrome features high

triglyceride, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels, excess belly fat, and high blood

pressure—not a syndrome you want to mess with!

9. Breakfast Extends Life

A study of 34,128 men and 49,282 women aged 40-79 evaluated breakfast

habits in Japan. The study aimed to determine if skipping breakfast would have an

effect on mortality from all causes, cancer, or cardiovascular diseases. Skipping

breakfast was associated with increased risk of mortality (death) from circulatory

diseases and all causes among men and women. (Skipping breakfast did not

increase risk of dying from cancer.) 11

34
10. My Take!

While these studies make a compelling case for not skipping breakfast, other

factors, such as what you eat for breakfast, when you eat it, and even how you

eat it may explain some of the conflicting studies that did not show such clear

findings regarding benefits of breakfast. According to the ancient wisdom of

Ayurveda, how you eat, what you eat, and when you eat ALL matter!

Based on the science, we do see that a morning meal will combat the tendency

for the liver to increase blood sugar levels in the morning as part of the body’s

wake-up call. Eating a morning meal will increase insulin levels, quickly lower

blood sugar, and deliver glucose to cells that we need for energy.

Not eating breakfast on a regular basis can allow sugar to linger in the

bloodstream, where it can glycate (clump together) with proteins that cause harm

to the arteries, joints, brain, and more.

This may explain why there is so

much evidence that eating breakfast

is a critical piece of the diabetes,

weight gain, metabolic syndrome, and

cognitive decline prevention strategy.

Do you eat breakfast?

35
 •7•

Dangers of Eating Late

In 1984, during my first year in practice, I found myself exhausted at the end

of a long day of patients. To figure out why I was so tired after work, I went to

see an Ayurvedic doctor. Before my exam, the nurse took my blood pressure

and informed me it was high. That really surprised me, as I was into yoga and

breathing meditation, I was a competitive triathlete, and I had finished an Ironman,

so it made no sense that I would have high blood pressure at 27 years old.

The first thing the Ayurvedic doctor asked me was, “What do you eat for lunch?”

I told him I had a very busy practice and struggled to stay on time. I found myself

typically with only 10-15 minutes for lunch and would quickly grab a bite or one of

the chocolate truffles that were always gracing the staff lounge. I told him that I

would have a nice big breakfast and a nice big dinner, but lunch was on the run.

He told me I should schedule more time for lunch: “Go home and have a nice,

relaxing, warm cooked meal in the middle of the day and you will never have

blood pressure problems again.” I pushed back, asking for an Ayurvedic pill, but

he was quite clear that I did not need a medicine, just a reset of my daily rhythms.

We now call this circadian

medicine, and it is Nobel Prize-

winning science. 3

Shortly thereafter, I reset my

schedule to have 1½ hours for

lunch. I would leave the clinic and

find a nice relaxing place to enjoy

36
what became the largest meal of my day.

My blood pressure resolved in a few weeks and I started telling my patients to do

the same. I did a small clinical study with my patients and saw that making such

a simple lifestyle shift was often all that was needed to resolve certain types of

blood pressure issues.

Circadian Meal Rules

1. Eat breakfast.

2. Eat a bigger lunch.

3. Eat a smaller earlier supper.

When Do You Eat?

For decades now, I have preached the health benefits of minding when you eat. In

America, we are conditioned to eat three meals a day, with dinner as the biggest

meal.

Ayurveda suggests supper be the smallest meal, eaten as early as possible—

aligning the word supper with soup or supplemental.

A new study, published in the journal Circulation, supported by the American Heart

Association, evaluated mealtimes of more than 12,000 participants between 18

and 76 years old. 56.6% ate more than 30% of their daily calories after 6pm.

That group had a 23% increased risk of developing high blood

pressure and a 19% higher risk of becoming prediabetic compared

to those who ate less than 30% of their daily calories after 6pm. 1

Many emerging studies back a new interest in circadian medicine and, without

37
realizing it, support basic Ayurvedic rules laid down thousands of years ago.

In another study, of over 50,000 Seventh-day Adventists, meal timing was

evaluated for impact on long-term weight loss. They found:

1. Breakfast eaters lost more weight than breakfast skippers.

2. Larger breakfast eaters lost more weight than larger dinner eaters.

3. Larger lunch eaters lost more weight than larger dinner eaters. 2

They concluded that for relatively healthy adults, eating less frequently, not

snacking, consuming breakfast, and eating the largest meal in the morning or

midday may be effective methods for preventing long-term weight gain. 2

Meal Timing for Blood Pressure, Weight Loss + Energy

The studies I cited above find

the three simple Circadian Meal

Rules above do in fact lower blood

pressure, as well as support long-

term weight loss. 1,2 If you have these

types of health concerns, making

these lifestyle changes are the best

place to start.

For me, not only did I see my blood

pressure come down, but I still have

low blood pressure to this day. My original concern of being exhausted after work

was also eradicated by this simple shift and thank God for that!

We raised six children and still, after work, I’m recruited for homework help, track

38
meets, and other projects by my two remaining kids in high school.

Ayurveda starts with circadian medicine for good reason. Fixing your daily routine

(dinacharya) and seasonal routine (ritchucharya) is step one to healthy energy

levels, blood pressure, balanced weight, and more.

Try it out and let us know what happens!

Two Ways to Reset Your Digestive Clock

1. Download my free Ayurvedic Weight Balancing eBook for a guide to meal

timing and Ayurvedic calorie restriction without starvation.

2. Sign up for my 28-Day Ayurvedic Challenge and let me guide you through a

month of Ayurvedic lifestyle changes.

39
 SEASONAL EATING

•8•

Stanford Study Backs Seasonal

Eating for the Healthiest Microbiome

One of the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribes on earth confirm that our gut

microbes were meant to change seasonally!

If you are a regular reader here at LifeSpa, this may be old news . . . you probably

already eat seasonally, enjoy our monthly recipes, and utilize the grocery and

superfoods lists we publish for free each month as part of the 3-Season Diet

Guide. Or you may have read my book The 3-Season Diet.

Never heard of it? Sign up for free and start eating seasonally now! It truly is the

easiest and healthiest diet there is, and it is now backed by Stanford University

research.

What the Hunter-Gatherer Diet Does to the Body

In a new Stanford University study published in the journal Science, researchers

found microbes in members of the Hadza tribe in Tanzania change dramatically

with each season, in sync with seasonal changes made to their diet.

The study shows certain gut microbes residing in the gut in one season may

almost disappear in the next, suggesting dramatic changes take place in the

microbiome from one season to the next. The researchers concluded that the

Hadza tribe’s gut microbes and their digestion is cyclical, in sync with the precise

40
biorhythm of nature. 1,2

In addition to their microbiome making dramatic seasonal shifts, the Hadza

microbiome is significantly more diverse than that of a Western-cultured

microbiome. They carry a powerful stable of gut microbes extremely skilled at

breaking down fiber.

The Hadza microbiome has more enzymes for breaking down animal-made

carbohydrates during the dry season, and more enzymes to target plant-based

carbohydrates in the wet season.

Microbes in the digestive system manufacture enzymes that change seasonally.

They do so to help digest seasonal foods, as well as boost immunity when

needed in winter, decongest the body in spring, and dissipate heat during the

long, hot summer.

For the Hadza, the combination of a higher-fiber and seasonally-shifting diet (from

dry-season hunting to wet-season foraging) has left them seemingly free of colon

cancer, colitis, and Crohn’s disease. 1,2

How the Body Adapts to Seasonal Shifts

In my book, Eat Wheat, I cite research showing how the starch-digesting enzyme,

amylase, naturally increases in the body during fall and winter. This is aligned with

when more starchy tubers, wheat grasses, and grains are in abundance and

harvested.

Amylase decreases in summer, when the diet shifts to more vegetable-based.

Another way the human body responds to the change of seasons is that the

parasympathetic nervous system (often referred to as the “rest-and-digest”

nervous system) increases the body’s digestive potential in fall and winter. It does

41
this in order to more effectively break down the denser and more concentrated

fall- and winter-harvested foods, such as root vegetables. 3

Seasonal Microbe Symphony

Microbes in our microbiome come from the soil that nourishes the plants we eat.

Each plant seasonally attracts certain beneficial microbes from the soil, creating a

symbiotic relationship. Plants seem to benefit from certain microbes, and certain

microbes seem to benefit from the nutrients of certain plants.

With each seasonal shift, soil microbiology changes, plant chemistry changes,

and microbes attached to the roots, stems, and leaves of each plant shift like a

changing of the guard.

When we eat these plants in season, we consume the nutrients in the plant, but

also the microbes attracted to and attached to that plant. We also ingest the

foods that microbes love.

These microbes create a microbial community within us. In fact, microbes make

up 90% of the nucleated cells in the human body!

42
Dangers of Eating out of Season

When we do not eat seasonally, our microbiome is quickly disconnected to

the intelligence of nature, and much of our genetic dependence on seasonal

microbes is lost.

Let me share a quote from the book The Forest Unseen, to illustrate this point: 4

Sudden changes in the diet can disrupt this elegant molding of the rumen

community and its environment. If a deer is fed corn or leafy greens in

the middle of winter, its rumen will be knocked off balance, acidity will rise

uncontrollably, and gases will bloat the rumen. Indigestion of this kind can be

lethal.

In other words, when an herbivore eats

out-of-season foods, it causes a drastic

shift in its microbiology, leading to severe

indigestion that can actually kill the animal.

Cows, for example, when taken from

pastures and fed grain instead of seasonal

grasses, have to be medicated to settle their

stomachs.

I realize we are omnivores, not herbivores,

but, clearly, this is food for thought! We are

as connected to nature’s cycles as are the herbivores, albeit in a different way.

If eating out-of-season foods can kill a deer, is this a message to begin

respecting the diet that has been right in front of us all these years?

There is no doubt intestinal microbes change according to diet and seasonal

influences. Perhaps we are more resilient to these changes than deer, but are we

43
immune to them?

Without a diet rich in seasonally-changing microbes, our intestines are often

populated by space-occupying microbes that, while not necessarily bad, are not

beneficial either. They take up real estate in the intestines and can affect the gut,

its immunity, and many other adaptive processes to function less than optimally.

Without the influx of seasonal microbes to boost digestive strength and support

a diverse community of essential and beneficial bacteria, we can become

extremely vulnerable and often hypersensitive to our environment

and foods.

Seasonal Microbe Summary

New research shows stress from non-organic, highly processed, refined foods,

as well as seasonal changes in diet, lifestyle, and many other factors are forcing

the body to adapt genetically.

In addition, recent studies have gone further. Not just microbes on the food, but

genetic information of the food itself has been shown to horizontally transfer into

our genetic code (in order to negate any genetic surprises down the road that

could take the species out). 7,8

In this regard, GMO food is implicated in its ability to make changes to us on a

genetic level—logic would tell us this can’t be good! More on this in future articles

. . . in the meantime, enjoy your healthy, organic, seasonal food and stay in tune

with nature’s cycles!

Receive my free monthly seasonal eating guide, the 3-Season Diet Guide.

44
 SLEEP CYCLES

•9•

Sleep Well + Wake Up Rested

with Ayurveda

What’s Keeping You Up at Night?

Do you have trouble falling or staying asleep? When it comes to a good night’s

rest, those of us who have trouble will try anything. However, you should be aware

that sedatives, herbal or pharmaceutical, offer short-term symptomatic relief at

best.

The most common theory relating to sleep issues is that excessive mental energy

makes it difficult to settle down. On the surface, this makes sense. But clinically, it

turns out this theory has limited effectiveness.

45
Read on as I explore the Ayurvedic science of sleep troubles and offer some

practical solutions.

Are You Exhausted?

In my practice, I’ve observed most people who cannot sleep at night are deeply

exhausted and often physically, mentally, and emotionally depleted. Odd as it may

seem, the body needs energy to settle down to sleep. Someone at a deep level

of exhaustion may not have enough energy to settle their moods, and the result is

that they stay wired, unable to truly rest.

Sedating this person will only drive the exhaustion deeper and use of sedatives is

accompanied by a long list of undesirable side effects. 6,7 What they actually need

is rejuvenation. Deep rejuvenation, according to Ayurveda, is called rasayana

therapy, closely related to adaptogenic herbal therapies. True adaptogens do not

stimulate or sedate—they restore the reserve energy needed to enjoy a healthy

night’s sleep. 1-3

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera),

named after its sleep-inducing properties,

may be one of the world’s most studied

adaptogens. It has been shown in study

after study to support a healthy and normal

night of deep sleep. 1-3 Studies also show

ashwagandha boosts energy reserves and

endurance in physical exertion. One study

of 40 cyclists, who took just 1,500mg of

whole-herb ashwagandha root powder, saw

significant improvements in cardiovascular

46
and respiratory endurance compared to placebo. 5

In order to regain equilibrium, we need a way to support our nervous systems so

we have energy to handle stress, support mood, build energy, and sleep at night.

Long-term sleep cycle disturbances can imbalance the body’s circadian cycles,

which may also need to be addressed.

Read articles on how to reset your circadian cycles here.

Some folks cannot fall asleep easily, while others wake up in the

wee hours of the night. One of the ways Ayurveda addresses individual sleep
cycle imbalances is by understanding sleep according to our constitution/body

type, an idea now backed by Western science. 8

Don’t know your body type? Take our quiz!

Sleep Issues by Ayurvedic Body Type

1. Pitta Sleep Support: Difficulty Falling Asleep

The first type of sleep issue is having a hard time getting to sleep. Typically, this is

when you lie in bed wide awake anytime from 10pm-2am counting sheep, waiting
for the angel train to take you off to sleep.

According to Ayurveda, 10pm-2am is pitta time of night, when the liver becomes

active and begins its evening detox cycle to prepare the body for the next

day. 9,10 It is similar to when the night

janitor cleans floors and windows while

everyone is asleep. This explains why

folks often get a second wind at this time

of night, turning on the TV, getting on

47
the computer, and off they go changing the world in the wee hours. As this cycle

winds down (sometime after midnight, but usually before 2am), the fire goes out

and you drift off to sleep.

This type of sleep imbalance is caused by excess pitta, or heat. A person with a

hot body type who hasn’t fallen asleep before the pitta cycle starts at 10pm will

often be swept up in the stimulation of heat and glean all kinds of energy, making

sleep at this time very challenging.

For this type of concern, we need to support the nervous system and reduce pitta
with a cooling herb. The Ayurvedic herb brahmi has cooling properties for the

brain and nervous system, supporting restful sleep. 1 This unique adaptogen can

be taken at night to support sleep and in the morning to enhance mental clarity

and energy.

48
2. Vata Sleep Support: Difficulty Staying Asleep

The second type of sleep issue involves waking up sometime between 2am-6am

and having difficulty getting back to sleep. This can be most disturbing, as you lie

there in the middle of the night wide awake.

According to Ayurveda, this type of sleep concern is due to excess vata, as this is

considered vata time of night. Vata is associated with the nervous system.

According to the rhythms of nature, the nervous system starts to excite around

2am. If you do not have energy to pacify yourself during this early morning
activation, you will wake up and stay up.

What is needed here is deep rejuvenation. The best rejuvenative herb for vata-

type sleep issues is ashwagandha (Withania somnifera). 1-5

Ashwagandha is an adaptogen, or rejuvenative, traditionally said to give the

strength of ten horses, although the name suggests the root actually smells like a

horse! Like brahmi, ashwagandha has the ability to support strength and stamina

during the day, while at the same time giving the nervous system energy to settle

down and sleep. 1-3,11

Ashwagandha supports our deep reserves and restores balance to many bodily
functions. Unlike brahmi, which is cooling, ashwagandha is a warm, heavy, sweet

root. It deeply rejuvenates body and mind.

49
Recommendations for Good Night’s Sleep

1. Herbs

1. Brahmi cools the mind, while rejuvenating and supporting the nervous

system. It supports falling asleep between 10pm-2am.

2. Ashwagandha supports 2-6am sleep issues. It gives the body energy it

needs to stay asleep.

3. Sleep Easy is an adaptogenic formula that includes brahmi,

ashwagandha, and other adaptogens.

2. Drink one cup warm milk boiled with a pinch of ghee, cardamom,

ginger, turmeric, dates, crushed almonds, and coconut (or Ojas Nightly Tonic).

Add honey after boiling. (Almond milk is fine.)

3. Take a hot bath or shower at 9pm, followed by warm oil self-massage

with LifeSpa Tri-Doshic Massage Oil. Apply oil to feet if full-body massage is

not possible.

4. Read a boring book at 9:15pm (not my book).

5. Do One-Minute Meditation at 9:45pm.

6. Cell phones and screens off (use night filters). Try to be in bed

ready for sleep by 9:46pm.

7. Consider LOW-DOSE melatonin.

Have you tried these sleep recommendations? Have they helped you?

50
 •10•

Blue Light + Screen Time Cause

Brain Damage, Aging + Shorter Life

How Much Screen Time Do You Get?

Today in America, adults check their cell phones an average of 52 times a day

and spend a whopping nine hours in front of a blue light-emitting cell phone,

tablet, or computer screen! 1

LED blue light-emitting bulbs are on pace to replaced orange-hued incandescent

bulbs worldwide, resulting in dangerous levels of artificial blue light exposure.

Recent research finds blue light from screen time and LED exposure

51
not only damages retinal cells in the eyes, but is also linked to

accelerated aging. 2

Blue Light Science: Melatonin + Vitamin D

Blue light is part of the visual light spectrum in sunlight. It is absorbed by the

circadian control center of the brain, the superchiasmatic nuclei (SCN). The SCN

regulates production of melatonin and the body’s biological clocks found in just

about every cell.

Morning and daytime sunlight exposure amp up vitamin D 3 production, while

shutting down nighttime melatonin production. Darkness has the reverse effect,

stimulating production of melatonin and shutting down vitamin D production.

Most people think of melatonin as just a sleep hormone, but it is much more!

Melatonin does induce sleep, but only so it can then do its detox, repair, rebuild,

rejuvenate, and anti-aging mission—every night!

Lack of melatonin from excessive artificial blue light exposure can cause

disturbed sleep and disturbed sleep can cause lack of melatonin production—a

vicious cycle. Remember, circadian imbalances are not just related to sleep

quality. Many folks produce enough melatonin to sleep well, or so it seems, but

not enough to get the depth of sleep and do the nighttime janitorial duties of

cleansing and rejuvenating required for optimal health and longevity.

Circadian Rhythms + Aging

This insidious imbalance, called a circadian imbalance, quietly disturbs the body’s

biological clocks, now known to be linked to an exhaustive list of health concerns,

including accelerated aging. 2

52
As we age, one of nature’s ways of getting rid of us is to produce less melatonin,

literally causing an age-accelerating circadian imbalance. Living in sync with

nature’s circadian rhythms is so critical for health and longevity that research on

this topic won the Nobel Prize in 2017. 5

Not surprisingly, Ayurveda, along with many other traditional and time-tested

systems of medicine, was founded on circadian principles in harmony with

daily, monthly, and seasonal cycles. All these rhythms are dependent on precise

production of melatonin from the brain’s pineal gland and a lifestyle in sync with

light-dark cycles. 5

Screen Time Linked to Accelerated Aging

A new study published in Aging and Mechanisms of Disease found blue light

emanating from your phone, screens, and light fixtures could accelerate the

aging process, even if it is not shining in your eyes. 2,3

Fruit flies, which share developmental and cellular mechanisms with humans and

other animals, are commonly used in studies to mimic humans. In one study,

fruit flies exposed to 12 hours of blue light and 12 hours of darkness

had significantly shorter lifespans than when they had blue light

filtered out or were only exposed to darkness. 2,3

The researchers also found that:

“Flies exposed to blue light showed damage to their retinal cells

and brain neurons and had impaired locomotion—the flies’ ability

to climb the walls of their enclosures, a common behavior, was

diminished.

“Some of the flies in the experiment were mutants that do not

53
 develop eyes, and even those eyeless flies displayed brain

damage and locomotion impairments, suggesting flies didn’t have

to see the light to be harmed by it.

“It was very clear cut that although light without blue slightly

shortened their lifespan, just blue light alone shortened their

lifespan very dramatically.” 2

Biohack Eye Health, Brain Power + Longevity

If the average adult is exposed to blue light for nine hours a day, we may need to

biohack our blue light exposure. Today, most every phone, tablet, and computer

has a night filter that blocks blue light exposure and turns your screen a reddish-

orange color. You can set your screen to be orange 24/7 and dramatically lower

blue light exposure.

Amber glasses can also be purchased that block blue light for extended work

on the computer or in front of a TV. Also, I suggest you use old-fashioned

incandescent light bulbs, candles, or salt lamps to dimly light your house in the
evening. Once the sun sets, it is best to keep lights low, so nighttime melatonin

production is not inhibited.

It has been much less than 100 years that we have been

exposed to bright nighttime artificial light, and we simply have

not had enough time to genetically adapt to these circadian

disturbances with updated levels of melatonin production.

Candles and fireplaces, much like a sunset, are rich in orange

hues that block out much of the blue light and are circadian

safe!

54
Hack Aging + Reset Circadian Clocks
with Low-Dose Melatonin

Melatonin is a three-billion-year-old molecule found in every living creature, from

the invisible to the botanical to the largest mammals. Everything on this planet

must be in sync with light-dark cycles to survive, and this has been governed

by melatonin from the beginning. Because we evolved around melatonin and

light-dark cycles, melatonin plays an executive role in almost every physiological

function. But how much melatonin do we need?

Health food stores sell melatonin at extraordinarily high dosages. For most

folks, these work for a while and then stop. According to melatonin researcher

Paula Witt, contrary to popular belief, supplemental melatonin will not suppress

natural melatonin production—it encourages your own production. This fact thus

classifies melatonin as NOT a hormone, but a bioactive molecule. So, when

you take supplemental melatonin, you will slowly increase your own

production, causing you to require a lower supplemental dose over

time.

Research by another melatonin scientist, Al Lewy, found we only need a very

small amount of melatonin. Studies show a supplemental dose of .5mg melatonin

is just as effective as 5mg—10 times less!

At LifeSpa, we formulated a low-

dose melatonin product called

Liquid Melatonin, where one drop

equals just .1mg, so we can find

the minimal effective dose for

each person.

55
How to Use Low-Dose Melatonin for a Circadian Reset

To hack the aging process and reset your circadian clock, I recommend starting

with one drop before bed for four to five nights, then increasing by one drop every

four to five nights until the desired effect (deep sleep and rested in the morning) is

achieved.

Stay on that dose, but when it begins to stop being effective, drop the dose back

down by one drop. If melatonin is encouraging production of your own, then it

makes sense that your supplemental melatonin needs will go down over time.

Keep lowering the dose by one drop over time to find the minimal dose your body

needs. If you are young (below 50), you may end up not needing any melatonin

supplementation as your circadian clock resets. If you are over 50 and the body’s

production has decreased due to age, you may find that just one to two drops (.1-

.2mg) is all you need long-term to hack the aging process.

Anti-Aging Circadian Medicine

To reap the benefits of your anti-aging hormones, avoid blue light as much as

possible. Stay in sync with nature’s light-dark cycles, and use melatonin if needed
to get yourself back on track.

56
 •11•

Reset Your Circadian Clock

This Weekend

Being out of sync or disconnected from circadian rhythms is called

chronodisruption (CD), and has been linked to a host of health

concerns.

Chronodisruption-Related Health Concerns 1,3

1. Poor cognitive function 7. Reduced school performance

2. Mood disorders 8. Reduced driving reaction time

3. Sleep disorders 9. Substance abuse

4. Diabetes 10. Heart disease

5. Obesity 11. Some cancers

6. Daytime sleepiness

Circadian Reset + Melatonin

In a new study, researcher Kenneth Wright at the University of Colorado evaluated

the circadian clocks of a group of people by measuring melatonin levels (which

should rise at night and fall during the day). Normally, after sunset, melatonin levels

start to rise and a feeling of sleepiness naturally ensues. In the morning, right after

sunrise and getting out of bed, melatonin levels rapidly drop, allowing sleepiness

to be quickly replaced with energy.

57
This study found something shocking. About two hours after waking, when

melatonin levels should have dropped, they started to rise again. This, of course,

lead to midmorning sleepiness and poor performance at work. This may explain

the need for a coffee break about this time of day.

Researchers measured the effects of living without artificial light for one week

during a camping trip. During the camping trip,

they went to bed and arose on their own, but

there were no sources of artificial light except

for a campfire. They compared melatonin levels

after a week of camping to melatonin levels

after a week of normal life, using artificial light,

televisions, computers, etc.

The results were amazing. After just one

week of living in sync with natural light-dark

cycles, the group went to bed and woke up an

average of two hours earlier. The mid-morning

melatonin surge did not happen. Their clocks were reset!

Researchers then measured the effects of just a weekend camping trip to see if

this would be enough to reset the clock. In this case, campers went to bed and

got up almost 1.5 hours earlier compared to their falling and rising time in artificial

light-world.

In fact, in just one weekend camping trip, researchers observed that

campers were able to achieve ~69% of the circadian shift benefits

achieved by a week of camping. 1

By naturally getting to bed earlier, the campers all naturally got up earlier and were

able to enjoy the early morning natural light. The sun’s mornings rays are filled with

58
blue light that suppresses melatonin and are, thus, capable of resetting the body’s

circadian clocks.

In 1998, researchers discovered melanopsin retinal ganglion cells, a new type

of photoreceptor in the eye. These cells provide signals to the suprachiasmatic

nucleus (SCN), the brain’s master clock. Melanopsins project to numerous brain

centers and have an impact on numerous physiological functions. Melanopsins

are particularly sensitive to blue light. 2

Blue light, particularly beneficial during the day, seems to be more disruptive at

night, as it blocks melatonin production. Nocturnal blue light exposure is currently

increasing, due to proliferation of energy-efficient lighting (LEDs) and electronic

device screens, which are 35% blue light, whereas the sun only 25% blue light. No

wonder folks are having more trouble getting to sleep!

The study also confirmed what Ayurveda has been saying for thousands of years

regarding seasonal circadian cycles. They found melatonin levels will rise earlier

in the evening and drop later after sunset in winter, when the days are shorter and

nights are longer. In summer, melatonin levels are delayed and rise much later in

the evening, matching the longer days and later sunset.

59
5 Steps to Reset Your Internal Clocks this Weekend

Try some of these simple home strategies to help reset your circadian clock:

1. Turn off Wi-Fi, lock away your cell phone, and turn off all lights (use candles

and/or a fireplace for evening light).

2. Get outside for a hike or walk as much as possible. Go to bed in the early

evening at the first sign of sleepiness and get up in the morning when your

eyes first open. Get outside and take a morning walk as you watch the sunrise.
Enjoy!

3. During the week, turn off Wi-Fi after supper. Dim house lights and avoid

phones, televisions, and computers. Go to bed reading a book by candlelight.

4. On your next camping trip, don’t miss the opportunity to reset your clock.

Don’t turn on your phone and avoid flashlights. Make torches and a campfire.

Enjoy!

5. Consider getting outside and performing a yoga sequence, such as the Sun

Salutation at sunrise and sunset.

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 •12•

11 Natural Ways to Increase

Melatonin Levels

If you’ve read this far, you have learned the importance of melatonin in regulating

our light-dark circadian cycles. You may be wondering how to increase your

melatonin levels naturally. Well, look no further—below are my top tips for naturally

boosting melatonin!

1. No Artificial Light (Especially at Night)

Ambient or artificial light at night blocks melatonin production, needed to get to

sleep and stay asleep. During the day, try to use natural sources of light. Turn on

the night filter on your computer and cell phone, or use an app that will block blue

light emissions. You can also purchase blue light-blocking glasses for use with the

computer or phone.

Begin reducing blue and artificial light exposure starting at sunset,

or two to three hours before bed. Go to bed by candlelight, have dinner by

candlelight, read by candlelight, and have a good night’s sleep. 1

Make sure there are no lights on while you sleep. If necessary, use blackout

curtains or an eye mask to block ambient light.

2. Test Your Melatonin Levels

The earth’s sun gives off about 25% blue light, while LED light bulbs, computer

61
screens, cell phones, and televisions give off blue light at about 35%.

Research shows that blue light, in particular, blocks melatonin levels. Blocking

melatonin, by watching TV or checking email on your phone during the day, will

compromise full production of melatonin while you sleep. 3

This doesn’t just affect the depth of your sleep. Melatonin’s real job is to detoxify

you, rebuild you, and rejuvenate you during the wee hours of the night. 2

We may only need a small amount of melatonin to get us to sleep and keep us

asleep, but hindering full melatonin production may not show its harmful effects

for years. This is just one reason I encourage testing your melatonin levels now

before it’s too late.

3. Soak Up the Sun (in Moderation!)

To produce optimal melatonin, we require an optimal amount of daylight or

sunlight. Melatonin levels at night are dependent on complete shutdown of

melatonin during the day. This can only be accomplished if we are exposed to

extremely bright sunlight during the day.

Light intensity is measured in lux. Most offices produce about 400-500 lux during

the day. The sun can produce 4,000-5,000+ lux during the day, suggesting

sunlight may be 10x+ brighter than indoor

light.

Studies show exposure to bright daylight

can significantly increase melatonin

production at night. 4-6 This makes good

sense, as melatonin is the special hormone

that connects us to light-dark cycles.

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4. Eat Melatonin-Rich Foods

Every plant on the planet carries a certain amount of melatonin. They, too, are

dependent on making light-dark cycle adjustments to survive.

One way to naturally boost melatonin levels is to eat more melatonin-rich foods.

Studies show tart cherries have a significant amount of melatonin, and are linked

to deeper and higher quality sleep. 7

High-Melatonin Foods

• goji berries • almonds • bananas

• tart cherries • pineapple • oranges

• walnuts • tomatoes • and many others 8

5. Take a Hot Bath at Night

Research shows taking a hot bath at night has a relaxing effect on the body, and

a resultant boosting effect on melatonin levels! Perhaps this is due to the relaxing
effect on cortisol levels from a hot bath. As cortisol decreases, melatonin levels

will rise. 2,9

6. No EMF or Wi-Fi Exposure at Night

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are produced by pretty much every electrical

device. Generally, EMF levels are only dangerous when you are occupationally

exposed to high levels for prolonged periods of time. 15

There is little research on Wi-Fi and cell phone service radiation’s effect on

63
melatonin, but research that has been done suggests reducing exposure to EMF

levels, particularly while you sleep, may offer an ounce of protection.

Avoid sleeping with your cell phone under your pillow, next to your pillow, or next

to your bed. Do your best to create a master Wi-Fi switch that can be turned off

at night, power down your cell phones and computers, and give your pineal gland

every chance it can get to produce optimal melatonin levels.

7. Regulate Caffeine

Most people have figured out if they drink a cup of coffee too late in the afternoon

or evening, they don’t sleep as well that evening. While coffee beans are loaded

with melatonin, much of their beneficial effects are neutralized by caffeine. 14

Caffeine is a stimulant linked to reduced melatonin levels. Having a small amount

of caffeine in the morning may help reduce melatonin production to wake you

up, but drinking excessive coffee or caffeinated beverages during the day can

decrease overall melatonin production over time. 12,14

Unfortunately, most people who drink coffee find

themselves needing more and more to experience

the benefits of mental clarity, energy, and bowel

regulation. If you are going to drink coffee in the

morning, try to limit the amount of caffeine you

ingest so as not to become dependent on taking

more and more of it. Over time, increased intake

of coffee may reduce your natural production of

melatonin.

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8. Take Time to Pray or Meditate

Studies show people who meditate

produce more melatonin than people who

do not. 13 Melatonin seems to require a

settled mind and body to be produced in

the early evening hours.

This makes sense because relaxation

techniques, such as prayer and

meditation, help lower cortisol and

destress the body. When the body is

destressed, many good things happen,

including increased melatonin production.

9. Hot Milk before Bed

Milk, whether from a mother, cow, or goat, is rich in melatonin. Drinking a cup

of hot milk before bed has been shown to boost melatonin levels and support

healthy sleep. 14 Stick with non-homogenized and vat-pasteurized whenever

possible.

10. Eat Tryptophan-Rich Foods

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid and a precursor to melatonin. Increasing

intake of tryptophan-rich foods may boost melatonin levels.

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Tryptophan-Rich Foods

• garbanzo beans • pumpkin seeds • almonds

• spirulina • turkey • peanuts

• soybeans • chicken • yogurt 2

• cottage cheese • tofu

• chicken liver • watermelon seeds

Garbanzo beans win the tryptophan prize. Loaded with free tryptophan (meaning

it is not attached to a protein, like in other foods), uptake of this source of

tryptophan the best.

11. Melatonin Supplementation

If you still need melatonin support after trying the strategies above, I suggest

trying the following: for a circadian medicine reset, I tell my patients to start with

one drop or .1mg 45-60 minutes before bed and increase by one drop every two

to three days until you have a deep and restorative night’s sleep without morning

grogginess. Most never need to exceed ten drops.

Once the best dose is found, stay on it for three months. Then, most of my

patients can slowly lower their dose. The correct dose of melatonin will

encourage natural production of your own melatonin (rather than suppress it, as

is commonly believed).

Have you tried any of the above strategies for boosting melatonin? What have

you noticed?

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 MOON CYCLE

•13•

Menstrual Cycle Strategies

by Body Type

Menstruation falls under the general Ayurvedic heading of yonivyapad. Ayurveda

uses the word yoni for female genitalia and reproductive organs, and vyapad to

describe disorders or diseases.

The Charaka Samhita, a comprehensive text on the ancient Indian medicinal

system of Ayurveda, describes around 20 different gynecological disorders.

The premise of Ayurveda is not based on removal of menstrual symptoms, such

as mood swings, nervous tension, emotional disturbances, and physical pain.

Rather, the focus is on identifying and addressing the initial cause of menses-

related concerns, and the appropriate treatments.

Charaka and other Ayurvedic authorities state suppression of natural urges,

such as resisting the urge to go to the bathroom, doing things in excess (like

sex or exercise), unhealthy lifestyle, and improper diet are all linked to female

reproductive issues. 1-5

Here in the West, the average female strays from many major feminine health

guidelines in India’s Ayurvedic culture.

The causes of some of our modern health concerns, which did not exist in Vedic

times, have to be investigated from a modern perspective to focus on lifestyle.

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Understanding the Cleansing Menstrual Cycle

There is a general consensus among Ayurvedic practitioners from India who visit

our country as to why excessive female concerns plague the West and not the

East, and they say it has much to do with honoring the female body’s cycle itself.

In India, the menstrual cycle is a highly respected expression of the female

connection to the moon. This moon cycle regulates the tides, migrations, mating

times, and, of course, the 28-day cycle of menstruation. 1-5

Menses is a time when the female body is providing extra energy to ensure

an effective and complete sloughing of waste products. It is a natural time of

cleansing and rejuvenation, traditionally accompanied by a time of rest or light

duty. In traditional cultures, family members would provide support to women

during their monthly cycle and through menstruation.

Here in the West, this is clearly not common practice. However, this does not

mean modern working women cannot respect this time of the month by listening

to their bodies and perhaps taking a lighter load or scheduling activities around

their time of the month. 1-5

Basically, the Ayurvedic recommendation is to act in accordance with how

one feels. Ignoring this is often the root of menstrual concerns. If there is a

natural desire to rest during menstruation and rest is not provided, the body will

be forced to strain to deliver mental and physical energy as well as maintain a

healthy menstrual flow.

Resting is not a sign of weakness; it is

a behavior linked to natural cycles. In

fact, menstruation is a time of pulling

the arrow back on the bow, so that one

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can later engage in more dynamic activity with the start of a new cycle. Some

Ayurvedic practitioners comment that the menstrual cycle is one of the factors

that leads to the generally longer lifespan of women (versus men). 1-5

Apana + Prana Vatas

The controlling dosha (or elemental energy) in premenstrual syndrome is vata

(air). More specifically, it is apana vata (downward energy or adrenal energy)

that governs the flow of prana (life force) into the reproductive organs. This

apana vata provides the energy for the birthing process and the monthly cycle of

menstruation. For the apana vata to do its job effectively, it is necessary for the

downward-moving apana to do so without distractions.

If the lifestyle of the woman is such that there is no change in one’s hectic lifestyle,

particularly during the menstrual cycle, then the apana will not have available all

of the energy necessary to perform a complete menstruation. Oftentimes, the

physical and mental workload during this time is so great that the apana vata

downward flow of energy turns upwards in an attempt to support the prana vata

(upward flow of energy or mental energy) in accomplishing the task at hand.

This lifestyle stress, on a monthly basis for 10-20 years, can create a formidable

depletion of adrenal energy and integrity of apana vata. 1-5

The next stage in this picture happens when depleted apana vata is called upon

to menstruate and there is not enough vitality available to support this process.

Now the prana vata is called upon to support the apana vata in order to complete

menses. The prana vata is the main vital, upward-moving force that stabilizes

moods, emotions, and energy. When prana vata is imbalanced and moves

downward, tiredness and moodiness (PMS) may result. 1-5

69
Menstrual Health According to the Doshas

Vata Menstrual Health

Symptoms of menstrual cycle vata imbalance include:

Premenstrual

• Nervous tension • Interrupted sleep

• Mood swings • Forgetfulness/confusion

• Worry/sadness • Occasional constipation

Menstrual

• Mild to moderate pain/cramps/backache

• Extended length of period with dark, clotted flow

• Irregularity of periods or flow

• Light amount of flow

Recommendations for Vata-Type Imbalances

Diet

• Eat a vata-pacifying diet. Eat more foods off of my Winter Grocery List and

join my 3-Season Diet Guide, where I provide monthly guides to eating with

the seasons.

• Avoid coffee, tea, tobacco, drugs, and extremely spicy foods.

• Favor warm, heavy, and oily foods.

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 • Minimize cold, dry, and light foods.

Food Supplements

• Eat 1 tsp ghee, coconut oil, or olive oil every night for one month. Take less if

there is a laxative effect.

• Drink 2 tablespoons of pure (no preservative) aloe vera juice (Aloe

barbadensis) after meals twice per day, but not during the menstrual flow.

• Drink fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and licorice

(Glycyrrhiza glabra) tea, as desired.

Herbal Supplements

For apana vata, take:

• Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus)

For prana vata, combine equal parts:

• Bacopa (Bacopa monnieri)

• Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)

Activities

• Emphasize the importance of maintaining proper balance of rest and activity

throughout the month.

• Rest during the period.

• Practice daily abhyanga (Ayurvedic massage) and exercise.

Home Treatments

• Daily abhyanga (see below) with sesame oil.

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 • For mild discomfort during the period, application of heat externally to the

lower abdomen is advised. This may be accomplished by rubbing ripened

sesame oil on the abdomen followed by the application of a hot water bottle

directly to the oiled skin or placed on top of a cotton cloth soaked in fresh

ginger juice or on top of a paste made from ginger powder and warm water.

Pitta Menstrual Health

Symptoms of menstrual cycle pitta imbalance include:

Premenstrual and menopausal

• Irritability/anger • Loose or increased bowel

movements
• Increased appetite
• Mild skin irritation/acne
• Headache

• Body heat or sweating

Menstrual

• Heavier than usual bleeding

• Increased frequency of periods

• Bright red flow

Recommendations for Pitta-Type Imbalances

Diet

• Eat a pitta-pacifying diet. Eat more foods off of my Summer Grocery List and

join my 3-Season Diet Guide, where I provide monthly guides to eating with

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 the seasons.

• Avoid alcohol, coffee, tea, chocolate, cheese, yogurt, and animal products.

• Avoid delaying or skipping meals when you are hungry.

• Avoid sour, salty, and pungent foods.

• Favor cool and liquid foods.

• Favor sweet, bitter, or astringent foods. Minimize spicy, salty, or sour foods.

Food Supplements

• Drink fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and/or coriander (Coriandrum sativum)

tea.

• Drink 2 Tbsp pure (no preservative) aloe vera juice (Aloe barbadensis) after

meals twice per day, but not during the menstrual flow.

Herbal Supplements

For both prana and apana vata, consider:

• Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus)

• Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

• Bacopa (Bacopa monnieri)

To decrease pitta and apana vata:

• Manjistha (Rubia cordifolia)

Activities

• Those experiencing pitta-type menstrual concerns should be encouraged

to stay active and focused during the premenstrual phase. Overheating,

however, should be carefully avoided.

73
Home Treatments

• Daily abhyanga (see below) with coconut oil.

• Each day for seven days before the period begins, perform abhyanga with

coconut oil, followed by a hot bath one hour later. Massage the abdomen in a

clockwise motion during the bath.

Other Recommendations

• Apply coconut oil to the head and feet at bedtime for more restful sleep and
headache prevention.

• Sniff ghee daily for one week before the period.

• Avoid overheating, hot water on the head, and overexposure to sunlight.

• When irritable or out of sorts, it is important to ensure you are getting

adequate rest. Also, try to stay focused on specific projects.

• Be sure not to take long hot showers or hot baths during your heavy flow

days, as these tend to increase flow. Take a short shower or sponge bath

instead.

Kapha Menstrual Health

Symptoms of menstrual cycle kapha imbalance include:

Premenstrual

• Mild weight gain • Mild to moderate abdominal

bloating
• Fluid retention
• Temporary skin congestion
• Breast enlargement

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Menstrual

• Mild to moderate stiffness in back, joints, etc.

• Pale, mucus-like menstrual flow

Recommendations for Kapha-Type Imbalances

Diet

• Eat a kapha-pacifying diet. Eat more foods off of my Spring Grocery List and

join my 3-Season Diet Guide, where I provide monthly guides to eating with

the seasons.

• Avoid salt, cheese, yogurt, chocolate, and refined sugars and flours for one

week before and during the period.

Food Supplements

• Spice food with ginger, cumin, cardamom, fennel, and coriander.

• Drink 2 Tbsp pure (no preservative) aloe vera juice (Aloe barbadensis) after

meals twice per day, but not during the menstrual flow.

Herbal Supplements

For apana vata, combine equal parts:

• Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus)

• Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)

• Trikatu (Zingiber officinalis, Piper longum,

Piper nigrum)

• Dashamula (ten roots)

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For Prana vata:

• Brahmi (Centella Asiatica)

General Recommendations for All Body Types

Exercise

It is especially important to get daily exercise. A brisk

walk for 30 minutes is the minimum exercise required.

Perform deep nose breathing during exercise.

Rest

Do not sleep during the day unless illness or unusual

circumstances cause exhaustion. Always try to avoid

sleeping within two hours after a meal. Try to have

a lighter schedule or do not take on any extra tasks

during the days of the menstrual flow.

Abhyanga: Ayurvedic Daily Oil Massage

Our skin is our largest organ. It weighs about six to 10 pounds and is about 16% of

our body weight. 6-8

Biologically, it is a very active organ: it is alive, it breathes, it self-repairs, and it gets

rid of toxins. 8 But most importantly, what scientists are finding is that the skin is the

largest endocrine organ and one of the richest sources of hormones anywhere in

the body. 9

When we stimulate the skin, we can cause a shower of beneficial chemicals into

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our bloodstream. 10-12 The most important of these are growth factors or growth

hormones. Our skin is a rich source of growth factors,13 and we can encourage

these growth factors to be released into our bloodstream by simply stimulating

the skin. 10-12,14

It is important to realize that touch is about ten times stronger than verbal or

emotional contact. 15 Like the other organs, the skin is also the seat of our body’s

emotions. We can influence emotions, feelings, and desires through our skin as a

result of the release of these hormones. 16-19

From an Ayurvedic perspective, a 10-20 minute oil massage from head to

toe harmonizes mind and body and creates a sense of energy and buoyancy

throughout the day. This practice is said to strengthen and balance the whole

physiology, improve circulation and vitality, and rejuvenate the skin.

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 Conclusion

Thank you for taking the time to read this eBook. I hope it has inspired you to

fight back against the blindness of innovation and realize that the regulation of

innovation may take decades, allowing many to suffer needlessly.

Ayurveda is a time-tested system of medicine and, as you can now appreciate,

their ancient wisdom is now cutting-edge science, as humans scramble to get

their bodies (and nature as a whole) back in rhythm.

A circadian-based lifestyle for ourselves and our families is the first step to

changing the course of a world obsessed with reckless innovation to a world set

on sustainable innovation based on nature’s wisdom.

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 References
Chapter 1 - We Are Circadian Beings
1. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5891123
2. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26286355
3. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5711824
4. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3949691
5. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5882091
6. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4190455
7. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6070636
8. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8365512
9. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4209073
10. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9406025
11. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25417104

Chapter 2 - Your Circadian Day

1. The Clocks within Us. Scientific American. 2: 50-55. (2015). Summa, K.C. & Turek,
F.W.
2. PubMed: Effect of Time-of-Day-Specific Strength Training on Serum Hormone
Concentrations and Isometric Strength in Men. Chronobiology International. 6: 1159-1177.
(2007) Sedliak, M., Finni, T., Cheng, S., Kraemer, W.J. & Häkkinen, K.).
3. Medical News Today: Eating a big breakfast fights obesity and disease. 2013.
University, A.F.o.T.A.
4. PubMed: Effects of Feeding Schedule Changes on the Circadian Phase of the
Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System and Serum Lipid Levels. 10: 2603-2611. (2013).
Yoshizaki, T., et al.
5. Scientific America: Breakfast Is the Most Important Meal for Dieters. Harmon, K. .
(2013).
6. PubMed: Effect of Breakfast Skipping on Diurnal Variation of Energy Metabolism
and Blood Glucose. Obesity Research & Clinical Practice. 3: e249-e257. (2014).
Kobayashi, F., et al.
7. The 3-Season Diet. The 3-Season Diet Weight Balancing Study. 2001. Douillard, J.
8. Postharvest Circadian Entrainment Enhances Crop Pest Resistance and
Phytochemical Cycling. Current Biology. 13: 1235-1241. (2013) Goodspeed, D., et al.).

79
 9. NPR Science Friday: Vegetables Respond to a Daily Clock, Even After Harvest.
2013. Braam, J.a.F., Ira.
10. PubMed: Dietary Protein Distribution Positively Influences 24-h Muscle Protein
Synthesis in Healthy Adults. The Journal of Nutrition. 6: 876-880. (2014). Mamerow, M.M.,
et al.
11. PubMed: Acute Effects of Bright Light Exposure on Cortisol Levels. Journal of
biological Rhythms. 3: 208-216. (2010). Jung, C.M., et al.).
12. Center, U.o.R.M. To Sleep, Perchance to Clean. 2013.
13. Structural and Functional Features of Central Nervous System Lymphatic Vessels.
Nature. (2015). Louveau, A., et al.
14. Merkulov, Y., Pyatkov, A. & Merkulova, D. [Work with night shift as a factor
dysregulation of autonomic nervous system of locomotive drivers]. Patologicheskaia
fiziologiia i eksperimental’naia terapiia. 1: 75-80. (2012).
15. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24095125
16. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2701283

Chapter 3 - Ayurvedic Daily Routine (Dinacharya)

1. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23440187
2. nature.com/scientificamerican/journal/v312/n2/full/scientificamerican0215-50.
html
3. oem.bmj.com/content/early/2014/10/08/oemed-2013-101993
4. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_deficit_disorder
5. Douillard J. The 3-Season Diet. Three Rivers Press, New York: 2000.
6. lifespa.com/self-help/ecourses/ayurveda-challenge
7. nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-grantees-win-2017-nobel-prize-
physiology-or-medicine
8. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4079942
9. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26566164
10. cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(16)31522-6
11. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4284776

Chapter 4 - Mind-Body Vitamin D Benefits

1. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12414856
2. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17344510

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 3. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18298852
4. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16959053
5. sciencenews.org/article/antibiotic-vitamin
6. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14662872
7. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9792205
8. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21384086
9. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18377099
10. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15531486
11. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9771862
12. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12499343

Chapter 5 - You Are HOW You Eat

1. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9694306
2. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2463752
3. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2989371
4. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21040780
5. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15990734
6. cnn.com/2014/07/10/health/can-meditation-really-slow-aging
7. nytimes.com/2008/03/11/health/11real.html

Chapter 6 - 10 Reasons to Not Skip Breakfast

1. npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/news/press-releases/pr_111011b
2. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21925535
3. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4863263
4. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5241917
5. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21439306
6. physiology.org/doi/10.1152/ajpendo.00163.2018
7. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/behindtheheadlines/news/2017-10-04-regularly-
skipping-breakfast-linked-to-hardening-of-the-arteries
8. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4411234
9. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5115204

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 10. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23775814
11. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27046951

Chapter 7 - Dangers of Eating Late

1. ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/circ.138.suppl_1.11503
2. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28701389
3. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29367188

Chapter 8 - Seasonal Eating for the Healthiest Microbiome

1. sciencemag.org/news/2017/08/early-human-gut-bacteria-may-have-cycled-
season
2. pbs.org/newshour/rundown/gut-microbes-found-hunter-gatherers-shift-
seasons
3. lifespa.com/starch-double-early-human-brain-size
4. Haskell, David George. The Forest Unseen. Penguin Books, 2012.

Chapter 9 - Sleep Well + Wake Up Rested

1. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3991026
2. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3040882
3. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5313221
4. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4687242
5. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3545242
6. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3832558
7. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5042066
8. lifespa.com/discover-your-ayurvedic-chronotype
9. scientificamerican.com/article/molecular-clocks-scattered-throughout-your-
body-not-just-in-the-brain-keep-your-tissues-humming
10. lifespa.com/how-to-harmonize-your-5-inner-clocks
11. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17585686

Chapter 10 - Blue Light + Screen Time

1. McNeil J. Protect Eyes from Screen Damage. Life Extension Mag. December

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2019.
2. sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191017101253.htm
3. nature.com/articles/s41514-019-0038-6
4. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29367188
5. lifespa.com/?s=melatonin

Chapter 11 - Reset Your Circadian Clock This Weekend

1. cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(16)31522-6
2. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2831986
3. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4284776

Chapter 12 - 11 Ways to Increase Melatonin Naturally

1. cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(16)31522-6
2. Reiter, R. Melatonin. Bantam Books. New York. 1996
3. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4734149/
4. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14740000
5. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3185865
6. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8018787
7. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22038497
8. nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin
9. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3659736
10. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9933863
11. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23051584
12. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26378246
13. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14976457
14. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3402070
15. emfs.info/limits/limits-organisations/icnirp-2010

Chapter 13 - Menstrual Cycle Strategies by Body Type

1. Sharma, P.V. Cakradatta, Chaukhambha Orientalia. New Delhi, India. 1994.
2. Atha Vale, V.B. Basic Principles of Ayurveda. Bombay, India Town Pinery. 1980.

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 3. Bhishagratna, K.L. Shushruta Samhita, Vol 1 and 2. Varanasi, India. Chowkhamba
Sanscrit series. 1981.
4. Sharma, P.V. Charaka Samhita, Vols. 1 and 2. Varanasi, India. Chaukhanbha. 1981.
5. Devaraj, T.L. The Panchakarma Treatment of Ayurveda. Dwanwantari Orientalia
Publications, Bangalore India. 1986.
6. cme.dannemiller.com/scope/articles/activity?id=440
7. faculty.mu.edu.sa/public/uploads/1392463091.3606CAMS%20231%20Unit%20
2%20Integumentary%20System.ppt%20[Compatibility%20Mode].pdf
8. science.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-
body/skin-article
9. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16982574
10. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25628581
11. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15834840
12. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23251939
13. sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022480485711602
14. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4354898
15. Field, Tiffany. Touch. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press: 2001. P. 57
16. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2989371
17. Pert, Candace. Molecules of Emotion. Simon and Schuster, 1997. P. 144, 187, 208,
293, 297.
18. candacepert.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Psychosomatic-network-
peptides-receptors-Pert-JI85-Pert-820-6.pdf
19. candacepert.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Advances-1991-Wisdom-of-
the-Receptors1.pdf

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 Also by John Douillard
Books

Eat Wheat
A Scientific and Clinically-Proven Approach to Safely
Bringing Wheat and Dairy Back into Your Diet

Colorado Cleanse
Guide to 14-Day Colorado Cleanse + Seasonal Cookbook

Body, Mind, and Sport

The Mind-Body Guide to Lifelong Health, Fitness, and Your Personal Best

Perfect Health for Kids

10 Ayurvedic Health Secrets Every Parent Must Know

The 3-Season Diet

Eat the Way Nature Intended: Lose Weight, Beat Food Cravings, Get Fit

The Encyclopedia of Ayurvedic Massage

DVDs

Natural Detox

eCourses

Ayurveda 101: Spring, Summer + Winter (Vata, Pitta + Kapha)

Ayurveda 201: Six Weeks to Transformation + Bliss through Ayurvedic Psychology

28-Day Ayurveda Challenge: Change Your Daily Routine, Change Your Life

Transformational Awareness Technique: 6 Meditations

Ayurvedic Pulse Reading

Perfecting Digestion

85
:
Cleanses

Colorado Cleanse
14-Day Ayurvedic Detox + Lymph Cleanse

Short Home Cleanse

4 Days to Reset Digestion + Fat Metabolism

Kaya Kalpa Cleanse

5 Days to Mind-Body-Spirit Transformation

Free eBooks

Ayurvedic Guide to Immunity | Edible Flower Guide | Miracle of Lymph

Protein Solution | Ayurvedic Weight Balancing | Digestive Troubleshooting Guide
Safe Liver + Gallbladder Cleansing | Blood Sugar Secrets for Health + Longevity
Ayurvedic Guide to The Best Sleep of Your Life | Dr. John’s Guide to Taking Herbs

Ayurveda for a Healthy Family | Short Home Cleanse | Kaya Kalpa Cleanse

Free Resources

Videos | Articles | Podcasts | Health Quizzes

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 About John Douillard

Dr. John Douillard, DC, CAP, is a

globally recognized leader in the fields
of natural health, Ayurveda, and sports
medicine.

He is the creator of LifeSpa.com, the

leading Ayurvedic health and wellness
resource on the web with 10M+ views
on YouTube and 130k+ newsletter
subscribers. LifeSpa.com is evolving
the way Ayurveda is understood around
the world, with thousands of articles
and videos joining ancient wisdom with
modern science.

Dr. John is the former Director of Player Development for the New
Jersey Nets NBA team, author of seven health books, including his
Amazon bestsellers Eat Wheat and The 3-Season Diet . He is a repeat
guest on the Dr. Oz show and co-author of the newly released Yoga
Journal course Ayurveda 201 on Ayurvedic Psychology. He directs
LifeSpa Ayurvedic Clinic, the 2013 Holistic Wellness Center of the Year
in Boulder, CO.

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