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LA TIMES

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Les Nouvelles Esthetiques-American Edition

Spa Magazine

Yogi Times

HEALTH SECTION Monday January 26, 2004

Balm from the East

POUR IT ON: Robin Riker receives a treatment called Shirodhara, the pouring of oil onto the forehead for about 30 minutes, at Surya Spa, an Ayurvedic Center in Pacific Palisades. Ayurveda has grown in popularity in the U.S. in recent years. Photographer: Ricardo DeAratanha Los Angeles Times

The effectiveness of the ancient Indian healing art of Ayurveda is getting a closer look in the U.S.

By Jenny Hontz Special to The Times

Jon Mejia experienced heart palpitations after a particularly stressful period running his Santa Monica consulting firm. His doctor diagnosed an abnormal heart rhythm and sent him to a specialist at a prestigious Los Angeles medical center.

An echocardiogram detected no cause for the extra heartbeats. Although his doctor told him that beta blocker drugs could control the symptoms, Mejia, 49, didn’t want to take them because of concerns about side effects. So Mejia turned instead to Martha Soffer and John Holmstrom, practitioners of the ancient Indian medical system Ayurveda. After some dietary changes and three days of massage and purification treatments called panchakarma at Surya Spa, an Ayurvedic Center in Pacific Palisades, “the heart palpitations are almost gone,” he says.

“I can’t pretend to tell you I know how it works, but if I were to compare where I was when I walked in to where I am now, it’s at least 80% relief,” Mejia says. “I’m more myself.” Mejia is one of a growing number of Americans taking an interest in Ayurveda, a 5,000-year-old holistic system of health that in Sanskrit means “knowledge of life.” It uses combinations of herbs, purgatives, rubbing oils and other elements to treat diseases. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a proponent of transcendental meditation, brought Ayurveda to the United States three decades ago, and Dr. Deepak Chopra exposed it to the masses in his bestseller “Perfect Health” (Harmony Books, 1991). Now, the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine, a professional group based in Foster City, Calif., is sponsoring its first Ayurveda Awareness Day on Feb. 13.

Chinese medicine, which is more established in the U.S., was influenced by Ayurveda, and similarities include the extensive use of natural herbs. Research into Ayurveda is in its infancy in this country, but as interest grows, so does funding. The National Institute of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine allocated $3.5 million in grants last year to study its safety and efficacy.

“It’s 100 times more popular than it was 10 years ago,” says Scott Gerson, a New York physician with a medical degree from the U.S. and a doctorate in Ayurveda from India.

Yoga’s Sister Science

Ayurveda treatments are becoming popular in spas, medical clinics and wellness centers. And like Mejia, many people are finding their way to Ayurvedic medicine through the practice of yoga. Ayurveda is considered yoga’s sister science, and workshops are frequently taught in yoga studios throughout Southern California.

“Ayurveda is what all the great yogis practiced,” says Mas Vidal, owner of Dancing Shiva, a Los Angeles yoga studio. “Ayurveda was taught as a way of life.”

Ayurveda holds that health and well-being of the body, mind and spirit is our natural state, experienced through proper diet, herbs, meditation, yoga, breathing exercises called pranayama and other daily routines. Ayurveda is used to prevent disease and boost the immune system so the body can heal itself from illness.

Ayurveda teaches that each person is made up of a combination of five elements: space, air, fire, water and earth, says Dr. Vasant Lad, a prominent Indian-trained physician who is chairman of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque. These elements combine to create three predominant doshas, or governing principles of the body: vata, pitta and kapha. Each person’s constitution is one of these doshas, or a combination of them.

According to Ayurvedic practice, vata people tend to be thin; they have cold hands and feet, dry skin and they are more likely to suffer from anxiety, insomnia, arthritis and constipation. Pitta types are “hot,” with medium builds and oily skin; they have strong appetites, controlling natures, sharp intellects and quick reactions. They get inflammatory diseases, rashes and ulcers. Kapha types are frequently overweight. They move slowly, love salty and sweet foods, have thick hair and big eyes and are prone to colds, congestion and diabetes, Lad says.

each of these groups has different dietary and lifestyle needs, which also vary by season. Disease in Ayurveda is an imbalance in one’s natural doshas, caused by improper diet and digestion, negative emotions and stress, which lead to a buildup of toxins in the body called ama.

Ayurvedic practitioners believe that this needs to be corrected through lifestyle changes, as well as panchakarma treatments, including a special diet, laxatives, herbal oil massages, sweat treatments, herbal enemas, nasal therapies and shirodhara, the pouring of oil onto the forehead for roughly 30 minutes. These treatments are typically performed in certain seasons and continue for three to 10 days.

In India, practices such as vomiting and bloodletting also are used for specific illnesses, but these are rarely done in the U.S. Some practitioners also incorporate sound, color and aromatherapy.

“All tools are at the disposal of Ayurveda, but we recognize the tool is not the cure,” says Marc Halpern, founder of the California College of Ayurveda in Grass Valley, Calif. “Western medicine controls the symptom. Ayurveda looks at the root causes in terms of lifestyle and consciousness.”

Suppressed during British rule in India, Ayurveda was preserved by practitioner families and is now taught in Indian medical schools, which require five years of training and clinical experience. The Indian government sponsors numerous scientific studies on Ayurveda and its collection of medicinal herbs.

While Ayurveda is often used in India by people too poor to receive Western medicine, panchakarma treatments in the U.S. cost $1,500 to $3,500 a week and are mainly the province of the wealthy, devoted or desperate. Holmstrom says he has treated some Hollywood celebrities, including Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Chopra treats people at his Chopra Center at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad.

Changing Attitudes

But Ayurveda also is attracting people with chronic health problems who have become frustrated with Western medical techniques that haven’t helped them, and those with alcohol and drug problems who want to detox quickly. One Los Angeles lawyer with chronic pain and sleeplessness from damaged spinal disks used Ayurveda to kick a growing reliance on sleeping pills and says panchakarma was not about getting pampered.

“By the fifth day, you are enema-ed out...,” said the lawyer, who asked that her name not be used. “It’s not a fun procedure. If you’re interested in going to a spa and getting a facial, this is not for you.”

Still, her treatments at Surya Spa worked so well that she asked her doctor to write a prescription for panchakarma so insurance would cover it. She says his response was something like: “I’m not going to sully my name by prescribing something so weird.”

Although Ayurveda is still relatively new in Southern California, such attitudes are gradually changing as Ayurveda is subjected to the rigors of Western science. It’s difficult to conduct double- blind, placebo-controlled trials, the gold standard of scientific research, because Ayurveda is a holistic system that treats individuals differently with multiple methods. Some studies have isolated specific components of Ayurveda, which advocates of Ayurveda say misses the point.

But last fall, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine awarded a two-year, $283,000 grant to establish an Ayurvedic Center of Collaborative Research to study Ayurveda as it is practiced in India. Overseen by researcher Leanna Standish at Bastyr University in Kenmore, Wash., scientists from Johns Hopkins University and UCLA will work with doctors in India to conduct controlled clinical trials on Ayurvedic treatments for rheumatoid arthritis. eventually, they hope to study treatments for hepatitis C, osteoarthritis and diabetes.

“I do not believe there have been any well-done studies of the whole practice of Ayurveda...” overseen by independent U.S. researchers, Standish says. “It really does deserve very careful evaluation.”

Although the numbers are still small, more Western doctors are getting trained. Dr. Vandana Soni, an anesthesiologist, realized after years of practicing Western medicine that it only “touches the surface of pain” She now combines Indian and Western medicine at her clinic, and some local medical doctors now refer patients to her for conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue and menopausal symptoms.

“If Ayurveda were perfect, [Western] allopathic medicine would never have come along,” she says. “If allopathic medicine were perfect, the world of alternative medicine wouldn’t have come into place.”

When you visit an Ayurvedic clinic for the first time, prepare to spend a couple of hours. “Ayurveda is very time-intensive,” says Dr. Nancy Lonsdorf, medical director at the Raj Ayurveda Health Center in Iowa. “I never see more than 12 patients a day. Most doctors see 50.”

At her clinic, Soni asks patients to fill out a 15-page questionnaire detailing everything from the time they wake up to the characteristics of bowel movements. After a pulse-taking and tongue examination, she determines a patient’s dosha and prescribes some herbs, spices and self-massage as part of a basic work-up.

Soni recommends patients retain their primary Western doctors, and she won’t treat people taking Chinese herbs because of possible side effects.

Standards Lacking

This is one of the problems with Ayurveda in the U.S., where people often ingest a complex stew of drugs and eastern herbs, whose interactions are poorly understood. Although acupuncturists and doctors of Oriental medicine must be certified and licensed in California and many other states, there are no standards for training or for practicing Ayurveda. Because a system for licensing is probably still years away, “it’s buyer beware,” Holmstrom says.

Gerson advises people to look for a bachelor’s degree in alternative medicine, a doctorate or a medical degree in Ayurveda from India. He also founded the National Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine, which verifies practitioner credentials. Because the programs teaching Ayurveda in the U.S. require just 300 to 500 hours of training, most practitioners here are unqualified to practice in India. Gerson says U.S. schools offer “a really poor level of training in Ayurveda.”

Although it’s hard to imagine someone being harmed by oil massages, Gerson says Ayurvedic treatments performed by the unqualified can have “serious consequences,” including headaches, bowel dysfunction, irregular respiration, fatigue and psychological problems. enemas are “invasive” and when performed improperly can cause colon spasms. “The biggest harm that can be done is the withholding of proper treatment,” says Wynn Werner, the administrator of the Ayurvedic Institute.

Gerson cites the case of a well-known Ayurvedic doctor who treated a woman in her mid-40s complaining of fatigue and muscle aches. “He took her pulse, looked in her eyes and diagnosed a vata imbalance,” Gerson said. Prescribing some herbs, dietary changes and yoga, he sent the woman away. A few months later, the family informed him she was diagnosed with leukemia. “Because the Ayurvedic doctor did not integrate a blood test,” he says, “this was missed.” But as long as people are prudent, Ayurvedic lifestyle changes have stress-reducing benefits and little chance of harming one’s health, Halpern says.

For Ayurveda consultations, treatments and information: Surya Spa
(310) 459-7715

Click here to download the Interview with Gina Cloud on her show: "W.O.M.A.N., A New Definition"(12.9 mb file)

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Les Nouvelles Esthetiques-American Edition

“We were transformed. Even our thinking was different. This is not the usual state people call bliss from a spa treatment. It is more, much more and should be honored as such.”

Pancha Karma – A first hand look at Surya Spa.

By Melanie and Robert Sachs

Like many of you in this industry, we often put off our own care and neglect our own best advice. But for us, we were presented with a window of opportunity. We were going to receive two days of pancha karma, the Ayurvedic process of deep detoxification and rejuvenation, with our good friend and Ayurvedic practitioner, John Holmstromm III. John is a uniquely talented and experienced practitioner of acupuncture and Ayurveda. He clearly understands the necessity to keep classical Ayurveda alive and, at the same time, makes it relevant and practical for Westerners.

Preparing the body

Normally, pancha karma is done for five to seven days, although for medical purposes, pancha karma masters will suggest as long as five to six weeks of treatments. Here, John only had two days to work with us! But, in the hands of the right practitioners, even a couple of days can create dramatic results.

Surya Spa was our destination. It’s an exclusively Ayurvedic spa and health center co-owned by John Holmstromm and Martha Soffer, an Ayurvedic therapist trained in the tradition of Maharishi Ayurveda. It’s nestled in the hills of Pacific Palisades, CA. A week prior to our appointments, Martha contacted and instructed us that we should begin the required dietary preparations. We were to begin each day with a tablespoon of ghee or clarified butter; eat a cooked, vegetarian diet; and then, two days before the treatment, take two tablespoons of castor oil before bed in order to “purge” the following day. This would get our bodies in the right state to receive the pancha karma regimen. Just being more aware of our diets put us into the right frame of mind and we could feel our bodies getting poised for change.

The Ayurvedic evaluation

When we arrived at Surya Spa, earthly smells of cooking herbs surrounded us. We sat comfortably and chatted in a relaxed, yet focused way with John. He spends 30 minutes with each client to feel the subtle energies in their pulses, check their tongues and ask questions. His goal is to find the origin of the deepest disturbances in the subtle energies of the body (vata, pitta, and kapha), follow the pathways these disturbances take and determine how they come to the surface as noted symptoms. This provides him the information needed to perfectly customize treatments with the appropriate herbal oils for the full-body massage or snehan, the herbs for the steam bath or swedan, and the oil most useful for shirodhara. After each of our examinations, we were then directed to a changing room. In this situation, modesty cannot be a factor. Of course, when necessary, one is draped during portions of various treatments in the pancha karma process. However, it is best to receive pancha karma in the nude.

The hands-on

Our treatments lasted three-and-a-half hours. Pancha karma and many Ayurvedic treatments can be offered by one or more therapists. Many spas offer abhyanga or full-body Ayurvedic oleation message employing two therapists. This does not have to be the case, but at Surya Spa, John and Martha work together as a well-coordinated team. Their touch and timing is well practiced. They began with the oleation message or snehan. Massage in pancha karma is less focused on deep-tissue issues and more focused on effectively driving in the medicinal oil that suits the client best. Here, product plays a role equal to technique. With the oil worked into the large muscle groups and joints, both of them began to rub the body with rice and herbal boluses that had cooked overnight. Called pinda swedana, these warm herbal boluses were rubbed over every muscle, crease and fold of the body, driving the oil and herbs deeper. In my (Robert’s) case, as I was experiencing a bit of low back pain, John prepared a lepa or poultice of herbs that was laid over my lower back, then strapped onto me when I needed to turn over.

Once on our backs, then oleation and pinda swedana continued. As the process progressed, we were more and more deeply moved by the degree of intention and the sheer amount of physical work involved. This couple had been working round the clock to make all the products from scratch. They had personally gathered a number of herbs from the deserts and open spaces around Los Angeles. And during all this preparation, they chanted sacred sounds to awaken the stronger healing energy in the oils they were preparing. As they touched each marma (vital energy pint) they whispered its name to call it to awaken and open. You could feel their dedication, this whole process felt sacred and powerfully grounded. When it came to our faces, Martha was the primary therapist, not only doing a beautiful face massage, but also offering us nasya or nasal cleansing with a “medicated” ghee she made herself. It had been decocted 20 times over a period of days. Here, we were experiencing the alchemical, the deeply transformational mystery and “magic” of this ancient science.

Steaming

With our bodies fully oiled from head to toe, we were then directed to an herbal steam bath. In pancha karma, it is best to receive a steam sitting up, to keep the client alert and their head cool. For some, especially those of a more fiery or pitta nature, a cool cloth on the head is often useful. It certainly was in my (Robert’s) case as we remained in the steam box for close to 20 minutes on the porch that overlooked a ravine surrounded by lush green. There was no rush and I (Melaine), for once, lost all sense of time.

Shirodhara

Shirodhara was next in the regimen of treatments we received. Shirodhara is where a fine steam of warm oil flows over the forehead. Again, Martha and John used oil specially prepared fro each of us and designed to eliminate extra vata, quiet mental chatter and liberate nervous tension. Shirodhara is, at the very least, extremely relaxing. At best if feels to me (Melanie) like a rebirthing, a psychic cleansing, renourishing my nervous system and readjusting my emotional thermostat. Although in a medical setting, shirodhara can last as long as an hour, but John and Martha assess that 25 minutes of the treatment was sufficient. That was long enough for us to discover relaxation...and then deeper and deeper letting go, gently and easily.

Five actions

Three hours of being handled, rolled and steamed certainly takes care of a lot of mental and physical armoring and stress. The body becomes loose and open; the mind, quiet. One may think that there is nothing more to do but all the treatment up until now is purva karma, that is, pacifying actions--treatments designed to mobilize toxins and unbalance energies in the body and push them into the hollow organs from which they can be voided. Pancha karma is five cleansing actions that flush these toxins out of the system completely. These include purgatives (virechana), like the ones we did prior to arriving at Surya Spa; emetics (vamana) or therapeutic vomiting; enemas (basti); nasal cleansing (nasya), like the ones Martha offered us; and blood letting (rakta moksha), which can be an actual letting of blood or the use of herbs to purify the blood. These are what make pancha karma, pancha karma.

During the pancha karma process, clients are commonly instructed to do for themselves or receive a basti or herbal enema on a daily basis at the end of the massage and steaming. The herbal solution for each of us was different, but the amount was about a pint. The goal is basically, however, to hold the solution for at least one half hour. After such deep and relaxing treatments, this is not as difficult as it sounds.

Home care

Our treatment was then complete and we were directed back to the dressing room where we would shower, evacuate if we must, and get dressed. Instructions for the rest of the day were to rest, eat lightly, and get enough rest to do the same the following day. At the completion of our two days, John gave us jars of herbal tinctures to take home to continue the process of detoxification and rejuvenation.

The result?

It is one thing to feel great after a treatment and it is another thing when you distinctly feel as if someone has touched you down to your soul and reordered your molecules. We were transformed. Even our thinking was different. This is not the usual state people call bliss from a spa treatment. It is more, much more and should be honored as such. For years, we have been involved in teaching Ayurvedic bodywork methods to the spa and beauty industries. We have tried to select from the wide range of Ayurvedic treatments those that the most qualified and competent therapists can learn and practice in the spa setting. In our travels, we have heard of those spas that claim to do pancha karma, thinking that a massage and steam are all that’s to it. From what we have described of what we received at Surya Spa, it should be clear to the reader that very, very few spas do offer pancha karma. They may offer stellar Ayurvedic treatments and purva karma; however, unless a spa is offering or guiding clients through such treatments as enemas, purgatives, and emetics, they are not offering pancha karma. But Surya Spa is. And John Holmstromm and Martha Soffer are masters and pioneers. They are offering a true, holistic “medi-spa” experience in the age-old tradition of the healing spas of antiquity.

About the spa

In this article, we have spent little describing Surya Spa’s décor, it’s treatment rooms, or the quality of its sheets or towels, etc. Suffice to say that Surya Spa is quiet, personal clean and a place to receive and experience a depth of treatment unlike any spa that we have had the opportunity to visit. It is a place for an inner journey that will prompt the body to heal. John and Martha work with the rich, the famous as well as the average working person. They believe in the principles Gandhi set out regarding small, independent businesses that serve the community. They do not have lofty ambitions of growing into a “mega-spa.” If they grow in size, it will be organic, with intention backed by an ethic to serve. For our part, we were renewed and inspired by our experiences at Surya Spa.

Ayurveda’s place in the spa

Ayurveda is being offered in so many different ways, in many different settings. As we have said time and again in previous articles, we see it as the most appropriate and applicable holistic, health paradigm for the spa and beauty industry. But it is important to recognize the many levels and dimensions of Ayurveda. In any event, the goal is the same: to bring the benefits of this amazing system to America and serve people well. We look forward to more and deeper Ayurvedic treatments taking root and flowering in the beautiful garden of the spa industry.

Melanie Sachs, a certified Ayurvedic life counselor, healer and teacher, is sought after by some of the world’s leading spas and beauty schools. She has published Ayurvedic Beauty Care, and is recognized internationally for the application of ayurveda to the beauty world. Robert Sachs is a counselor, licensed massage therapist and educator. Robert is the author of Health Secrets from The Roof of The World. To reach them, call 1-(866)303-3321 or phone/fax (805)543-9291.

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Spa Magazine March/April 2004

Rebalancing Act, The healing arts step in to rejuvenate new mothers with specialized post-pregnancy treatments. By Kyle Roderick Ayurvedic prescriptions for post-partum care turn to the combined healing elements of vigorous massage, nourishing oils, and aromatic herbs. According to this Indian holistic healing system, the application of these therapies (chosen according to a woman's dosha-dosha-pitta, vata, or kapha) helps replenish bone marrow (majja) and female reproductive tissues (rajas) weakened by childbirth. A Rasayana Post-Pregnancy Healing Session at Surya Spa in Pacific Palisades, California, pulls together the postnatal treatments of this ancient medicine in a modern spa setting. Warm sesame or safflower oils are first spread onto the back, preparing the body for a deep and rigorous two-hour-long marma (energy) point massage. Afterward, warm linen bags are filled with cooked rice and fragrant herbs are smoothed over the skin. The new mother is then treated to a detoxifying and exfoliating rubdown with chickpea flour and herb blend. The experience concludes with shirodhara, a bliss-inducing treatment of warm herb-infused oil poured onto the forehead for 20 minutes. The flow centers on the area over the pituitary gland, which plays a major role in hormone regulation. Ayurvedic theory holds that its stimulating action helps balance hormones while promoting relaxation and restoring energy.

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Yogi Times June 2004

By Rexanne Diehl

All of the treatments available at Surya Spa are based on the Ayurvedic tradition. Here, John Holmstrom, senior herbalist and Ayurvedic Teacher and Martha Soffer, Ayurvedic Therapist, Chef and Panchakarma Specialist, bring their knowledge of Ayurveda to a western audience. As you enter the spa, you are instantly surounded by the healing fragrances of oils that have been specially prepared for your dosha (body-type). You can instinctively feel that John and Martha have lived and studied Ayurvedic medicine for many years. They pour their knowledge and strength into the preparation of the herbs and into the entire series of treatments. My treatment began with Pizzi Marma- warm oil massaged over marma points. Next is Panda Swedana-medicated herbal rice pouches applied to the body to relax the nervous system. Then, I moved to a steam box outside to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere surrounded by trees for the Swedana treatment. This treatment included fresh Eucalyptus steam (for expelling toxins out of the body). Next was Shirodara- a continuous flow of oil poured on the forehead. This treatment places you into a state of calm and nourishes the nervous system. Each of the therapies were recommended for my individual body type and provided nourishment to help build ojas (immunity). My experience was educational and relaxing. If you would like to be treated with traditional Ayurvedic herbs, oils and principles I would highly recommend visiting Surya Spa.