Ask the Doctor

Dr. Krishna Raju says, “The injury upset your vata, pitta, and kapha*, just as it happens in other kinds of mental illness. So from the very start, follow the treatments that are recommended in Ayurveda. And also, see your family doctor.

"If you don't treat this injury in time, it might damage your body later. For example, it may cause a tumor. Then you might need surgery.

"So take care of it now, to prevent complications like that."

Vata, pitta, and kapha are qualities we all have. When any of them increase enough, a disease will result. (See Chapter 2 in Heal Your Mental Disorder.*)

Dr. Krishna Raju is codirector of Dr. Raju's Institute of Ayurveda, in Hyderabad, India.

Do you have a question for a doctor? Send it to contact@healyourmentaldisorder.com. Let us know whether you want your name to be posted. Your contact information will not be published.

COMING NEXT:

You say I should eat healthy food if I want to heal my mental disorder. How fresh should my flour be? And my whole grains?

PREVIOUS "ASK THE DOCTOR" COLUMNS

CAN MICROWAVE OVENS AGGRAVATE MENTAL DISORDERS?

Question:

Sometimes I use a microwave oven to warm or cook my food. It’s quick and convenient—but is it healthy?

Dr. Krishna Raju:

If you use a microwave oven often enough, you may aggravate your mental disorder. Let me explain:

Imagine that you’re cooking food over a flame. Now you turn up the flame so that it’s very big. That huge flame will start to disturb the water.

Microwave ovens cook food much faster than even that big flame. They cook food quickly enough to disturb the molecules in the food. They change the molecular structure of the food.

So the food you microwave is no longer in its natural state. It won’t give you satisfaction like other food does. And when you don’t get satisfaction from your food, you will become agitated. If this happens often enough, it will aggravate your mental disorder.

Question:

I have mental illness. I've read that if I habitually watch TV or use the computer after sunset, I'll have even more anxiety. Is this true?

Dr. Krishna Raju:

Yes, you probably will. We're designed to be active during the day, not at night. That's why we secrete more rousing hormones, such a cortisol, during the day. And that's why our eyes can't see well in the dark.

So when night comes, we're designed to rest.

If you often look at TV or use your computer after sunset, the flickering lights will excite your nervous system and disturb your rest. This may be enough to aggravate any mental illness.

Question:

Is it healthy to sleep during the day?

Dr. Krishna Raju:

Generally, no. Our bodies are designed to be active during the daytime. If you sleep at that time, it will reduce your activity. For example, you’ll have less time to digest your food.

"But daytime sleep may not be bad for every mental illness. For example, people with depression or anxiety disorder may benefit from napping during the day."

Question:

I have an autoimmune disorder, and it's making me more depressed and anxious. Can I get rid of it by cleaning out my toxins?

Dr. Krishna Raju:

Yes, you probably can. Autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and low thyroid, happen because your body made a mistake.

We protect ourselves by making antibodies. If you touch harmful bacteria, for example, you may make antibodies to fight off the bacteria, so that you don't get an infection.

Your body is smart: It armors you against trouble.

But if you have a lot of waste that has fermented inside you—from food you didn't digest, for example—your body might be confused. It may think, "This is an enemy from outside. I've got to make antibodies to fight it off." So it attacks your own tissues to kill off the toxins.

If you clean out enough toxins, your body will probably stop defending you against yourself, and your autoimmune disease will go away.

Photo Credits:

Courtesy of Scientific Animations, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coup_injury.jpg, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Courtesy of Alex Smith
https://easy-peasy.ai/ai-image-generator/images/hispanic-woman-kneading-bread-in-bikini, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en
Courtesy of Trausti Evans, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lunch_box_and_microwave_oven.jpg, https://www.flickr.com/photos/114303073@NOS/25117841759/
https://pxhere.com/en/photo/165178, https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/
Courtesy of Kampus Production, Mansleeping comfortably in Bed · Free Stock Photo (pexels.com), Creative Commons —Copyright-Only Dedication (based on United States law) or Public Domain Certification)

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ASK THE DOCTOR

"I GOT MENTAL ILLNESS FROM A BRAIN INJURY. WHAT CAN I DO?"

﻿

Dr. Krishna Raju says, “The injury upset your vata, pitta, and kapha*, just as it happens in other kinds of mental illness. So from the very start, follow the treatments that are recommended in Ayurveda. And also, see your family doctor.

"If you don't treat this injury in time, it might damage your body later. For example, it may cause a tumor. Then you might need surgery.

"So take care of it now, to prevent complications like that."

﻿

*Vata, pitta, and kapha are qualities we all have. When any of them increase enough, a disease will result. (See Chapter 2 in Heal Your Mental Disorder.)

Dr. Krishna Raju is codirector of Dr. Raju's Institute of Ayurveda, in Hyderabad, India.

Do you have a question for a doctor? Send it to contact@healyourmentaldisorder.com. Let us know whether you want your name to be posted. Your contact information will not be published.

COMING NEXT:

﻿

You say I should eat healthy food if I want to heal my mental disorder. How fresh should my flour be? And my whole grains?

﻿

﻿

﻿

PREVIOUS "ASK THE DOCTOR" COLUMNS

CAN MICROWAVE OVENS AGGRAVATE MENTAL DISORDERS?

Question:

Sometimes I use a microwave oven to warm or cook my food. It’s quick and convenient—but is it healthy?

﻿

Dr. Krishna Raju:

If you use a microwave oven often enough, you may aggravate your mental disorder. Let me explain:

Imagine that you’re cooking food over a flame. Now you turn up the flame so that it’s very big. That huge flame will start to disturb the water.

Microwave ovens cook food much faster than even that big flame. They cook food quickly enough to disturb the molecules in the food. They change the molecular structure of the food.

So the food you microwave is no longer in its natural state. It won’t give you satisfaction like other food does. And when you don’t get satisfaction from your food, you will become agitated. If this happens often enough, it will aggravate your mental disorder.

Question:

I have mental illness. I've read that if I habitually watch TV or use the computer after sunset, I'll have even more anxiety. Is this true?

﻿

Dr. Krishna Raju:

Yes, you probably will. We're designed to be active during the day, not at night. That's why we secrete more rousing hormones, such a cortisol, during the day. And that's why our eyes can't see well in the dark.

So when night comes, we're designed to rest.

If you often look at TV or use your computer after sunset, the flickering lights will excite your nervous system and disturb your rest. This may be enough to aggravate any mental illness.

Question:

Is it healthy to sleep during the day?

﻿

Dr. Krishna Raju:

Generally, no. Our bodies are designed to be active during the daytime. If you sleep at that time, it will reduce your activity. For example, you’ll have less time to digest your food.

"But daytime sleep may not be bad for every mental illness. For example, people with depression or anxiety disorder may benefit from napping during the day."

Question:

I have an autoimmune disorder, and it's making me more depressed and anxious. Can I get rid of it by cleaning out my toxins?

﻿

﻿

Dr. Krishna Raju:

Yes, you probably can. Autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and low thyroid, happen because your body made a mistake.

We protect ourselves by making antibodies. If you touch harmful bacteria, for example, you may make antibodies to fight off the bacteria, so that you don't get an infection.

Your body is smart: It armors you against trouble.

But if you have a lot of waste that has fermented inside you—from food you didn't digest, for example—your body might be confused. It may think, "This is an enemy from outside. I've got to make antibodies to fight it off." So it attacks your own tissues to kill off the toxins.

If you clean out enough toxins, your body will probably stop defending you against yourself, and your autoimmune disease will go away.

﻿

﻿

﻿

Photo Credits:

Courtesy of Scientific Animations, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coup_injury.jpg, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

Courtesy of Alex Smith

https://easy-peasy.ai/ai-image-generator/images/hispanic-woman-kneading-bread-in-bikini, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en

Courtesy of Trausti Evans, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lunch_box_and_microwave_oven.jpg, https://www.flickr.com/photos/114303073@NOS/25117841759/

https://pxhere.com/en/photo/165178, https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/

Courtesy of Kampus Production, Mansleeping comfortably in Bed · Free Stock Photo (pexels.com), Creative Commons —Copyright-Only Dedication (based on United States law) or Public Domain Certification)

Vata, pitta, and kapha are qualities we all have. When any of them increase enough, a disease will result. (See Chapter 2 in Heal Your Mental Disorder.*)