Spa Addicts

Comments:
I wish I had met ayurvedic doctor, Dr. Reetu Rudra, 18 months ago, shortly after I turned 50 and just wasn't feeling myself. For 18 months, I had spent so much time and money going from one medical doctor in NYC to another, getting nowhere. Although I knew and was so thankful to be "healthy" on paper, I was low on energy, not sleeping well, was anxious and had various symptoms that couldn't be attributed to anything "medical" according to the MDs in New York City.

Over the years I had heard about Ayurvedic medicine, the ancient medicine practiced in India for over 6000 years.
I understood that Ayurvedic medicine probably held many answers, given the wisdom intrinsic in a 6000 year-old science.

Then a friend told me he was working with a wonderful Ayurvedic doctor trained in India.
Of late, he was looking so much better and full of energy, so I wanted to see this doctor!
He told me about her academic accomplishments -- that she had graduated at the top of her ayurvedic class, then became a naturopath and spent a year working in a hospital, that she had an Ayurvedic center in London before coming to NY -- and that she was devoted to the art of healing with natural means.

Dr. Rudra immediately understood the issues I was dealing with, and knew how to help right away.
She explained that I was in a state of imbalance called by too much "Vata" and gave me three things I could do to immediately start feeling better:
1) Based on my ayurvedic body type, she told me how to adjust my diet and which foods to eat at specific times of day -- she said this was 50% of the problem
2) She taught me a specific type of yogic breathing exercise called pranayama that would bring vitality and energy into all my organs, and
3) She gave me specific herbal supplements and herbal medicines that would restore balance over a period of a few months.

I was so excited!! Finally a doctor had understood my complaints and gave me the tools to help myself.
Immediately I changed the foods I ate, began pranayama and meditation in the morning, and started Triphala and other herbal medicines to restore balance.
I began to feel better!

Because I have a "vata-imbalance" which happens to many people after age 50, Dr. Rudra suggested that I go through a detoxification called "Panchkarma".
My panchkarma has involved a series of medical massages -- using a variety of herbal-medicine oils rubbed into specific areas of the body-- as well as some herbal home treatments.
Also Dr. Rudra, who is a yoga teacher as well and lifelong practitioner of the ayurvedic lifestyle, have given me various yoga exercises to also help my condition.

What I like so much about Dr. Rudra and her NYC clinic is her common sense approach to natural healing. I've always believed that the body can heal if given the correct support and treatments. I've always believed herbs were much more healing than pharmaceutical medicines because of their subtle qualities.

There's still so much to learn about the science and art of Ayurveda -- so much common sense, everyday practices and guidelines for living a holistic and peaceful lifestyle.
Every step of the way, Dr. Rudra has been there to answer my questions and facilitate healing.

One final word: do not be fooled when you meet Dr. Rudra, for she is young and unassuming. But she is an old soul with a deep gift for healing and has a heart overflowing with compassion and good humor. This young woman, with high academic honors and a life devoted to the art of healing, has travelled very far from her home in India -- to bring ayurvedic healing and wisdom to those of us in NY City. She puts all the older gray haired medical doctors I've met with to shame, for she knows how to heal imbalances that these men do not even come close to understanding. For ayurveda is 6000 years full of wisdom, and the medicine practiced by western doctors is less than 300 years old. Now that you know about Ayurvedic medicine and Dr. Rudra, it should be obvious where true healing can be found in New York.