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May 25, 2023

Simmi Chopra Is Revolutionizing Holistic Healthcare Through Ayurveda

Meet Simmi Chopra, an accomplished Ayurvedic doctor based in New York City. With a background in Molecular Biology and Biostatistics, she discovered Ayurveda while seeking treatment for her daughter’s

Meet Simmi Chopra, an accomplished Ayurvedic doctor based in New York City. With a background in Molecular Biology and Biostatistics, she discovered Ayurveda while seeking treatment for her daughter’s insulin resistance.

Combining her medical knowledge with ancient wisdom, Simmi Chopra founded SIDH Ayur, offering personalized Ayurvedic therapies and transformative Panchkarma treatments.

Join us for a word with Practitioner Chopra about her journey, the benefits of Ayurveda, and her mission to make a lasting impact on health and wellness.

Can you provide an overview of Ayurvedic therapy and its principles for those who are unfamiliar with the practice?

A typical ayurvedic therapy starts with consultation for an hour where we assess the client. We find their imbalance in doshas, the strength of their agni which is the digestive strength, the level of ama which is loosely correlated to toxins. We assess via questionnaires, tongue analysis, pulse diagnosis, nails, and a lot of bowel related questions as the 3 excretions which are stools, urine and sweat give a lot of information as to what’s happening in your gut, kidneys, liver, lymph, etc.

The client is given a diet and lifestyle recommendation according to the assessment, the imbalance as well as keeping in mind what their true body type/ body constitution is. Herbs, therapies or panchkarma is recommended depending on the level of chronicity. Therapies are described in later questions below.

The principle behind Ayurveda is to balance body and mind by balancing the 3 functional energies or doshas. Ayurveda has an individualised holistic approach, the same diet and herbs are not applicable for all. It’s not one size fits all. It focuses on balancing doshas or functional energies (kapha, pitta, vata). These doshas are present in all of us but in different proportions which gives us our unique characteristics, unique health propensities and different requirements for food. It focuses on the saying “It’s not just what you eat but what you digest that is important!”

According to the Ayurvedic principle, everyone is unique and different, so their need for food intake is different which depends on the prominent doshas that are present in us.

Can you share your personal journey and experience with Ayurveda?

I used to have chronic sinusitis when I was in college, which was 35 years ago. I was living on antihistamines. Finally when I could not handle it anymore. I went to a Vaidya (a name for an Ayurvedic Doctor in India). He did 10 days of therapy called nasya where medicated oil and herbal decoction were put in each nostrils. Nasya removes inflammation, congestion in the sinuses and balances the HPA axis. Since then, I have not had sinus related problems

Then recently, for my cancer treatment. I did an integrated approach where I got surgery and radiation but I refused chemotherapy and did panchkarma which is described in later questions.

How does Ayurvedic therapy approach health and wellness differently from conventional medicine?

Ayurveda has a holistic approach where they look at body and mind and do not treat them as separate entities while conventional medicine has a reductionist approach where they look at the specific part that is creating the problem. Ayurveda works on the root cause of a health problem while conventional medicine treats the symptoms.

Ayurveda treats at functional levels and corrects the functions in any problem while conventional medicine treats at structural level and corrects the structure or any chemical reaction involved in the problem.

Lastly Ayurveda is personalised, individualized. It’s not one size fits all. While conventional medicine has the same treatment of a particular disease for everyone.

What are doshas in Ayurveda and how do they relate to the individual’s balance?

Doshas are the backbone of Ayurvedic therapy as well as consider it as the unit of balance in the body and mind. There are 3 doshas- Kapha, Pitta and Vata. We have all the 3 doshas in us but in different proportions which gives us our unique characteristics, unique health propensities and different requirements for food, and are required for proper functioning of our body.

They define us and our personality and all the therapies, recommendations of herbs, diet and lifestyle is based on balancing the doshas.

But when we are not eating and living according to our prominent doshas, the doshas get imbalanced. One or two or all of them can get imbalanced creating health problems. Kapha is required for proper functioning of any structure, cells, mucus lining. Pitta is required for proper metabolism, hormones, and eyesight etc. Vata is required for any movement in the body, so proper functioning of nerves, muscles, bones, thoughts, etc

What are some common Ayurvedic treatments and therapies used to promote health and well-being?

One therapy is Shirodhara where Ayurvedic oils are poured over the forehead. The principle behind is to calm the vata, which is one of the 3 functional energies which is crucial for the balance in body and mind, so they are very effective in depression, anxiety, adhd and even health problems that stem from stress like IBS, hypertension etc. Vata gets aggravated and imbalanced due to stress and wrong diet and lifestyle. The stream of oil grounds and balances the vata energy which helps in mind related problems.

A second treatment called Kati vasti entails a dam made from lentil powder dough. Medicated oil specifically for back ache are poured in. This again helps the vata to balance which gets imbalanced in all problems related to bones, muscles and nerves. For knee pain, there is janu vasti which is similar but teh dam and oil is for the knee.

For severe inflammation in knees, shoulders, legs etc as seen in sciatica, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. Dhara is done which is ayurvedic herbs made into decoction and continuously poured on the affected area for a few minutes. This reduces the internal inflammation and dislodges the toxins that are present in that region.

For severe pain, patrapotla sweda (leaf bolus) is done on the painful area like in frozen shoulders, hip pain, etc. Ayurvedic herbs- fresh and powder form are placed in muslin cloth and tied into bolus which are heated and tapped on the painful area. Thai helps in reducing the inflammation, reduces the pain, and removes toxins.

Panchakarma is done for chronic health conditions, autoimmune conditions like psoriasis, RA, diabetes etc. The treatment takes place over 6 weeks, as an intense detox process which resets and balances your body and mind, removing toxins from the tissues affected.

Are there any specific lifestyle practices or dietary guidelines associated with Ayurvedic therapy? How do these contribute to overall health?

Diet and lifestyle according to your body type, imbalances are the heart of Ayurvedic therapy. When one eats and lives so that the doshas do not get imbalanced, and one is living in harmony with nature. Then the person experiences health in body and mind.

Create a rhythm in your daily routine which should be in sync with nature. Timely eating, sleeping and waking up in accordance with nature. Using the knowledge of different doshic energies prominent at different times of the day, one can achieve balance. Eat the heaviest meal, more proteins during lunch when digestive strength is strongest just like the sun is at its strongest.

Diet should be according to your body type or constitution or doshas so as to create a balance in them. So a Kapha Pitta body type should have a kapha pitta pacifying diet and lifestyle.

Can you share some success stories or examples of individuals who have benefited from Ayurvedic therapy? How has it improved their well-being?

Loads of success stories.

Seasonal allergies, sciatica, pcos, dealing with stress, food allergies, prostate, migraine and many more chronic health conditions.

How does Ayurvedic therapy approach the prevention of diseases and maintaining long-term health?

Ayurveda not only helps in managing health problems but helps in preventing health problems. The simplest way is to keep the digestive strength strong which is the key to most health issues.

Eat and live according to your prominent doshas else they are easy to get imbalanced. Doshain Sanskrit means fault.

Follow dinacharya which are simple daily ayurvedic routines like gandusha (oil pulling), abhyanga (oil massage), tongue cleaning as it removes toxins, yoga, walk, pranayama (breathing exercises)

Maintain a daily rhythm if timely eating, waking and sleeping according to the prominent doshas in nature at different times. Eating at pitta time which is from 10-2pm when your digestive strength is maximum. Eating light warm meals for breakfast and dinner as they are the kapha time which has a heavy dense energy. Waking during the vata phase, so around 4 to 5 am before sunrise when the energy is re is brahma muhurta.

Follow ritucharya, eat and live according to different seasons.

Do ritu sandhi which is a 14 day period before the next season starts, so you ease into the next season by weaning from the previous season. This is done beautifully by doing seasonal cleanse as well as following a diet and lifestyle according to different seasons.

Are there any potential limitations or considerations when incorporating Ayurvedic therapy alongside conventional medical treatments?

Limitation is there are no quick fixes especially in autoimmune problems and other chronic problems. No instant relief which makes people quit within a few days. When the chronic problem took years to manifest, people should realize that it will take at least a month to show some results.

As people are already on conventional medicines, we need to work with their doctors so we can wean off the medicines as ayurvedic herbs start showing results. Ultimate goal is to have the clients manage with diet and lifestyle once the problem is fixed or maintain their health with rasayanas which are rejuvenating herbs which strengthen the tissues so the problem doesn;t resurface again.

It is difficult to find conventional doctors who would work with Ayurvedic doctors as chronic problems need to be handled in an integrated way.

Can you discuss any ongoing research or advancements in Ayurvedic therapy that have caught your attention?

In USA, Kerala Ayurveda LLC has acquired a patent for an Ayurvedic blend for metabolic syndrome disorders such as diabetes mellitus, obesity and lipid profile management after a lot of research doen in that field.

In India, Ayush (Indian government department) and a lot of Ayurvedic hospitals have been doing research on making medicines for chronic diseases. There have been breakthroughs in medicine for pcos, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, RA, psoriasis, prostate problems, cancer and much more. Even though these medicines are being formulated to be taken in general for the problem, Ayurveda being an individualistic system, will require the protocol to be personalized. More information can be found at the Ayush website, and articles at pubmed.

Are there any misconceptions or myths about Ayurvedic therapy that you frequently encounter? How would you address them?

Many!! Lot of people think it’s mumbo jumbo and not a medical system. Ayurveda has been around for the past 5000 years and the Indian population which by the way is 2nd largest in the world have been taking Ayruvedic herbs /medicines for centuries without having caused pandemic or deaths or severe side effects or wiped out the population. The protocols for health problems have been tried and tested for many years but sadly conventional medicine requires randomized case control studies to get authenticated. But ayurveda protocols are designed specifically for each individual.

Secondly, the misconception that it is only to guide you with diet and lifestyle and can offer nothing more. Ayurveda has had amazing results in managing chronic problems, autoimmune, gut related, metabolic, and many more.

Thirdly, there is a misconception that Ayurvedic herbs have metals. That is another branch in Ayurveda called rasa shastra where bhasmas and rasa aushadhi are used. These are metals purified so the toxicity is removed. These bhasmas are like nanomedicines as potent as steroids and super fast acting. Please refer to my article in Journal of Public Health, Columbia University. I have discussed in detail the myths as well as wrong accusations to the herbs. So there are 3 kinds of formulations in Ayurveda: plant based, plant with metals, plants with animal products, pure metals.

Fourthly, people associate Ayurveda to massage, which is not true. There are therapies like i have described above. Then there is panchkarma. Panchakarma is another big misconception where people get a massage with few therapies and think they have got panchakarma.

Panchkarma requires 4 weeks of building your digestive strength, digesting toxins, and then 6-7 days of snehapana which is taking medicated ghee. Only after this, 4-5 different types of therapies to remove toxins are done. These could be virechana (purgation), vasti (enema), vamana (emesis), raktamokshan (bloodletting) or nasya (nasal drops) is done.

Fifthly, people consume ayurvedic herbs without consulting an ayurvedic practitioner as they assume that they will not create any side effects. Each herb has an effect on balancing the 3 dosha differently depending on its gunas (qualities). So they could cause further imbalance or could cause a new imbalance if not taken correctly

Lastly, khichdi detox is becoming very popular. That is incorrect. Khichdi is a well balanced, nourishing food. DEtox as described is done by panchkarma. People feel light and lose weight during the 7-10 days of the khichdi diet as it is easy to digest. Most of us have weak digestive strength due to consumption of processed foods, untimely eating, and incompatible foods. SO during the consumption of a light meal as khichdi, they feel good.

My advice to people consuming herbs on their own, even ashwagandha, especially curcumin, is to please consult an Ayurvedic Doctor. Curcumin in capsule form is not good. It can be drying and heating and can cause problems. It has been used as turmeric in food with ghee and pepper to get the best benefit from it.

This concludes the time we had to ask a few questions with Ayurvedic Practitioner Simmi Chopra. We would like to thank her for her time, and her dedication to providing holistic solutions for the masses. To learn more about Chopra, and the treatments she offers in New York, visit Sidh Ayur online.

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