86: Dr Michele Colon – Ayurvedic Medicine & Body Wisdom

Healing with Ayurvedic Medicine and Body Wisdom

Today, I have with me the most amazing guest—Dr. Michele Colon. She's into Ayurvedic Medicine, Podiatry and Yoga among many others.

Helping people get back their health holistically is her main goal. Summing it all up, I totally love her story and all the things that she does.

What exactly is Ayurvedic Medicine? My initial understanding is, it is the oldest form of medicine. And if it can stand the test of time, it must make a difference.

Becoming A Healer

Dr. Colon has been practicing medicine in Southern California for 19 years. She always knew she wanted to be a healer and a doctor then found Podiatry at some point. When she had her own health practice, that's when she started looking into other forms of Holistic Medicine to heal herself.

“I had a really bad case of gastrointestinal problems going on. And I was not getting diagnosed properly,” Dr. Colon recalls. “Then I explored Holistic Medicine and that's when I found Ayurveda.”

During treatment, the practitioner educated Colon that the reason for her health problems were centered around food. She started getting better and her food allergies disappeared. Consequently, it brought balance in her life.

“When I got better, I was inspired to study Ayurveda and get certified. Upon becoming an Ayurveda specialist, I knew I could help more people heal,” she said.

My personal understanding is that a lot of people have foot problems because they are diabetic. In addition to that, some have insulin and blood sugar problems to that point that the only solution was amputation.

Commit To Change

Dr. Colon first advises her diabetic or pre-diabetic patients to make changes in their life.

Three major changes to make:  

1. Avoid breads and carbs because these turn into sugar. Eat in moderation. Pay attention to your meal times. Don't eat too late at night.
2. Get enough sleep to regenerate cells.
3. Exercise up to 20-30 minutes a day.

Personally, I think starting is the most important thing. I noticed that when I eat late at night, I would wake up hungry. Blood sugar is harder to control.

Origin of Ayurveda

Ayurveda is originally from India. Dr. Colon says it looks at bringing everyone into balance. Everyone is going to react differently to the treatment. Because it is individualized for every person.

There are three types of energy or ‘Dosha'.  Some people are a combination of both.

1. Vata(wind)

• people are on the thin side
• they don't gain weight that much

• have dry skin and hair, chapped lips
• they are worriers and get anxious quickly
• gas and bloating are their usual problems
• they get cold easily
• self-massage is good with sesame oil mixed with lavender
• recommended foods are soups and stews
• be more gentle in terms of exercise like Taichi
• associated with animals like a hummingbird or butterfly

2. Pitta(fire)

• people are usually of medium build
• they love exercise
• tend to get angry easily
• they get acidic stomach and heartburn
• love eating spicy foods
• more muscular of the three types
• competitive nature
• drinking coconut water and watermelon are recommended
• eat more salads
• practice breathing techniques.

• they have to monitor themselves
• swimming or any water sport is good
• associated with the animal tiger

3. Kapha(water)  

• people tend to gain weight easier
• they are grounded and a gentle soul
• can get complacent
• swings to depression
• they should learn to watch what they eat
• love eating comfort food and watch the heavy foods
• they don't love exercise but once they like the exercise, they will stick to it.
• eat lighter foods like salad
• get away with eating two meals a day
• doesn't like breakfast
• associated with the animal elephant

“I start with giving the patient the dosha quiz. Next is to talk about the issues they're having,” Dr. Colon said. “From there, we figure what part of their life we can bring balance based on recommendations from Ayurveda. Once your dosha is identified, steps are taken to counter the characteristics.”

Furthermore, Dr. Colon wants to show people that we can really feel ourselves. Our own hands are very healing. She also teaches people how to self-massage by using herbal oils rather than reach out for a pain pill.

Dr. Colon relates that she had a diabetes patient who thought she was doing the right thing in terms of exercising. But Colon identified that she wasn't eating right and had erratic sleeping times.  They were able to fix that to get her metabolism and sleeping time back to normal.

Only then did that patient start losing weight.  In addition to that, her foot pain went away. She has not been able to reverse her diabetes but she was able to lower the average of her blood sugar by 30 points.

Body Wisdom Book

Dr. Colon's book discusses Ayurveda in detail. It also looks at different foods, herbs and things that people can experiment with their bodies. The book also has a 10-week workbook. This is so you can see the progress as you make changes in your life.

“There's a lot of Dosha quizzes that you can take online. I took the one at The Chopra Center,” said Dr. Colon. “It asks you a series of questions based on your body frame, physical features as well as the emotional and mental parts of it.”

Cookbook

Dr. Colon recommends the The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook by Kate O'Donnell. This is because it has so many great recipes.

I remember I was about 15 or 16 and went to Mexico with my parents. Their acquaintance was Ayurveda practitioners who gave me a big bag of tea which tasted so good! It had all these herbs which were very floral and fruity. I felt very uplifted. Hence, I never forgot that feeling.

New Podcast

Do check out the Body Wisdom podcast with Dr. Michele. She has interviewed different specialists and health practitioners.  A sleep coach has guested as well as people who have successfully kept the pounds off. The podcast is basically to show people healing is possible through sleep, food and exercise.

Takeaway Challenge 

Finally, Dr. Colon gave a takeaway challenge for all you True Health Seekers! Dr. Colon says in Ayurveda, there is a dosha clock which tells you the recommended sleep times. She recommends bringing down your bedtime back earlier by 15 minutes each night. By the end of 7 days, you'll be going to bed an hour earlier or so.

Another challenge is to eat dinner by 6 pm. Get your bedtime routine down by 7 pm to 10 pm. Do some meditation or massage. Shut down all gadgets.

Try to do these and you'll feel the difference in a week. Good luck!

Dr. Michele Summers Colon is known as The Holistic Podiatrist of Southern California. Dr. Michele combines the best of Eastern and Western medicine to create individualized health & wellness plans for her clients. For almost two decades, Dr. Michele has dedicated herself to maintaining a private medical practice and providing exceptional care to her patients while at the same time studying Holistic Medicine, Ayurveda, Yoga, Reiki, Reflexology, and Acupressure.

Get Connected With Dr. Colon:

Official Website

Holistic Podiatry

34 Minutes Shoes

Body Wisdom Podcast

Body Wisdom Book

The Chopra Center

The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook

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