Re: Pls. read Andreas, edited 1st post!

Iassu Louise,

I see you as a Vata-Kapha with some Pitta imbalance, to confuse you even more. Pitta is not strong enough to support efficient digestion. Hence the poor appetite and slow digestion. This should get increasingly better as the liver and gallbladder get cleaner. It is a good sign that the acne has receded. The liver is now more efficient in cleansing the blood. Once all stones our gone you can expect a much better discharge of bile (=Pitta)which will aid the digestive process and reduce the intestinal congestion. The book will give plenty of ways to balance Vata, Pitta and Kapha, through balanced eating habits, eating the main meal of the day at lunchtime, sleeping before 10 pm, drinking warm, hot water, etc.
Emotional healing has perhaps the greatest positive influence on the body.

When you fast, and suddenly put something heavy like oil in the body, you may not only inhibit the cleansing response in the body for 5-8 hours, but actually feel quite sick. Stronger constitutions may be OK. You may have to try it out to see if you have no problem with it. When I was young I used to fast on herb teas for 4 weeks once a year in a clinic in Austria. Sometimes, some of the other participants "cheated" and went to the village for a cone of icecream (which is mostly fat). Several hours later they were so sick that they went to the doctor of the clinic, not telling him what they had done. He examined them through touch the abdomen and could tell them they had eaten icecream. Some had to to be sent to the ER. I learned from this that when you fast you don't want to overengage the digestive system so apruptly. Ending a fast should take place very slowly, and fats/oils should only be taken at the end of the adjustment period. While fasting, the body is geared towards cleansing and repair. It takes a while to go back to digesting and absorbing. This is similar to a person starving. You can kill that person if you give him something heavy to eat. I don't see a problem taking milk thistle or somilar herbs during fasting, though.

Andreas