Ask Selina

Meet Selina Van Orden! Selina is a fully qualified Ayurvedic Practitioner, having trained for 5 years at the UK’s College of Ayurveda, with clinical training in Karnataka, Maharashtra and California. A member of the Ayurvedic Practitioners Association, Selina has talked in the British Parliament and the European Parliament, on integrating Ayurveda into the western system. Always striving for deeper wisdom to share with patients and shape treatment, Selina continues the study of plants, Sanskrit, meditation, pranayama, astrology, and medicine, under the guidance of her teachers. Follow her at @_atyourbest.

Hi, I’m Selina! It is a joy to be here, I can’t wait to hear all of the questions you have about Ayurveda! It has transformed my life, and I know it can do amazing things for yours. We are living through an incredibly tough time at the moment, and it is more important than ever that we reach out and support one another. So, what ever you want to know about wellness and the world of Ayurveda, feel free to ask…

Please do not submit specific or personal medical questions.

Get Answers to Previous Questions or Watch Educational Videos:

• My Mum Has Been Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, Is This Treatable by Ayurveda?
  Loren, San Juan, Spain
  
  Type 2 diabetes is a chronic ailment that can often be treated by Ayurveda. Ayurveda has to get to the root cause of an illness. Even when the symptoms look similar one person to another, the root causes will differ. With that in mind, there are many different routes that lead to a type 2 diabetes diagnosis, and the line of treatment will depend on its root and route! 
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• Coronavirus Has Left Me With Hair Loss, What Can I Do To Make Sure I Get My Hair Back and Don’t Lose More?
  Jessica, Cape Town, South Africa
  
  In Ayurvedic terms, the corona virus increases each dosha, while mainly affecting three of the seven layers of tissues or dhatus that make up the body. The three dhatus that are effected are: majja (nervous system and bone marrow), rakta (blood) and medas (fatty and fibrous tissues of the body).
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• I’ve had Granuloma Annulare lesions on my hands for 6 years. While I was pregnant it completely cleared up, but now my son is 9 months old and it’s reappearing. Could you give me insight into what is causing it and how I can help it?
  Caroline, Bruton, Somerset
  
  From an Ayurvedic perspective, Granuloma Annulare is called Mandala Kustha (which roughly translates as ‘circles of the skin'). Generally, any skin condition signifies a pitta imbalance in the body, meaning there is excess heat and perhaps toxicity, looking for an exit in an attempt to regain balance, and finding it through the skin.
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• I have been taking Chyawanprash for a month now, should I be taking other supplements? I want to be vibrant and healthy for the next 40 years…
  Deb, New Ipswich, NH
  
  Often when I start working with new patients they tell me of the smorgasbord of supplements they take on the daily in their fight to be well. Ayurveda is not a battle, but a lifestyle. It is about being in flow with yourself, raising your consciousness and awareness, so that you can have the confidence to know what your body needs. 
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• Is Chyawanprash Safe to Consume While Breastfeeding?
  Chyawanprash is a beautiful rejuvenating tonic that is wholly supportive, and will help build the body and mind of the mother back up, as well as helping nourish the newly born baby through her breast milk. 
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• Since having children, I have lost my natural kapha hair tendencies: it’s gone from thick and shiny to dry with brittle ends. Do you have any tips for regaining hair health?
  Our dear heads of hair, how they can change and what they're trying to tell us when they do... In Ayurveda, hair is seen as a “waste product” of bone tissue, meaning: once all that is needed to nourish the bone tissue has been used, the leftovers are given to the hair (and nails).  I wonder how your nails are? I suspect they might have become weaker too. 
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• Why do I get pimples and spot breakouts as an adult on my face? Do parts of the face relate to different systems of the body according to Ayurveda?
  Pimples and breakouts are usually the work of a pitta dosha imbalance in my experience, as well as build up of toxicity (ama) in the system. Pitta is made up of fire and water element. Its qualities are heat, oiliness, penetrating sharpness and transformation -  and I tell you this as it gives us clues into things going on inside you that have lead to pimples popping out on your skin. 
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• Why Does Ayurveda Advocate A Morning Routine?
  Christian, Andalucía, Spain
  
  Just as we can rely on the sun rising and setting each day, our bodies and minds thrive when they have a routine. The world is ebbing and flowing around us, and we need to know how to be resilient amidst this. This is why an Ayurvedic morning routine is so important. Each of us is different, living in different environments and climates, so it is about creating our own personal plan. 
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• I am feeling cold and have low energy. Is there anything Ayurveda can do to help me in these winter months?
  Patricia, Paris, France
  
  I feel you, yes, we are fully immersed in the Kapha sprinkled with a little Vata season. Meaning we will likely be feeling cold, lethargic, moody, down, anxious and sleepy if these are out of balance. And we don’t want that! Not right now please! 
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• Selina Discusses How to Use Oils to Support Detoxification
  Selina Van Orden from At Your Best discusses traditional Ayurvedic ways of supporting detoxification process through oils. Ayurveda wants us to be in balance, and using oil is a great way of bringing this about when there is anxiety and distress proliferating.
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