Episode #75: “We’re not trying to be right…” With Dr. Sheetal Ajmani and Amita Nathwani

“…we’re trying to help the patient!” Dr. Sheetal Ajmani is a pediatrician by training, and she now helps high-achieving women live radiantly again through major life transitions. She is also a speaker, podcast host, author, and thought leader. Amita Nathwani is part of the fellowship faculty at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. She’s been a practitioner and educator in the field of Ayurvedic medicine for over 20 years. Her work is centered around applying traditional Ayurvedic knowledge to address modern health challenges. In this episode we learn how Sheetal, as a physician, and Amita, as a non-physician, each came to practice Ayurveda, and how they’ve pursued bridging the gap between traditional and contemporary medical systems. Amita talks about having an open-minded perspective, sharing a personal story of a very difficult time in her life and how she abandoned her prior Ayurvedic routine to find her own individual path. Sheetal adds that it doesn’t have to be “all or none;” there is a place for both Ayervedic and allopathic practices, an “East meets West” approach.Sheetal says that seasonal self-care and routines not only refers to seasons of the year, but also seasons of your life. Amita offers an “elevator speech” description of Ayurveda and Ayurvedic medicine, illustrating a concrete example using the common condition of acid reflux. Sheetal discusses holistic healthcare and holistic ways of well-being and what that means, both according to the World Health Organization, and according to Ayurveda. We cover things we’re already doing in our lives that demonstrates practices deeply rooted in Ayurvedic principles, with Amita and Sheetal spotlighting ways to learn more about Ayurveda.