General Notes on Usage of the Products
Combination of Products
It is recommended that the patient take as few different internal products as possible at one time – max 3-4. Too many at one time could be counter productive. Treat the most severe and the most basic imbalances first.
Anupanam
Proper anupanam is very important. It enables the preparation to enliven the inner intelligence at a more subtle level. If the recommended anupanam is not available or not well tolerated by the patient substitute warm water.
Suggested anupanam:
Honey, shakara (candy sugar), milk, coffee (real coffee from beans – not instant, or Raja’s Cup – MA704 - Herbal coffee is good), natural glucose. Honey is a yogavahi accelerating the action of the products and can be taken with almost anything. Maharishi Honey, the product of Maharishi Vedic Agriculture, is particularly recommended.
Amount to use:
In general an amount equal to that of the preparation
Coffee: several tablespoons
Lassi: 1 glass
Anupanam for children.
4-6 months: a few drops of mother’s milk
6 months-2 years: ¼ teaspoon of honey
2-6 years: ½ teaspoon of honey
6-14 years: honey or other anupanam at ½ adult dose
Dosage Considerations
- If the patient responds well but there is some discomfort, give a lower dose
- If the patient improves, but even after several months does not get completely cured, or if improvement is very slow, increase the dose.
- If there is no improvement after some time (several weeks or months), chose another preparation. If no alternative is available, double the dose. Do not go higher than twice normal dose. Check digestion & diet. Consider recommending panchakarma.
- Dose can be increased by increasing the frequency of taking to x 3 or x 4 per day or by giving double dose same number of times/day.
- When patient is cured using double dose, slowly reduce to normal dose and slowly taper off altogether, duly considering the patients’ condition and the duration of the disorder.
Dosage for Children
The standard dosage given on the product label is for adults unless the product is specifically for children as indicated by its fancy name or the indication. Where the product is for children the recommended dose is suitable for children between 2-10 years. In other products reduce the adult dose for children as follows:
6 months-2 years: 1/8th adult dose
2-4 years: ¼ adult dose
4-10 years: ½ adult dose
10 + : adult dose
Length of Treatment
Patients are advised to continue taking the preparation for several months after the disorder is cured – for a minimum of two moths and up to a year or more if the condition was there for many years. During this period the preparation stabilises health and acts as a Rasayana.
Diet and Routine
Proper digestion is very important. Poor digestion can make the whole treatment ineffective. Take care of digestion, constipation and internal gas.
- Advise a light diet; avoid root vegetables and tubers (especially potatoes). But carrots and white radish/mooli are all right. Especially avoid heavy food at night. Enhance digestion with black pepper and spice mixes.
- Advise the patient to take hot water regularly – every ½ hour. The amount should be according to thirst, a few sips – ½ -1 cup.
- Recommend MA154 or MA685 for 3-4 months if necessary.
- Advise the patient that it is import not to eat until the previous meal has been fully digested and hunger returns.
- Digestives should be an addition, not a substitute for proper diet.
Negative side effects and drug interactions.
After up to 18 years of use for some products no negative side effects are known. Nor are any herb-drug interactions known. Occasionally a person may experience an idiosyncratic reaction probably associated with a particular ingredient to which they are sensitive
We recommend that if the patient experiences discomfort when using a Maharishi Ayurveda product, to establish whether there is a causal relationship, discontinue using the product for 2-3 days or until the effect has become less or disappeared. Then start using the product again at half the dose. If the negative effect returns or increases again, ideally repeat the process of stopping and starting once more before reporting it.
Maharishi Ayurveda Products request that practitioners inform us of any side effects and interactions that they suspect are associated with our products.
If a patient deteriorates during treatment, this is probably not due to the preparation. Initial deterioration, as in homeopathy, is not expected. Deterioration can most commonly be ascribed to improper routine, sleep, diet or digestion.