My Scalp Cyst Story and the impact of Ayurveda:

Below is a list from a U. S. dermatology point of view regarding Pilar or Sebaceous Cysts

• Usually look like a round “lump” under the skin
• May range in diameter from the size of a pea to a tennis ball
• May get gradually larger with time and do not disappear spontaneously
• Are not due to diet
• Are often genetic with other people in the family affected with scalp cysts
• Are often multiple with several lesions developing over the course of lifetime

Much of what is on the list I can verify as accurate.

Since incorporating some Ayurvedic changes in my lifestyle and diet, the two highlighted points above, I now question.

Scalp cysts run in my family, and I have had several removed over the course of my adult life.  Luckily, they have all been benign.  

Cysts are not something I’ve ever discussed with friends.  They’re kind of gross and ugly in appearance, and an ‘unmentionable’ from my past way of thinking.

I had two cysts removed about 15 years ago.  In my follow up visit to the dermatologist, I mentioned that I had yet another cyst right behind my left ear that I noticed was growing some, and I asked him how soon I should schedule to have it removed. 

The doctor noted that the cyst was right on the bone and in a rather delicate area to mess with.  So, as long as the cyst was covered by my hair and ear, he suggested I let it alone for awhile.  I was glad to not have another pending surgery.

At that time, it was about the diameter of a nickel.  Over time, the cyst had grown to about the size of a quarter.  Each time I had a new hair stylist work on my hair, they’d point it out and ask if I realized I had it.  My most recent stylist change was just about a year ago.

When I started doing my slow transition of Ayurvedic dietary changes and more consistent yoga, plus incorporating some meditation in my life, I had no idea what would really happen with my body.  I also hadn’t paid much attention in the past to the connection of breathing or my state of mind to my body.

To begin my work with KP Khalsa, just as with any doctor, I had a lengthy consultation and filled out quite a few intake forms for him to review.  I also had lab test results sent to him from the past and present year’s annual physical done here in Chicago.  

When filling out one of the many forms, I started writing down the scalp cysts as a physical health issue/condition and reached behind my ear to see if the cyst had gotten any bigger.

IT WAS GONE - NO SCALP CYST!  

I must have rechecked the area ten times, not believing it myself.  I even checked the whole rest of my scalp for any tiny cysts, which I sometimes had a few at a time.  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!  NO CYSTS!!

Before I started writing this blog, I checked again to make sure it hadn’t somehow reappeared.  It is still so amazing to me! Anyone reading this that has a history of these cysts knows how I amazed I am.  They've never disappeared before.

Yet, when I asked KP Khalsa about the cyst, he wasn’t surprised at all to hear of its disappearance.  He said it was common for cysts to dissolve with changes in diet and lifestyle.  Perhaps western medicine doesn’t have all the answers for our health?

He further indicated that everything contributed, from the combination of more consistent yoga, with a focus on breathing, meditation and balance.  Plus gradually eliminating many processed foods and changing my eating and drinking habits, based on my Ayurvedic constitution and imbalances had impact.  

Everything working together MADE THE CYST DISAPPEAR! 

I hope that you will want to follow the journey.  I am so excited for the adventure to begin and see What is Possible!
As I prepare for this journey, I am very grateful for the support of KP Khalsa, Sivananda Yoga Retreat and Banyan Botanicals.

I encourage you to leave a comment below or post one on my BestYOU facebook page. 
Sharing your thoughts is a gift to all of us! 
If you know someone who may like to sign up for my blog posts, please share this link with them. Thanks!

Well, this week I watched my coffee pot, humidifier and waffle maker go out the door.  

I’m selling most of my belongings as I prepare for my year of living Ayurvedic-Yogic lifestyle, guided by KP Khalsa, in the Bahamas.  It felt strange and exciting at the same time.

I’m not sure why I want to clear out most of my belongings, but I have a very strong urge to do so.  I’m going with what feels right, and each step toward fewer belongings feels great and freeing somehow.

I donated another 6 garden sized bags and a couple of big boxes of books and ‘stuff’.  Plus I tossed out 6 huge bags of paper, magazines and folders.  

Reading Marie Kondo’s The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up helped me part with things more easily, especially the books.  I can’t recall who told me about the Tidying Up book, but somehow it appeared on my radar, and I read it.  

I love books and found those very difficult to let go - and yet now that they are gone - not having them is ok.  Marie’s  thoughts on parting with books were a big help.

Pretty Good Progress, right?

Well, there is also the interesting setback I had last week, that resulted in a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia.  

As I’ve been gradually incorporating Ayurveda food and lifestyle changes, my sugar cravings have lessened considerably.  I still have occasional lapses of staying up late and overeating in the evening.  So, definitely not all smooth sailing in making these changes.

Even before Ayurveda, I didn’t eat dairy, and ice cream has been off my food list for some time.  I  generally don’t crave it either.  So, this Ben and Jerry’s binge was unusual for me.  

I’ve learned enough about digestion and my Ayurveda constitution to know that eating that whole pint of Cherry Garcia that evening would make me miserable all night and even the next morning.

Yet, I did it anyway.  The sugar addiction lurking inside me was rearing its ugly head.  It was reminding me that I’ve had lots and lots of sugar throughout my lifetime. 

Did you know that on average, Americans eat 1/2 pound of sugar EVERY DAY?  

And it’s not in the form of table sugar or even candy, but we are eating it throughout the day, in nearly every processed food from cereal to chips to ketchup to bread and even meats, like ham and smoked turkey. 

Ayurveda and a different approach to eating and lifestyle are still in transition and new for me.  So, setbacks are going to happen.  The fun part for me to see was that instead of that binge leading to another binge, as it would have pre Ayurveda, it didn’t.

And I must be more balanced than I was, because I did not have my typically unbalanced Pitta reaction, fretting for days and beating myself up about the setback and over-analyzing why or what caused the binge.  I would have also had to use great willpower in the past to stop the binging that would have gone on for at least a few days if not a week.

I spent time at my son and daughter in law’s home over the weekend, and there was a homemade cake that everyone was raving about, and that I am sure was quite delicious.  Yet, it wasn’t hard to not have any. I wasn’t holding myself back. I had no urge for it at all.

Even the fabulous Easter brunch pastries were not ‘calling to me’ as they would have in the past.  I chose an apple cobbler that likely had sugar in it, and it was tasty but I was satisfied with the mini portion.  In prior years, I would have had a plate full of mini sweets.

My body seems to have happily returned to eating more balancing foods, and it doesn’t matter what triggered the sugar binge.  

It happened.  It’s over.  And today is a new day:)  For me, that easy going reaction is also great progress.

So even in our setbacks, there can be progress.

I hope that you will want to follow the journey.  I am so excited for the adventure to begin!
As I prepare for this journey, I am very grateful for the support of KP Khalsa, Sivananda Yoga Retreat and Banyan Botanicals.


I encourage you to leave a comment below or post one on my BestYOU facebook page. 
Sharing your thoughts is a gift to all of us! 
If you know someone who may like to sign up for my blog posts, please share this link with them. Thanks!