Everyday Ayurveda with Kate

So many of you have written in asking about GLP-1s, the Ozempic class of drugs. This week Kate talks with Dr. Sheena Sooraj, chief clinical officer at Kerala Ayurveda Academy and Wellness Center, who sees clients on these medications every month. Dr. Sheena explains how GLP-1s work in the pancreas, stomach and brain, who tends to need them long term and who may be able to come off them with their doctor, and how Ayurveda supports digestion, hydration and the enjoyment of food while someone is on them. This isn't a conversation about Ayurveda versus modern medicine. It's a clinician's honest look at the pros, the cons, and where the two can work together. Stay for Kate's post-roll on the vata imbalances that can come with rapid weight loss.

What We Cover

What the natural GLP-1 hormone does in the body

How GLP-1 medications act on the pancreas, the stomach and the brain

The three groups of people Dr. Sheena sees: those postponing the medication, those managing side effects, and those hoping to come off it someday

Why family history shapes whether someone may need to stay on the medication (Ayurveda calls diabetes a kulaja vyadhi, a condition with strong hereditary influence)

A client story: how Ayurveda and Ozempic worked together for one busy, globe-trotting client

The core conflict: Ayurveda strengthens agni, GLP-1s quiet it

Why reduced thirst matters, and how to hydrate on purpose

Meal timing, a lighter dinner before sunset, and easy-to-digest foods

Ayurvedic support for coming off GLP-1s, including body therapies like udwartana (dry powder massage)

Emotional eating, hormone transitions and weight gain across a woman's life

Guilt, lost appetite and missing the joy of food, and how nasya can help

Kate's post-roll: vata imbalance and dhatu kshaya (tissue depletion) during rapid weight loss

Dr. Sheena's morning gratitude practice and evening wind-down routine

About Dr. Sheena Sooraj
Vaidya Sheena Sooraj is the Chief Clinical Officer, Ayurvedic Specialist, and Academy Faculty at Kerala Ayurveda Academy in Milpitas, California.Coming from a family with a strong Ayurvedic heritage, Vaidya Sheena developed a deep connection with Ayurveda from an early age. Her grandfather, a respected Ayurvedic physician and astrologer, played an important role in shaping her interest in and commitment to the traditional science of healing.

She holds a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medical Sciences (BAMS) from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, and brings 23 years of experience in clinical practice, patient care, education, and professional training. Throughout her career, she has been dedicated to bringing the wisdom of classical Ayurvedic principles into contemporary clinical practice and wellness. As a clinician and educator, she is passionate about making Ayurveda accessible, practical, and relevant to modern healthcare and everyday life.

Her work encompasses clinical care, Ayurvedic education, practitioner training, wellness program development, and community education, with a particular interest in translating traditional Ayurvedic knowledge into meaningful, evidence-informed approaches for modern health and well-being.

Website:https://keralaayurveda.us/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsheenasooraj

Please work with your healthcare provider and a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner before changing any medication, starting herbs, or trying nasya.

Mentioned in This Episode

Ayurvedic Fall Community Cleanse, October 17–26, 2026. Ten days of nourishing meals, daily routines and community support, all online with Kate. Learn more and reserve your spot at ayurvedicliving.institute

Health Disclaimer
The information shared on Everyday Ayurveda with Kate is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never stop, start or change a prescribed medication without talking to your healthcare provider.

Connect with Kate: https://www.healwithkate.org

Culinary Training in India
https://ayurvedicliving.institute/ayurvedic-culinary-nutrition-training

Fall Cleanse
https://ayurvedicliving.institute/kitchari-cleanse-ayurveda-fall

Ayurvedic Living Institute Membership: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/membership

Women's Health Collection: https://courses.ayurvedicliving.institute/collections/womens-healthhttps://courses.ayurvedicliving.institute/products/courses/copy-of-fall-community-cleanse-2024

Panchakarma in India: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/panchakarma-in-india

Thanks to our Sponsors:
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Triphala Support:
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Every year around this time, Kate notices it first in her eyes. A little heat, a little dryness, a little irritation — the same early signal, right on schedule. In this solo episode, she uses that personal example to explain one of Ayurveda's most practical seasonal concepts: sandhi, the juncture between seasons, when the body is considered most vulnerable to imbalance.

Kate walks through why the accumulated heat (pitta) of summer can tip into aggravation as the weather turns — through hot, acidic foods and drinks, alcohol, iced coffee, or plain old stress — and why that aggravation shows up differently in every body. For her, it's the eyes. For someone else, it might be skin, digestion, headaches, or mood. She explains the physiology behind fall allergies, heartburn, irritability, and looser digestion, and why catching these signs now — rather than waiting two months — makes all the difference. She also covers why the incoming dryness and wind of vata season (heaters, cold air) can quietly make pitta symptoms worse, and walks through her full fall reset: oiling the skin, a simple at-home ghee nasya for the nose, bringing ghee back into meals to support digestion and detox, and leaning on naturally pacifying foods. She closes with a reminder that none of this requires doing everything at once — and an invitation to join her Ayurvedic Fall Community Cleanse if a more structured reset is what's needed.

In this episode:

What sandhi (the seasonal juncture) means in Ayurveda, and why the body is considered most vulnerable during it

How a hot, acidic, or high-stress summer builds excess pitta — and sets up fall imbalance

The early-warning signs of pitta aggravation: hot or irritated eyes, skin sensitivity or rashes, heartburn, fall allergies, loose stools, hot-natured headaches

Why symptoms show up differently for everyone — and how to identify your own body's "weak link"

How incoming vata (cold, dry, windy air, heaters turning on) can intensify pitta symptoms

Why ghee is the star of the fall routine — for digestion, detoxification, and skin and nasal oiling

How to do a simple ghee nasya (nasal oiling) at home

Foods that pacify pitta this time of year: pomegranate, cranberry, coconut water, cooked greens, apples, figs, and rose hydrosol

Why sitting down to eat — even for a quick snack — changes digestion

Details on Kate's Ayurvedic Fall Community Cleanse, October 17–26

Mentioned in this episode:

Kate's four published books on bringing Ayurveda into everyday life

Ayurvedic Fall Community Cleanse — 10 days, October 17–26. Learn more and enroll at ayurvedicliving.institute

Health Disclaimer
The information shared on Everyday Ayurveda with Kate is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, supplements, or wellness routine.

Connect with Kate: https://www.healwithkate.org

Culinary Training in India
https://ayurvedicliving.institute/ayurvedic-culinary-nutrition-training

Fall Cleanse
https://ayurvedicliving.institute/kitchari-cleanse-ayurveda-fall

Ayurvedic Living Institute Membership: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/membership

Women's Health Collection: https://courses.ayurvedicliving.institute/collections/womens-healthhttps://courses.ayurvedicliving.institute/products/courses/copy-of-fall-community-cleanse-2024

Panchakarma in India: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/panchakarma-in-india

Thanks to our Sponsors:
Banyan Botanicals
https://alnk.to/eOQb34q

Triphala Support:
https://alnk.to/bPhiKjx

For fifteen years, Cara Brostrom has been the photographer — and co-author — behind every one of Kate's Everyday Ayurveda books. In this episode, Kate and Cara sit down together for the first time to tell the whole story: how a free PDF of five spring recipes and five photographs, made on a whim and shared on early Facebook, racked up 30,000 downloads and landed in front of an acquiring editor — and became The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook, now a perennial classic translated into seven languages.

From there, they walk book by book through the evolution of the series and Cara's own evolving relationship to the materials she was photographing:

The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook — described by Kate as "party time": bright color, Indian textiles (including Kate's own saris), and a sensory introduction to the full range of Ayurvedic tastes and foods.

Everyday Ayurveda for a Calm, Clear Mind — a deliberate shift to simplicity, mirroring sattvic cooking itself, including the now-legendary challenge of making congee look photogenic.

The Everyday Ayurveda Guide to Self-Care — a turn toward dravya guna, the Ayurvedic science of substance, where Cara found herself photographing milks, ghee, and medicinal substances so closely that she began ingesting and living with them herself. This is also where Cara first felt the tension of photographing plants — like neem and shatavari — that don't grow where she lives in New England, a tension that quietly started pulling her toward Western herbalism.

Everyday Ayurveda for Women's Health — built around lunar and seasonal rhythms, this book took Cara out into the field across all four seasons, photographing plants like motherwort and echinacea in local gardens. It was on one of these shoots that she met the herbalist she'd go on to apprentice with for years — and it became the last book she photographed before pivoting fully into writing and herbalism.

Cara also shares an early look at her forthcoming book (title still under wraps for now, expected to be announced around January), which brings together 19th-century poetry, plant lore from her own Anglo-European lineage, and present-day Western herbalism practice — including a surprising thread she's uncovered about how 19th-century New England housewife manuals centered almost entirely on digestion.

The episode closes with a fun rapid-fire round: Cara's morning tongue-scraping and oil-pulling ritual, her go-to first drink of the day, and her seasonal wind-down (bare feet in the grass in summer, wood stove in winter).

About Cara Brostrom:

Cara Brostrom is a writer, artist, and herbalist, and co-author of The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook, a perennial classic translated into seven languages. She is a Nautilus Book Award Gold Winner, and her creative work has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts. Cara holds a Master of Arts from Aberystwyth University, where she conducted practice-based research on landscape narratives, performance documentation, and the archive; her performance art and installations have been shown at festivals across the US, England, Wales, Scotland, Canada, and Finland, and her photography has appeared in group shows in Boston, New York, and San Francisco. Her words and photography have been published in The Boston Globe, Wildling Magazine, Origin, Mother Earth Living, t.e.l.l. New England, and others. She has spent many years in apprenticeship and study with master herbalists in the Northeast, and now teaches workshops on herbalism and folklore. Cara lives in Western Massachusetts.

Connect with Cara: https://linktr.ee/carabros

Mentioned in this episode:

The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook (co-authored by Cara Brostrom), Everyday Ayurveda for a Calm, Clear Mind, The Everyday Ayurveda Guide to Self-Care, and Everyday Ayurveda for Women's Health — all by Kate O'Donnell

Hannah Marano, the herbalist Cara apprenticed with

India Culinary & Nutrition Immersion, February 2027 — a 10-day immersion in Mysore. Learn more and enroll at ayurvedicliving.institute

This episode is supported by:

Banyan Botanicals — Triphala tablets for digestion and daily detox: https://alnk.to/bPhiKjx

Connect with Kate: https://www.healwithkate.org

Culinary Training in India
https://ayurvedicliving.institute/ayurvedic-culinary-nutrition-training

Fall Cleanse
https://ayurvedicliving.institute/kitchari-cleanse-ayurveda-fall

Ayurvedic Living Institute Membership: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/membership

Women's Health Collection: https://courses.ayurvedicliving.institute/collections/womens-healthhttps://courses.ayurvedicliving.institute/products/courses/copy-of-fall-community-cleanse-2024

Panchakarma in India: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/panchakarma-in-india

Thanks to our Sponsors:
Banyan Botanicals
https://alnk.to/eOQb34q

Triphala Support:
https://alnk.to/bPhiKjx

Did you know the moon moves through a full cycle — dark to full and back again — in about 28 days, which is also the length of the average menstrual cycle? In this solo episode, Kate explores lunar rhythms: one of her favorite topics, and a subject she covers in Chapter 9 of her book Everyday Ayurveda for Women's Health.

Ayurveda already asks us to live in tune with daily rhythms (sun up, sun down) and seasonal rhythms (what grows and changes through the year). The lunar rhythm sits alongside both of these — a roughly two-week arc of waxing energy followed by a two-week arc of waning energy, repeating all month long. Kate explains why attuning to this cycle matters for everyone, not just people who menstruate: it connects us to something larger than our day-to-day worries, and it offers a built-in, nature-guided balance of activity and rest that modern "always-on" life tends to erase.

Kate walks through the physical logic, too — the same gravitational pull that raises ocean tides and draws moisture into topsoil (which is why farmers plant near the full moon) also affects the water element in our own bodies, which is part of why energy can feel more "juicy" as the moon waxes. She maps out what to focus on during each phase: building, moving, and socializing during the waxing moon; celebrating, baking, and gathering at the full moon; tapering down and finishing projects during the waning moon; and resting, self-care, and simplifying food at the new moon. She also addresses how this maps — or doesn't — onto an individual menstrual cycle, and what to prioritize if the two aren't in sync.

In this episode:

Why Ayurveda pairs daily, seasonal, and lunar rhythms together

The uncanny overlap between the ~28-day lunar cycle and the average menstrual cycle

Two reasons lunar attunement is grounding, even for those no longer menstruating

How the moon's pull on water explains tides, farming by the full moon, and feeling "juicier"

What to prioritize during the waxing moon: movement, socializing, starting projects

Full moon practices: celebration, baking, making ghee, growing sprouts

Waning moon practices: finishing projects, tapering activity, simplifying meals

New moon practices: rest, self-care, and the traditional practice of fasting

Whether to follow your menstrual cycle or the moon's cycle when the two don't align

How to start tracking your own patterns over the next several months

Mentioned in this episode:

Kate's book, Everyday Ayurveda for Women's Health (Chapter 9), which includes recipes for the soups and treats referenced in this episode. 

Have you noticed your own patterns with the moon? Kate would love to hear about it — leave a comment or send her a message.

Connect with Kate: https://www.healwithkate.org

Culinary Training in India
https://ayurvedicliving.institute/ayurvedic-culinary-nutrition-training

Fall Cleanse
https://ayurvedicliving.institute/kitchari-cleanse-ayurveda-fall

Ayurvedic Living Institute Membership: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/membership

Women's Health Collection: https://courses.ayurvedicliving.institute/collections/womens-healthhttps://courses.ayurvedicliving.institute/products/courses/copy-of-fall-community-cleanse-2024

Panchakarma in India: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/panchakarma-in-india

Thanks to our Sponsors:
Banyan Botanicals
https://alnk.to/eOQb34q

Triphala Support:
https://alnk.to/bPhiKjx

Ever leave the doctor's office feeling like you didn't get to say what you actually needed to say? In this episode, Kate sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Bostock — a practicing OBGYN for 30 years, a yogi, an Ayurvedic counselor, and a contributor to Kate's book Everyday Ayurveda for Women's Health — to talk about self-advocacy in the doctor's office, especially around perimenopause and menopause.

Dr. Bostock shares what she's seen across three decades and hundreds of thousands of patients: the number one thing women tell her is that they haven't felt heard. She and Kate break down how symptoms shift by decade, why perimenopause often starts quietly in the late 30s, and why menopause care doesn't end at menopause — it extends through your entire life. Dr. Bostock offers a simple set of questions to bring into any appointment, explains when and how to ask for a referral, and makes the case for symptom tracking (with pen and paper, an app, or your wearable data) so you can walk in prepared instead of going blank.

The conversation also covers the current, more nuanced understanding of hormone therapy — where the evidence is strong, where it isn't yet, and why the framing of "who do you want to be at 80" matters more than chasing a number on a chart. They talk through the cost and insurance side of hormone therapy and physical therapy too, plus Dr. Bostock's take on movement: it should be fun, and it's never too late to start.

In this episode:

Why "I haven't been heard" is the most common thing patients tell Dr. Bostock

How symptoms and health priorities shift decade by decade, from the teens through the 80s

Why menopause care is really a lifelong conversation, not a single life stage

Three questions to bring to your next doctor's visit — and a fourth for sexual health

What to do (and say) if your provider isn't the right fit

Why tracking symptoms — on paper, in an app, or via wearables — changes the conversation with your doctor

The most common perimenopause and menopause symptoms, including lesser-known ones like formication and early joint pain

A clearer, more current look at menopause hormone therapy (MHT): where it helps most, and the guidance on timing

How family health history (and the Ayurvedic idea of prakriti) plays into these decisions

The "menopausal Barbie" trend and GLP-1s: Dr. Bostock's honest take

Why she thinks of physical activity as play, not a prescription

Navigating cost: hormone therapy affordability, generic options, and why physical therapy access is still a gap

Dr. Bostock's morning and evening routines, including her "Jamba Juice" anti-inflammatory tonic

About Dr. Elizabeth Bostock:

Elizabeth is a practicing OBGYN, yogi, Ayurvedic counselor, and women's health leader and advocate who believes that combining medical traditions in a "yes, and" way gives the best of all worlds. She weaves together real science and human living to explore how we all live healthier, happier, more contented lives — and is a fierce advocate for helping people figure out who they are, find their path forward, and speak up for themselves.

Connect with Dr. Bostock:

Instagram: instagram.com/empoweredwomanshealthmd

YouTube: youtube.com/empoweredwomanshealthmd

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/elizabethbostock

Substack: substack.com/@elizabethbostockmdphd

Mentioned in this episode:

Everyday Ayurveda for Women's Health by Kate O'Donnell — paperback edition releases September 16

The Menopause Society (provider directory and patient resources)

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)

Mayo Clinic (patient education resources)

GoodRx and Cost Plus Drugs (referred to in conversation as "Mark Cuban Pharmacy") for prescription discounts

Dr. Bostock's "Jamba Juice" tonic: whole lemon, ginger, turmeric, star anise, and cayenne, simmered and blended

Dr. Bostock's current read: The Empire of Gold

A preview of an upcoming episode on GLP-1s, out in two weeks

This episode is supported by:

Banyan Botanicals — Triphala tablets for digestion and daily detox. Get it here: https://alnk.to/bPhiKjx

Health Disclaimer:

The information shared on Everyday Ayurveda with Kate is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider — including regarding hormone therapy — before making changes to your diet, supplements, or wellness routine.

Connect with Kate: https://www.healwithkate.org

Culinary Training in India
https://ayurvedicliving.institute/ayurvedic-culinary-nutrition-training

Fall Cleanse
https://ayurvedicliving.institute/kitchari-cleanse-ayurveda-fall

Ayurvedic Living Institute Membership: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/membership

Women's Health Collection: https://courses.ayurvedicliving.institute/collections/womens-healthhttps://courses.ayurvedicliving.institute/products/courses/copy-of-fall-community-cleanse-2024

Panchakarma in India: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/panchakarma-in-india

Thanks to our Sponsors:
Banyan Botanicals
https://alnk.to/eOQb34q

Triphala Support:
https://alnk.to/bPhiKjx