FAQS

Ayurveda is a natural and holistic medicine. It looks at a person as an individual and seeks to remove the root causes of a person’s imbalance. In removing the root causes for imbalances, the body can naturally begin to return to states of imbalance and symptoms may improve or go away in time.

Western Medicine seeks to treat the symptoms rather than the root cause. This method of treatment may be more of a band-aid method, and symptoms may persist because the root cause is not taken care of. On the other hand, Ayurveda seeks to establish what are the root causes for what a person is experiencing and once they are known, they can be removed. In removing the causative factors, the body will naturally begin its journey back to a state of perfect health.

Currently, Ayurveda is not a licensed medical practice in the United States. It is recommended that you speak with your licensed healthcare practitioner prior to seeking the advice of any holistic practitioner.

You should continue to take any medications that your allopathic doctor has prescribed. It is recommended that you notify your doctor of your intent to seek out help from holistic practitioners, and follow any further advice he/she may give regarding the use of herbal supplements.

Manju is the chief practitioner at Ayurhitam. She was an allopathic Clinical Pharmacist for 15 years and then she studied Ayurveda for 5.5 years. She has been practicing Ayurveda now for over 5 years. All of Ayurhitam’s bodywork therapists are licensed massage therapists.

It is recommended to follow only one holistic modality at a time. However, we always encourage you to continue your allopathic journey concurrently with the holistic modality of your choice.

Our diagnosis and treatment here at Ayurhitam is based purely on Ayurvedic principles. We don’t ever claim to treat or cure any Western Medicine diagnosis. However, bringing your body back to balance should help to take care of any symptoms and conditions that you are currently dealing with.

The duration of treatment varies on each individual and their circumstances. The total time will depend on how committed a person is to Ayurveda and the recommended protocols, the severity of their symptoms or condition, and the chronicity or for how long a person has been experiencing this condition.

The best way to reach out to us with your questions is via our secure health portal app, Practice Better. You can send a message directly to Manju via Practice Better with the questions you have relating to your personalized protocol and diet plan.

Unfortunately, at this time, Ayurveda is not a licensed medical practice in the United States and therefore Ayurvedic services are not covered under medical insurance.

We do accept HSA and FSA cards for payment. However, it is recommended that you check with your employer for prior approval of services before using the HSA/FSA card for payment.

In the rare case that your receipt was not accepted, we can write up an invoice with a description of service. However, we cannot guarantee that this invoice will be accepted by your employer. It is advised that you check what services are covered under your specific HSA/FSA card prior to booking an appointment if you plan to use the card.

As Ayurveda is not a licensed medical practice in the United States, we cannot write up an LMN for you. We recommend speaking to your allopathic doctor about the reasons why you are pursuing Ayurvedic services so that they can write up the LMN for you.

It is not necessary to get blood work done prior to seeking an Ayurvedic consultation, however, if you do have recent bloodwork that you would like Manju to take a look at then please update it to your Practice Better Portal for her review. If bloodwork is necessary, please consult your Primary Care Physician so they can order the bloodwork for you.

We offer individualized consultations and tailored protocols. We also offer a variety of bodywork therapies including but not limited to: Abhyanga, Shirodhara, Marma, Kati Basti, and Nasya. Please take a further look at our website under the Services tab for more details about each individual service and pricing.

You may contact us directly at our clinic phone number 510-994-1342 for any scheduling related questions or for more information.

You can expect to be given a Road Map for your health. Consultations will be 1-1 with Manju. She will go over your detailed health history and work to pinpoint what are the causative factors for your specific symptoms or conditions. Once the root cause is found, then she will create a Road Map to help bring you back to a state of balance and health.

You will be given a thorough protocol which includes individualized changes to diet, lifestyle, routine, and recommendations for plant-based herbal protocols. Each protocol is tailor made for each individual client’s needs.

Ayurveda is a long term process and not a quick fix. The length of the process depends on the specific symptoms you are experiencing, the severity and chronicity of the condition and how committed you are to achieve balance. Your protocol will be tailor made to help awaken the inner wisdom within YOUR body and to start bringing it back to balance.

The main goal is to encourage you to be in charge of your own health and to not have to be dependent upon any health care professional. With consistent follow ups and updates to protocols depending on the changes that your body exhibits, your body will naturally come to a state where you will be able to continue to take charge of your own health on your own.

We seek to give Wholistic Healing to our clients. We consider the body to be a whole and that it is important to make connections between different parts of the body to allow for comprehensive healing and sometimes this includes the involvement of the mind. The mind is an integral part of healing and our consultations do include bringing balance to the mind as well.

After your consultation, you will receive a detailed diet and lifestyle protocol tailored to your body’s specific needs. You will received curated recipes, a customized lifestyle regimen, and herbs that are necessary to take care of your situation.

We provide herbs here at the clinic for ease of access for our clients. You are more than welcome to purchase the herbs either through us or anywhere else that you would like.

We carry a variety of herbs in the clinic including powders, syrups, teas, tablets, oils, and pastes. You may receive recommendations for various types of herbs depending on your unique health situation. If you have questions related to your herbal protocol please message Manju directly via Practice Better.

The cost of herbs depends entirely on what is recommended for your specific condition. The sliding scale range is about $40-$80 per month.

Your symptoms will typically not aggravate. However, if you are experiencing any changes to your current condition, we recommend that you contact us directly via Practice Better for immediate support.

Initial consultations are 60-90 minutes long and cost $250. Follow Ups are 30 minutes long and cost $125.

Initial consultations are 60-90 minute appointments designed to learn more about your own health. It is an investment that you are making to better understand your health and to be in charge of your own health.

Yes. There will be a $50 cancellation fee for any New Consultation appointment that is cancelled within 24 hours of the appointment time. Any therapies or follow up appointments that are cancelled within 24 hours will be subject to a $25 late cancellation fee.

Practice Better is a secure health portal where you can download and fill out forms, upload any labs or pertinent information of your medical history, and communicate directly with Manju about your specific protocol and recommendations. All clients are encouraged to download this app in order to stay in touch with our team and to access the protocols and recommendations that are provided to you after your consultation.

After scheduling, you should expect to receive a confirmation text from the Ayurhitam team confirming the date and time of your appointment. You will also be sent an email from Practice Better with information on how to download the secure health portal, along with a link to fill out a health questionnaire. Please make sure to fill out the health questionnaire prior to your consultation. Appointment reminders will go out the Friday before your appointment as well as the day before. Please make sure to confirm your appointment to lock in the time slot of your choosing and to avoid the appointment time being given away to someone else.

Panchakarma is a deep detox and requires hand-holding at every step. We will design a protocol according to your own personal situation. There is no cookie cutter method to Panchakarma. It cannot be administered to a certain category of people, including, but not limited to: those suffering from debility, weakness, or extreme fatigue, persons over 60 years of age or under 15 years of age. If you would like to get Panchakarma done please schedule a consultation and we will design one for you as necessary.

Join a group of over 1500 clients all over the United States who have embarked on this health transformation journey. Our protocols are tailor made for you and are not a cookie cutter approach. Each client will receive a protocol specific for their needs.

Ayurvedic principles of Vata, Pitta and Kapha are based in the 5 elements of nature. One of Ayurveda’s wonders is its customization ability. It can be practiced on any individual in any part of the world because it is the science of life and the science of how to live in different situations and circumstances. All the tools to treat a wide variety of conditions are already provided in ancient texts. Ayurveda makes it easy to take health in one’s own hands.

Not at all. Ayurveda has no compulsion of being Vegetarian/Vegan. Ayurvedic principles can be applied to all diets and every cuisine can be made Ayurvedic. Ayurveda suggests controlling meat intake only in cases where meat intake is the cause of a person’s disease and discomfort. Sometimes, some digestive systems are very sensitive to meats. For those people, meat intake is suggested to be limited.

Ayurveda does not preach any religion. It teaches us to focus on the intention behind every action and every choice we make in our day-to-day life which affects our health. It talks about spirituality as a way to be accountable for our choices and to find the optimal balance in every aspect of life.

No. Any cuisine can be cooked Ayurvedically. It is about focusing on the 6 tastes and which tastes are suitable or not suitable for our bodies. That has nothing to do with Indian food but everything to do with ingredients used in cooking and the style of cooking food.

Ayurvedic herbs procured from trusted sources are tested and treated for heavy metal content. The soil in which herbs grow itself has some metal content which is why some herbs have metal content in them. However, after testing and carefully treating the herbs, reliable sources ensure there is no toxicity for the body before making medicines from the herbs.

Ayurveda is dated 5,000 years back. It has, however given all the tools and principles to apply to a wide range of conditions, even the new emerging ones like various cancers, new diseases like COVID, etc. And once we understand the qualities of these new imbalances, it is possible to manage those Ayurvedically because Ayurveda focuses on root-cause analysis.

This is a myth. Ayurveda is a Wellness practice and not a medical practice in the West. That is the reason it does not have insurance coverage. However, the cost of Ayurvedic treatments are affordable and pocket friendly to a large extent. The difference is many invisible costs to lab, medicines, diagnostics, insurance premium etc. And Ayurvedic treatments are usually designed to help you take health in your own hands after a few visits with the Practitioner to set up a routine. The cost in most cases is quite like a one-time investment and in the range of a couple hundred bucks about 3 to 4 times.

It depends on the condition and on the severity of the condition. It also depends on how regular and meticulous you are with following the recommendations and protocols. Ayurvedic regimens work quite quickly in a lot of situations when the client is dedicated and follows the treatments in a disciplined way. For chronic and long term conditions, removing it from root cause and making it sustainable takes time.

Ayurveda believes in using food as medicine. It believes in the healing power of many herbs and spices found in our kitchens. When practiced correctly, these principles do a great job of keeping you healthy and balancing your gut flora. However, all ayurvedic medicines are not prepared so simply. They consist of complex processes, including various testings, treatments and formulations. Kitchen spices are only one part of healing via food. Herbal preparations are a whole different expert process.

Just like iV, transdermal, Ayurveda also uses oral route, skin, nostrils, rectum and mucous membranes for administration Herbs can be taken orally as powders, pills or syrups, etc. Medicated oils can be applied topically as Abhyanga. Medicated oils can be administered via nostrils in form of Nasya. Oil or decoctions can be given via rectum to remove imbalances in form of Bastis.