Frequently, our idea of a gifted child is an academic overachiever - perhaps a child who is mathematically gifted. But did you know that learning disabilities, such as ADD and dyslexia occur at a much higher rate among the gifted than among the general population? As you read the article below, you will notice that the character Neville Longbottom of the Harry Potter book series might be a much more common version of a gifted child than the more obvious choice of Hermione Granger.
As you know if you have read the Harry Potter book series, things turn out well for Neville despite his rough start. He finds teachers that understand his special needs - yes, I said special needs - because gifted children have special needs that must be addressed if they are not to grow up to be highly frustrated and underachieving adults.
Would you be surprised to learn that most gifted children don't grow up to be highly successful? There are so many more ways to be gifted than strictly academically - an infinite number. Maybe you were one of those gifted, enthusiastic kids that nobody got. Maybe you are now one of those frustrated adults who has a life that seems to have a life of its own - maybe you want to scream, "Turn this bus around!"
Okay, friend, my hand is on the brake. Let's figure out a way to get unfrustrated and unknot your life. Check out the article below, and we'll go from there.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Kelley Pujol Writes: The Portrayal of Gifted Children in the Harry Potter Book Series
The portrayal of gifted children in the Harry Potter book series
Dr. Maria Montessori states in her book The Absorbent Mind, “The child has a different relation to his environment from ours. Adults admire their environment; they can remember it and think about it; but the child absorbs it. The things he sees are not just remembered; they form part of his soul. He incarnates in himself all in the world about him that his eyes see and his ears hear. In us the same things produce no change, but the child is transformed by them” (Montessori 1995, 61-62). These words take on special meaning when read in the context of the Harry Potter book series. The crux of the story involves the fact that as Harry witnessed Voldemort murder his parents and Voldemort’s failed attempt to murder him, Harry inadvertently absorbed a piece of Voldemort’s fractured soul. Yet Harry’s life is spared because his mother loved him so much that she sacrificed her life to save him. Although Harry has no conscious memory of this, his mother’s love, Dumbledore explains to Harry at the end of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, “…leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign…to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us protection forever. It is in your very skin” (Rowling 1997, 299). While all children crave and deserve such love, gifted children are especially susceptible to being overly sensitive both to their environments and to the subtle emotional overtones of their relationships (Pagnani 2008). Author J.K. Rowling does an excellent job in the Harry Potter book series of creating characters who are gifted children and portraying their individual traits and situational reactions to their life circumstances. Two such characters are Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom.
It is a common misconception that the term “gifted” refers only to children who are academically gifted. While this can certainly be one aspect of giftedness, it is not the only area in which a child can be gifted. There are also varying degrees of giftedness even when speaking strictly of intelligence quotient measurements. For example, a child with an IQ of 140 would be considered gifted, but that child would be a very different case than a child with an IQ of 170 or above – as different as a child with an average IQ of 100 is from a child with a low IQ of 70 (Webb et al 1994,4-6). Add to this the fact that there is a higher incidence of Attention Deficient Disorder and spelling/handwriting disabilities in the gifted population verses the normal population, and one can begin to see what a chameleon the idea of a “typical gifted child” can become (The Rhode Island State Advisory Committee 1997).
The character of Hermione Granger is the type of child most individuals would think of when asked to point out a gifted child. Hermione is academically superior to just about all her peers. The character Remus Lupin tells Hermione towards the end of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban that she is “the cleverest witch” of her age that he had ever met (Rowling 1999, 394). When in that same novel, Hermione nearly gives herself a nervous breakdown by overextending herself academically, she is given some help by Professor McGonagall who procures permission for Hermione to use a “Time Turner” in order to enable Hermione to go back in time and do several lessons at once (Rowling 1999, 395-396). While this magical invention is helpful to Hermione in achieving her goals and in later allowing Hermione to help Harry save his godfather Sirius Black from having to return to the prison of Azkaban, it does not address the root of the problems that Hermione shares with many other gifted children. Those problems are dealing with the trait of being a perfectionist, of feeling emotions more intensively than others, and of having trouble relating to and fitting in with less gifted peers (Meckstroth 2007, 311-322).
This preoccupation with being perfect is demonstrated when Hermione is taking her exam for Professor Lupin in her Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Rowling writes, “Hermione did everything perfectly until she reached the trunk with the boggart (a shape-shifter which reveals one’s greatest fear) in it. After a minute inside it, she burst out again, screaming… ‘P- P- Professor McGonagall!’ Hermione gasped, pointing at the trunk, ‘Sh –she said I’d failed everything!’ It took a little while to calm Hermione down” (Rowling 1999, 319).
When Harry and Ron first meet Hermione on the train taking them all to their first year at Hogwarts, neither of the boys like Hermione at all. They see her as a girl with “…a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth” (Rowling 1997, 105). Hermione’s litany of the background reading she has done in preparation for school, her opinion on how she would have handled being “the boy who lived,” and her analysis of the sorting system at Hogwarts causes Ron to remark to Harry after Hermione has left their train car, “Whatever house I’m in, I hope she’s not in it,” (Rowling 1997, 106), and later after Hermione has outperformed the boys in class, Ron remarks, “ It’s no wonder no one can stand her,…she’s a nightmare, honestly” (Rowling 1997, 172). It is only after the three share an adventure that involves defeating a troll in the bathroom that they begin to bond as friends, as Rowling notes, “There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them” (Rowling 1997, 179).
As the three friends develop over the course of the Harry Potter book series, the boys are frequently both stupefied and amazed by Hermione’s emotional intensity. One example of this is her preoccupation with the formation of the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare in the novel Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. While Harry handles her new passion by largely ignoring it, Ron’s brothers George and Fred mock her efforts (Rowling 2000, 366-367). Ron dismisses her efforts by proclaiming, “Hermione – open your ears…They. Like. It. They like being enslaved!” (Rowling 2000, 224). This strong identification with social justice issues and deep empathic feelings such as Hermione experiences are baffling to her friends, yet they are very common occurrences among gifted children (Roeper 2007, 285). It is not until the final novel of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, that Ron begins to catch up to Hermione emotionally as he listens to the elf Kreecher reveal the ordeal that Voldemort caused the elf to endure (Rowling 2007, 192-200).
It is not only common for gifted children to have difficulty relating to their peers due to their accelerated development, but gifted children also frequently run into problems with teachers as well (Reis 2007, 130). An example of this occurs when Draco Malfoy’s Densaugo curse causes Hermione’s already somewhat large teeth to grow to comical proportions in Professor Snape’s Double Potions class. Rowling writes:
He [Ron] forced Hermione to show Snape her teeth – she was doing her best to hide them with her hands, though this was difficult as they had now grown down past her collar. Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherin girls were doubled up with silent giggles, pointing at Hermione from behind Snape’s back.
Snape looked coldly at Hermione, then said, “I see no difference.”
Hermione let out a whimper; her eyes filled with tears, she turned on her heels and ran, ran all the way up the corridor and out of sight (Rowling 2000, 299-300).
Not all gifted children are academic achievers, though. Frequently, gifted children are actually underachievers. Common causes of underachievement in gifted children can be serious physical, cognitive, or emotional issues that have not been dealt with, a mismatch between the student and his or her school environment, or from the fact that the child is suffering from low self-motivation, low self-regulation, or low self-efficacy (Reis 2007, 130). Many times, this situation can be turned around by the discovery of one key person with whom the child can communicate freely and by whom the child feels accepted (Webb et al 1994, 131). Often once this relationship is established, the child will gain the confidence to use his giftedness to discover and explore an area of passion in which the child can grow and then flourish and expand his understanding of who he is and who he can become (Reis 2007, 131-136). Such a gifted child in the Harry Potter book series is Neville Longbottom.
After having first witnessed Neville and his exasperated Grandmother on platform nine and three quarters, Neville again appears to Harry and Ron as he searches miserably for his pet toad, Trevor. Rowling describes Neville as “tearful” (Rowling 1997, 104). It does not take long for Hermione to champion Neville’s cause and help him look for the toad he seems so desperate to recover. While adults may not always recognize gifted children, gifted children tend to identify and gravitate towards each other (Webb et al 1994, 14). In fact, throughout the beginning of the series, it is frequently Hermione who understands Neville’s intense emotions although none of the children yet understand how much Neville has already lost and endured in his short life. One example of this occurs after Quidditch practice in the novel Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone:
At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone’s guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor tower.
Everyone fell over laughing except Hermione, who leapt up and performed the countercurse. Neville’s legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling (Rowling 1997, 217).
By the end of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Neville has earned ten extra points for the Gryffindor house, because in Dumbledore’s words, “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends” (Rowling 1997, 306). The real turning point for Neville occurs, though, when he meets that one key person who enables him to see himself differently, and that person is Professor Remus Lupin.
Perhaps it is because Professor Lupin has carried the burden of not fitting in himself for many years, or perhaps it is because he is aware that Neville has lost his parents not to death but to an even greater cruelty that Lupin singles out Neville to be his assistant on his first day as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor after Professor Snape has insulted and embarrassed Neville in front of Lupin’s entire class. Neville had just barely escaped being forced by Professor Snape to poison his dear pet toad Trevor due to the fact that Hermione helped Neville remedy his potions. Rowling describes Neville’s experience in Potions lessons, stating that “Neville regularly went to pieces in Potions class; it was his worst subject, and his great fear of Professor Snape made it ten times worse” (Rowling 1999, 125). Just as one compassionate teacher can make a huge difference to a gifted child, having to perform under a cruel or ineffectual teacher is frequently a burden that a gifted child can not compartmentalize and the child’s frustrating feelings of inadequacy bleed over into all areas of the child’s life (Tolan 2007, 262-267).
Professor Lupin begins the class by allowing Hermione to explain that a boggart is a shape-shifter that can take the shape of whatever it believes will frighten its viewer the most. Lupin then coaxes from Neville that his greatest fear is Professor Snape. Lupin then establishes the fact that Neville lives with his grandmother – and that Neville is also rather frightened of her – and asks Neville to clearly picture his grandmother’s clothes. Rowling writes, “ ‘When the boggart bursts out of this wardrobe, Neville, and sees you, it will assume the shape of Professor Snape,’ said Lupin. ‘And you will raise your wand – thus – and cry “Riddikulus”– and concentrate hard on your grandmother’s clothes. If all goes well, Professor Boggart Snape will be forced into that vulture-topped hat, and that green dress, with that big red handbag’ ” (Rowling 1999, 135).
Neville succeeds in his lesson and by the end of class, Neville has “charged forward looking determined” and finished off the boggart for the class (Rowling 1999, 139). Neville’s character continues to develop throughout the series. He begins to display great ability in herbology in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. By the time it is necessary to form Dumbledore’s Army in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Neville has developed into a more than competent wizard and even saves Harry’s life during the battle in the Department of Mysteries (Rowling 2003, 802). It is in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, though, that Neville fully develops into the gifted young man he always had the potential to be.
The Neville who was once paralyzed with terror when confronted with Professor Snape’s mocking disapproval is the person who dares to charge Lord Voldemort himself when it appears to all others that the battle of Hogwarts is lost. Rowling describes Neville’s response to Voldemort’s invitation to join the Death Eaters: “ ‘I’ll join you when hell freezes over,’ said Neville. ‘Dumbledore’s Army!’ he shouted, and there was an answering cheer from the crowd, whom Voldemort’s Silencing Charm seemed unable to hold” (Rowling 2007, 731). No longer is Neville the son of defeated, insane wizards, nor is he is the victim of Draco Malfoy’s gang, nor even in the shadow of Harry Potter. Neville emerges by the end of the Harry Potter book series as a gifted young man who no longer looks to his grandmother or to his father’s shadow for approval but to his own unique abilities and gifts. Perhaps he is the man that Dumbledore describes when he explains the Mirror of Erised to Harry, stating that “The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is” (Rowling 1997, 213).
Dr. Maria Montessori said, “In the same way, the caterpillar and the butterfly are two creatures very different to look at and in the way they behave, yet the beauty of the butterfly comes from its life in the larval form, and not through any efforts it may make to imitate another butterfly” (Montessori 1995, 195). Neville could not fulfill his destiny or Hermione hers by fitting into a cookie cutter image of what a gifted child should be like. The Harry Potter book series does an excellent job of portraying gifted children as individuals with unique talents and needs. These children are brought together from varying backgrounds and each must develop their own special gifts in order to have a positive impact on their world and the people around them.
If there is any single lesson to be learned from the Harry Potter series concerning children and their gifts, it is that each child is special and every child is a gift. Dr. Maria Montessori also stated, “The child is the well-spring of love. Whenever we touch the child, we touch love. It is a difficult love to define; we all feel it, but no one can describe its roots, or evaluate the immense consequences which flow from it, or gather up its potency for the union between men” (Montessori 1995, 289). This is the love that Dumbledore attempts to explain to Harry. It is the love that exists in Harry’s and every child’s very skin.
Reference List
Meckstroth, Elizabeth. 2007. Abnormally brilliant, brilliantly normal. High IQ Kid: Collected Insights, Information, and Personal Stories from the Experts. Keisa Kay, Deborah Robson, Judy Fort Brenneman, editors. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.
Montessori, Maria. 1995. The Absorbent Mind. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
Pagnani, Alexander R. 2008. Fantasy and science fiction: New world for gifted minds! Compass Points: Igniting Ideas and Innovations in Gifted Convention Recap, National Association for Gifted Children. Winter 2008. www.nagc.org
Reis, Sally M. 2007. The underachievement of gifted students: Multiple frustrations and few solutions. High IQ Kid: Collected Insights, Information, and Personal Stories from the Experts. Keisa Kay, Deborah Robson, Judy Fort Brenneman, editors. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.
The Rhode Island State Advisory Committee on Gifted and Talented Education. 1997. Characteristics and behaviors of the gifted. http://www.ri.net/gifted_talented/character.html . Accessed March 10, 2008.
Roeper, Annemarie. 2007. Giftedness is heart and soul. High IQ Kid: Collected Insights, Information, and Personal Stories from the Experts. Keisa Kay, Deborah Robson, Judy Fort Brenneman, editors. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.
Rowling, J. K. 1997. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. New York: Scholastic Press.
--. 1999. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. New York: Scholastic Press.
--. 2000. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. New York: Scholastic Press.
--. 2003. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. New York: Scholastic Press.
--. 2007. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. New York: Scholastic Press.
Tolan, Stephanie S. 2007. The problem of pain. High IQ Kid: Collected Insights, Information, and Personal Stories from the Experts. Keisa Kay, Deborah Robson, Judy Fort Brenneman, editors. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.
Webb, James T., PhD., Elizabeth A. Meckstroth, M.S.W., Stephanie S. Tolan, M.A. 1994. Guiding the Gifted Child: A Practical Source for Parents and Teachers. Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press, Inc.
Dr. Maria Montessori states in her book The Absorbent Mind, “The child has a different relation to his environment from ours. Adults admire their environment; they can remember it and think about it; but the child absorbs it. The things he sees are not just remembered; they form part of his soul. He incarnates in himself all in the world about him that his eyes see and his ears hear. In us the same things produce no change, but the child is transformed by them” (Montessori 1995, 61-62). These words take on special meaning when read in the context of the Harry Potter book series. The crux of the story involves the fact that as Harry witnessed Voldemort murder his parents and Voldemort’s failed attempt to murder him, Harry inadvertently absorbed a piece of Voldemort’s fractured soul. Yet Harry’s life is spared because his mother loved him so much that she sacrificed her life to save him. Although Harry has no conscious memory of this, his mother’s love, Dumbledore explains to Harry at the end of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, “…leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign…to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us protection forever. It is in your very skin” (Rowling 1997, 299). While all children crave and deserve such love, gifted children are especially susceptible to being overly sensitive both to their environments and to the subtle emotional overtones of their relationships (Pagnani 2008). Author J.K. Rowling does an excellent job in the Harry Potter book series of creating characters who are gifted children and portraying their individual traits and situational reactions to their life circumstances. Two such characters are Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom.
It is a common misconception that the term “gifted” refers only to children who are academically gifted. While this can certainly be one aspect of giftedness, it is not the only area in which a child can be gifted. There are also varying degrees of giftedness even when speaking strictly of intelligence quotient measurements. For example, a child with an IQ of 140 would be considered gifted, but that child would be a very different case than a child with an IQ of 170 or above – as different as a child with an average IQ of 100 is from a child with a low IQ of 70 (Webb et al 1994,4-6). Add to this the fact that there is a higher incidence of Attention Deficient Disorder and spelling/handwriting disabilities in the gifted population verses the normal population, and one can begin to see what a chameleon the idea of a “typical gifted child” can become (The Rhode Island State Advisory Committee 1997).
The character of Hermione Granger is the type of child most individuals would think of when asked to point out a gifted child. Hermione is academically superior to just about all her peers. The character Remus Lupin tells Hermione towards the end of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban that she is “the cleverest witch” of her age that he had ever met (Rowling 1999, 394). When in that same novel, Hermione nearly gives herself a nervous breakdown by overextending herself academically, she is given some help by Professor McGonagall who procures permission for Hermione to use a “Time Turner” in order to enable Hermione to go back in time and do several lessons at once (Rowling 1999, 395-396). While this magical invention is helpful to Hermione in achieving her goals and in later allowing Hermione to help Harry save his godfather Sirius Black from having to return to the prison of Azkaban, it does not address the root of the problems that Hermione shares with many other gifted children. Those problems are dealing with the trait of being a perfectionist, of feeling emotions more intensively than others, and of having trouble relating to and fitting in with less gifted peers (Meckstroth 2007, 311-322).
This preoccupation with being perfect is demonstrated when Hermione is taking her exam for Professor Lupin in her Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Rowling writes, “Hermione did everything perfectly until she reached the trunk with the boggart (a shape-shifter which reveals one’s greatest fear) in it. After a minute inside it, she burst out again, screaming… ‘P- P- Professor McGonagall!’ Hermione gasped, pointing at the trunk, ‘Sh –she said I’d failed everything!’ It took a little while to calm Hermione down” (Rowling 1999, 319).
When Harry and Ron first meet Hermione on the train taking them all to their first year at Hogwarts, neither of the boys like Hermione at all. They see her as a girl with “…a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth” (Rowling 1997, 105). Hermione’s litany of the background reading she has done in preparation for school, her opinion on how she would have handled being “the boy who lived,” and her analysis of the sorting system at Hogwarts causes Ron to remark to Harry after Hermione has left their train car, “Whatever house I’m in, I hope she’s not in it,” (Rowling 1997, 106), and later after Hermione has outperformed the boys in class, Ron remarks, “ It’s no wonder no one can stand her,…she’s a nightmare, honestly” (Rowling 1997, 172). It is only after the three share an adventure that involves defeating a troll in the bathroom that they begin to bond as friends, as Rowling notes, “There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them” (Rowling 1997, 179).
As the three friends develop over the course of the Harry Potter book series, the boys are frequently both stupefied and amazed by Hermione’s emotional intensity. One example of this is her preoccupation with the formation of the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare in the novel Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. While Harry handles her new passion by largely ignoring it, Ron’s brothers George and Fred mock her efforts (Rowling 2000, 366-367). Ron dismisses her efforts by proclaiming, “Hermione – open your ears…They. Like. It. They like being enslaved!” (Rowling 2000, 224). This strong identification with social justice issues and deep empathic feelings such as Hermione experiences are baffling to her friends, yet they are very common occurrences among gifted children (Roeper 2007, 285). It is not until the final novel of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, that Ron begins to catch up to Hermione emotionally as he listens to the elf Kreecher reveal the ordeal that Voldemort caused the elf to endure (Rowling 2007, 192-200).
It is not only common for gifted children to have difficulty relating to their peers due to their accelerated development, but gifted children also frequently run into problems with teachers as well (Reis 2007, 130). An example of this occurs when Draco Malfoy’s Densaugo curse causes Hermione’s already somewhat large teeth to grow to comical proportions in Professor Snape’s Double Potions class. Rowling writes:
He [Ron] forced Hermione to show Snape her teeth – she was doing her best to hide them with her hands, though this was difficult as they had now grown down past her collar. Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherin girls were doubled up with silent giggles, pointing at Hermione from behind Snape’s back.
Snape looked coldly at Hermione, then said, “I see no difference.”
Hermione let out a whimper; her eyes filled with tears, she turned on her heels and ran, ran all the way up the corridor and out of sight (Rowling 2000, 299-300).
Not all gifted children are academic achievers, though. Frequently, gifted children are actually underachievers. Common causes of underachievement in gifted children can be serious physical, cognitive, or emotional issues that have not been dealt with, a mismatch between the student and his or her school environment, or from the fact that the child is suffering from low self-motivation, low self-regulation, or low self-efficacy (Reis 2007, 130). Many times, this situation can be turned around by the discovery of one key person with whom the child can communicate freely and by whom the child feels accepted (Webb et al 1994, 131). Often once this relationship is established, the child will gain the confidence to use his giftedness to discover and explore an area of passion in which the child can grow and then flourish and expand his understanding of who he is and who he can become (Reis 2007, 131-136). Such a gifted child in the Harry Potter book series is Neville Longbottom.
After having first witnessed Neville and his exasperated Grandmother on platform nine and three quarters, Neville again appears to Harry and Ron as he searches miserably for his pet toad, Trevor. Rowling describes Neville as “tearful” (Rowling 1997, 104). It does not take long for Hermione to champion Neville’s cause and help him look for the toad he seems so desperate to recover. While adults may not always recognize gifted children, gifted children tend to identify and gravitate towards each other (Webb et al 1994, 14). In fact, throughout the beginning of the series, it is frequently Hermione who understands Neville’s intense emotions although none of the children yet understand how much Neville has already lost and endured in his short life. One example of this occurs after Quidditch practice in the novel Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone:
At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone’s guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor tower.
Everyone fell over laughing except Hermione, who leapt up and performed the countercurse. Neville’s legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling (Rowling 1997, 217).
By the end of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Neville has earned ten extra points for the Gryffindor house, because in Dumbledore’s words, “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends” (Rowling 1997, 306). The real turning point for Neville occurs, though, when he meets that one key person who enables him to see himself differently, and that person is Professor Remus Lupin.
Perhaps it is because Professor Lupin has carried the burden of not fitting in himself for many years, or perhaps it is because he is aware that Neville has lost his parents not to death but to an even greater cruelty that Lupin singles out Neville to be his assistant on his first day as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor after Professor Snape has insulted and embarrassed Neville in front of Lupin’s entire class. Neville had just barely escaped being forced by Professor Snape to poison his dear pet toad Trevor due to the fact that Hermione helped Neville remedy his potions. Rowling describes Neville’s experience in Potions lessons, stating that “Neville regularly went to pieces in Potions class; it was his worst subject, and his great fear of Professor Snape made it ten times worse” (Rowling 1999, 125). Just as one compassionate teacher can make a huge difference to a gifted child, having to perform under a cruel or ineffectual teacher is frequently a burden that a gifted child can not compartmentalize and the child’s frustrating feelings of inadequacy bleed over into all areas of the child’s life (Tolan 2007, 262-267).
Professor Lupin begins the class by allowing Hermione to explain that a boggart is a shape-shifter that can take the shape of whatever it believes will frighten its viewer the most. Lupin then coaxes from Neville that his greatest fear is Professor Snape. Lupin then establishes the fact that Neville lives with his grandmother – and that Neville is also rather frightened of her – and asks Neville to clearly picture his grandmother’s clothes. Rowling writes, “ ‘When the boggart bursts out of this wardrobe, Neville, and sees you, it will assume the shape of Professor Snape,’ said Lupin. ‘And you will raise your wand – thus – and cry “Riddikulus”– and concentrate hard on your grandmother’s clothes. If all goes well, Professor Boggart Snape will be forced into that vulture-topped hat, and that green dress, with that big red handbag’ ” (Rowling 1999, 135).
Neville succeeds in his lesson and by the end of class, Neville has “charged forward looking determined” and finished off the boggart for the class (Rowling 1999, 139). Neville’s character continues to develop throughout the series. He begins to display great ability in herbology in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. By the time it is necessary to form Dumbledore’s Army in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Neville has developed into a more than competent wizard and even saves Harry’s life during the battle in the Department of Mysteries (Rowling 2003, 802). It is in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, though, that Neville fully develops into the gifted young man he always had the potential to be.
The Neville who was once paralyzed with terror when confronted with Professor Snape’s mocking disapproval is the person who dares to charge Lord Voldemort himself when it appears to all others that the battle of Hogwarts is lost. Rowling describes Neville’s response to Voldemort’s invitation to join the Death Eaters: “ ‘I’ll join you when hell freezes over,’ said Neville. ‘Dumbledore’s Army!’ he shouted, and there was an answering cheer from the crowd, whom Voldemort’s Silencing Charm seemed unable to hold” (Rowling 2007, 731). No longer is Neville the son of defeated, insane wizards, nor is he is the victim of Draco Malfoy’s gang, nor even in the shadow of Harry Potter. Neville emerges by the end of the Harry Potter book series as a gifted young man who no longer looks to his grandmother or to his father’s shadow for approval but to his own unique abilities and gifts. Perhaps he is the man that Dumbledore describes when he explains the Mirror of Erised to Harry, stating that “The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is” (Rowling 1997, 213).
Dr. Maria Montessori said, “In the same way, the caterpillar and the butterfly are two creatures very different to look at and in the way they behave, yet the beauty of the butterfly comes from its life in the larval form, and not through any efforts it may make to imitate another butterfly” (Montessori 1995, 195). Neville could not fulfill his destiny or Hermione hers by fitting into a cookie cutter image of what a gifted child should be like. The Harry Potter book series does an excellent job of portraying gifted children as individuals with unique talents and needs. These children are brought together from varying backgrounds and each must develop their own special gifts in order to have a positive impact on their world and the people around them.
If there is any single lesson to be learned from the Harry Potter series concerning children and their gifts, it is that each child is special and every child is a gift. Dr. Maria Montessori also stated, “The child is the well-spring of love. Whenever we touch the child, we touch love. It is a difficult love to define; we all feel it, but no one can describe its roots, or evaluate the immense consequences which flow from it, or gather up its potency for the union between men” (Montessori 1995, 289). This is the love that Dumbledore attempts to explain to Harry. It is the love that exists in Harry’s and every child’s very skin.
Reference List
Meckstroth, Elizabeth. 2007. Abnormally brilliant, brilliantly normal. High IQ Kid: Collected Insights, Information, and Personal Stories from the Experts. Keisa Kay, Deborah Robson, Judy Fort Brenneman, editors. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.
Montessori, Maria. 1995. The Absorbent Mind. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
Pagnani, Alexander R. 2008. Fantasy and science fiction: New world for gifted minds! Compass Points: Igniting Ideas and Innovations in Gifted Convention Recap, National Association for Gifted Children. Winter 2008. www.nagc.org
Reis, Sally M. 2007. The underachievement of gifted students: Multiple frustrations and few solutions. High IQ Kid: Collected Insights, Information, and Personal Stories from the Experts. Keisa Kay, Deborah Robson, Judy Fort Brenneman, editors. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.
The Rhode Island State Advisory Committee on Gifted and Talented Education. 1997. Characteristics and behaviors of the gifted. http://www.ri.net/gifted_talented/character.html . Accessed March 10, 2008.
Roeper, Annemarie. 2007. Giftedness is heart and soul. High IQ Kid: Collected Insights, Information, and Personal Stories from the Experts. Keisa Kay, Deborah Robson, Judy Fort Brenneman, editors. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.
Rowling, J. K. 1997. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. New York: Scholastic Press.
--. 1999. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. New York: Scholastic Press.
--. 2000. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. New York: Scholastic Press.
--. 2003. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. New York: Scholastic Press.
--. 2007. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. New York: Scholastic Press.
Tolan, Stephanie S. 2007. The problem of pain. High IQ Kid: Collected Insights, Information, and Personal Stories from the Experts. Keisa Kay, Deborah Robson, Judy Fort Brenneman, editors. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.
Webb, James T., PhD., Elizabeth A. Meckstroth, M.S.W., Stephanie S. Tolan, M.A. 1994. Guiding the Gifted Child: A Practical Source for Parents and Teachers. Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press, Inc.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Ayurveda and Weight Loss
Ayurveda and Weight Loss
The Weight-Control Information Network, an information service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, estimates that approximately two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight and that almost one-third of these people are obese. The prevalence towards being overweight or obese has steadily increased among Americans over the past forty years. This increase has been wide ranging, including both genders, all ages, races, ethnic groups, and educational levels. Between 1960 and 2004, the number of overweight adults increased from 44.8 percent to 66 percent. The number of obese adults increased from 13.3 percent to 32.1 percent, with the majority of this increase occurring after 1980 (The Weight-Control Network 2008).
George L. Blackburn, M.D., Ph.D., the S. Daniel Abraham Chair in Nutrition Medicine at Harvard Medical School, estimates in his introduction to the Federal Trade Commission’s 2002 report, “Weight-Loss Advertising: An Analysis of Current Trends,” that in the year 2000, Americans spent roughly thirty five billion dollars on weight loss products or services. At any given time, almost seventy million Americans are trying to lose weight or prevent weight gain (Blackburn 2002, v). The Federal Trade Commission report goes on to state that sales at the nation’s eight largest weight loss chains topped 788 million dollars in 2000, and that same year, sales of dietary weight loss supplements from retail outlets alone were in the range of 279 million dollars (Cleland et al 2002, 2).
Americans are becoming increasingly desperate to lose weight, and both marketers and manufacturers have found great profit potential in attempting to meet this need. Since 1992, the number of ads for weight loss products in mainstream publications has increased by 129 percent while the number of weight loss products had increased by 157 percent. According to a sample study done by the Federal Trade Commission, approximately forty percent of these ads contain promises that are almost certainly false, while fifty-five percent contain promises that are likely false (Cleland et al 2002, 21). Americans continue to search for a painless, effortless way to maintain a healthy body weight despite the fact that the Federal Trade Commission has concluded that “almost all weight loss experts agree that the key to long term weight management lies in permanent lifestyle changes that include, among other things, a nutritious diet at a moderate caloric level and regular physical exercise” (Cleland et al 2002, 1). In short, there is no magic bullet or single solution to maintain healthy weight. Healthy weight is a reflection of a healthy lifestyle that is a multi-faceted undertaking. It must involve an individual’s entire being. This does not, however, have to be a painful or unpleasant undertaking, and this is how the ancient philosophy of Ayurveda can help Americans to maintain healthy body weight.
Ayurveda is a philosophy and a system of healing that has its roots in ancient India. Ayurvedic philosophy is based on the Shad Darshan, which was developed by ancient sages from the scriptures of India. These scriptures are known as the Vedas and are among the oldest bodies of written knowledge in the world (Lad 2002, 1-3). The Vedas also contain the basis for Hindu religion, but one does not need to embrace the Hindu religion in order to use the principles of Ayurveda in order to maintain healthy body weight. According to Dr. Vasant Lad, founder of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, “Ayurveda is a medical science and its purpose is to heal and to maintain the quality and longevity of life…There is no concept of specialization in Ayurveda, as there is in Western medicine. Ayurveda treats the whole person, not just the organ or system involved” (Lad 2002, 1, 2). Neither does one need to accept on faith the notion that what occurs in the mind affects the body and vise versa, because medical research continues to compile evidence to prove that this relationship between the body and the mind is real.
One recent study by Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer brought sharply into focus the effect the mind and an individual’s perception of reality can have on the individual’s body and on that individual’s ability to lose weight. Dr. Langer decided to study how much of an effect the perception of exercise has on how the body actually responds to the effort. In order to do this, Dr. Langer decided to study hotel maids. These women spend the majority of their day engaged in fairly strenuous physical activity. What Dr. Langer discovered, though, was that these women did not see themselves as physically active. Sixty-seven percent reported that they did not exercise. More than one-third reported that they did not get any exercise at all. What was even stranger was that these women’s bodies reflected their perceptions. Their bodies did not seem to be benefitting from the exercise these women were experiencing on a daily basis. In fact, when Langer measured the women’s health indicators, all the indicators matched the perceived amount of exercise as opposed to the actual amount of exercise these women were experiencing (Spiegel 2008).
Dr. Langer then divided the women into two groups. The first group was given insight into how the tasks they already engaged in each day benefited their bodies and approximately how many calories each of those tasks used. These women were also told that they were already getting enough exercise each day to meet the surgeon general’s definition of an active lifestyle. The second group was given no information at all. One month later, Langer returned to re-measure the health indicators in both groups and was surprised to learn that in the first group, there was a decrease in their weight, their waist to hip ratio, and a ten percent drop in blood pressure (Spiegel 2008).
These findings would be of no surprise to either the student or the teacher of Ayurveda. Dr. Robert E. Svoboda has stated, “Health is a harmony of body, mind, and spirit…Whatever affects the body, affects the mind and vice versa” (Svoboda 2003, 3, 5). One can not expect to maintain a healthy body weight if one is living a life that is laden with stress and full of unhealthy choices, and one is feeling miserable most of the time. Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, in his speech at the tenth annual convocation of the Symbiosis Center for Management and Human Resource Development in Pune, India, stated:
Anywhere you go today; people are talking about “stress management,” especially a few years ago when I first went to the United States, wherever I went people were talking about “stress management.” I could not understand why anyone would want to manage his stress. I can understand you want to manage your business, your finances, your family, your property, whatever, but why would you want to manage your stress? It took me a while to realize that these people have come to the conclusion that there is no other way to live. Somehow people have come to the conclusion that, if you do things in the world, you’re bound to be stress[ed]” (Vasudev 2008, 57)
Ayurveda: A Literature Review
The literature concerning the study of Ayurveda is wide ranging in its degree of complexity and orthodoxy. Ayurveda has become a bit of a buzz word in the popular media and in marketing in the last few years. Recently, popular publications such as Body and Soul magazine have featured articles concerning how to incorporate Ayurveda into both exercise and weight loss regimes (Hanley 2008, 125; Ottaway 2007). The Today Show on NBC recently produced a series of segments entitled “Alternative Treatments,” and discussed the use of Ayurveda for chronic conditions with Dr. Deepak Chopra and neurologist Dr. David Simon (The Today Show 2008). Part of the popular appeal of Ayurveda is its recognition of each person as an individual with specific traits and tendencies which may or may not reflect the normal or average tendencies. Ayurveda recognizes three basic mind/body types – vata, pitta, or kapha – of which an individual will have a dominant and most likely a secondary type. Ayurveda teaches that one’s mind/body type influences everything from one’s basic personality traits to what types of food and exercise will be the most effective for maintaining health (Chopra 2000, 36-37). While this may seem a bit esoteric at first glance, it is very similar in concept to the Western notion of ectomorphic, endomorphic, and mesomorphic body types. Ayurveda simply takes this notion to a more holistic level.
At the other end of the spectrum in Ayurvedic literature are the writings and teachings of Ayurvedic doctors such as Dr. Vasant Lad and Dr. Robert E. Svoboda. Both of these doctors are practicing Hindus and see Ayurveda not only as a means to health but as a vital component in the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment. Dr. Vasant Lad is the author of The Textbook of Ayurveda: Fundamental Principles (2002), The Textbook of Ayurveda: A Complete Guide to Clinical Assessment (2006), The Secrets of the Pulse: The Ancient Art of Ayurvedic Pulse Diagnosis (2006), The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies (1998), and Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing (2006). Dr. Lad is also the founder of The Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico as well as an accomplished artist and poet. Dr. Robert E. Svoboda is a professor at the Ayurvedic Institute with Dr. Lad, and Dr. Svoboda is the first Westerner to ever graduate from a college of Ayurveda in India and be licensed to practice in India. He is the author of The Hidden Secrets of Ayurveda (2002), as well as Ayurveda: Life, Health, and Longevity (2004), Ayurveda for Women: A Guide to Vitality and Health (2000), and Lessons and Lectures on Ayurveda (2003). While both of these doctors are clearly experts in their field and devoted to Ayurveda, the depth of their material as well as the spiritual undertones of the material may prove to be overwhelming to the American who is previously unexposed to Ayurveda and is simply looking for answers that will help him or her maintain a healthy body weight through manageable daily practices.
Perhaps the most cited and accessible expert on the subject of Ayurveda and its application in the United States today is Dr. Deepak Chopra. Dr. Chopra has written and spoken extensively on the subject of Ayurveda and maintaining a healthy body weight. Most importantly, he has produced works with varying degrees of practical and theoretical material so that the American who is simply looking for a plan to enable him or her to eat more healthfully may have his or her needs met, as well as the American who feels in need of a complete lifestyle makeover.
The most basic of these works, The Chopra Center Cookbook: Nourishing Body and Soul (2002), is co-authored with neurologist Dr. David Simon and Leanne Backer. This book introduces the basic concepts of utilizing the six tastes classification system used by Ayurveda (foods being sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent) and the need to have all six of these tastes represented at a meal at least once a day in order to avoid unnatural and unhealthy food cravings (Chopra et al 2002, 10-12). This book also introduces the concept of mindful eating – that is being aware of the sensual experience of eating and enjoying it. According to Ayurveda, the problem is not that an individual eats a piece of chocolate cake after dinner; the problem is that the individual eats the cake and is unaware and not focused on the experience. Therefore, the individual is unsatisfied and more than likely reaches for a second piece of cake in order to feel satisfied (Chopra et al 2002, 12, 15-18).
Dr. Chopra’s book Grow Younger, Live Longer: Ten Steps to Reverse Aging (2001), also co-authored with Dr. Simon, takes the concepts of Ayurveda to the next level and introduces the ideas of mind/body types, the importance of perceptions, the use of meditation to increase mindful living, the importance of restful sleep, and the importance of eliminating toxins (both physical and emotional) from one’s life. This book also gives a basic explanation of the mind/body connection that is the basis of Ayurvedic philosophy in easily understandable Western medical terms:
Mind and body are intimately interconnected. Your body is composed of physiological systems, organs, and tissues, but at its basis is a collection of molecules. Your mind is composed of ideas and beliefs, memories and desires, but is essentially a collection of thoughts. Your body is a molecular field; your mind is a thought field. Giving rise to both your field of molecules and your field of thought is an underlying field of consciousness, which is the source of both your mind and body. Every time you have a thought you precipitate a molecule in your nervous system that influences the other molecules throughout your body (Chopra et al 2001, 109).
Americans will also find it reassuring that Dr. Chopra does not reject Western medicine, stating in his January 25, 2008 appearance on the Today Show that,“ Ayurveda works in conjunction with [Western medicine]. Western medicine is very good for treating acute conditions – if you have pneumonia, you better take an antibiotic. If you break your leg, see an orthopedic surgeon; but for many chronic conditions, it [Ayurveda] can be used by itself or in conjunction with pharmaceuticals” (The Today Show 2008). For most Americans, maintaining a healthy body weight is definitely a chronic condition as it is a life-long challenge.
A more advanced offering from Dr. Chopra on the subject of Ayurveda includes: Perfect Health: The Complete Mind Body Guide (2000). This book broaches the concepts with the use of more Ayurvedic terminology and discusses the idea of raising one’s consciousness in order to live a more fulfilled life. Perhaps the most interesting concept to most Americans introduced in this book will be the Ayurvedic concept of healthy exercise, which is in direct conflict with the basic Western notion of “no pain, no gain”:
Since life is generally meant to be comfortable and happy, Ayurveda views exercise as a means to that end. It holds that exercise should leave you ready for work. Exercise shouldn’t be work itself. If you get one benefit from Ayurveda’s approach to exercise, it should be that “no pain, no gain” is a myth…How much is enough then? As a general rule, Ayurveda wants us to exercise to 50 percent of maximum capacity. If you can bicycle for ten miles, go for five; if you can swim twenty laps, make it ten. These lower limits are not detrimental to fitness; in fact they make exercise more efficient, because you are not giving your body so much repair work to do afterwards, and your cardiovascular system will have an easier time returning to normal after your workout (Chopra 2000, 319).
More importantly, this gentle attitude is encouraging as opposed to discouraging to the individual who is attempting to build and maintain a life long habit.
Conclusion
Ayurveda is the Sanskrit word which means “Knowledge of Life” (Svoboda 2002, 10). Ayurveda dates back more than 5000 years as Indian sages began to compile this information many centuries before the construction of the Pyramids in Egypt (Chopra 2000, 11). Although Ayurveda is based in Indian Vedic scriptures, which are also the basis for the Hindu religion, one does not need to embrace Hinduism in order to implement the practical advice Ayurveda has to offer on the subject of maintaining a healthy body weight.
The first of these practical solutions would be to determine one’s mind/body type. Questionnaires are readily available online at both www.chopra.com and at www.ayurveda.com as well as other websites. Once an individual has made this preliminary distinction, he or she will find it easier to sort through the dietary and exercise options available and find the most rewarding scenario. Secondly, the individual should begin to practice eating awareness, such as not eating when upset, eating only when hungry, experiencing all six tastes at least one meal each day, eating freshly cooked, high quality food whenever possible, becoming aware of the speed at which one is eating, and what it feels like to be hungry or comfortably full. It is important not to use Ayurvedic knowledge of food to become obsessive about diet. As Dr. Chopra states, “…don’t get caught up in the details of whether food is too hot, too cold, too heavy or too light, too oily or too dry…This is not the way of self-knowledge” (Chopra 2000, 121).
Thirdly, the individual should find some type of exercise that is rewarding and relaxing. Once the individual has determined his or her mind/body type, he or she will have several suggested exercise options to explore. For example, a Vata body type tends to crave motion and might enjoy a fast-paced activity such as tennis. The Pitta body type tends to have high endurance and might enjoy long distance running. The Kapha body type tends to be more sedentary and will respond better to exercise of a more gentle nature, such a yoga or tai chi (Hanley 2008).
All body types benefit from walking outdoors and experiencing nature, which encourages the final component of an Ayurvedic plan for maintaining a healthy body weight, and that component is restful sleep. Studies have shown that if an individual does not achieve adequate and restful sleep, not only is the individual more prone to weakened mental and physical health, minor and major accidents, but the individual’s very immune cells do not function well for the next twenty-four hours (Chopra et al 2001, 51). While additional suggestions for restful sleep include warm milk, a warm bath, and meditation, many times sleep quality will increase with adjustment of dietary and exercise principles (Lad 1998, 211-212).
All in all, Ayurveda presents Americans with a reasonable and more importantly, a sustainable option in their continued struggle with maintaining a healthy body weight. Once the basic premises have been embraced, increased energy and a greater feeling of well-being make adopting this plan an attractive long term option for most individuals. Also, because Ayurveda takes a gentle, evolutionary approach to lifestyle change as opposed to the violent upheaval taken by fad diets and exercise extremists, the individual is less likely to experience low energy, moodiness, sickness or injury and therefore be encouraged to stick with the Ayurvedic plan. With the gentle, evolutionary approach to health, failure is not an option because with each new day, there is a new opportunity for success.
Reference List
Blackburn, George L., M.D., Ph.D. 2002. Introduction. Weight-Loss Advertising: An Analysis of Current Trends. Cleland, Richard L., Walter C. Gross, Laura D. Koss, Matthew Daynard, Karen M. Muoio, authors. The Federal Trade Commission. www.ftc.gov/bcp/reports/weightloss.pdf (accessed March 14, 2008).
Chopra, Deepak, M.D. 2000. Perfect Health: The Complete Mind Body Guide. New York: Three Rivers Press.
--., David Simon, M.D. 2001. Grow Younger, Live Longer: Ten Steps to Reverse Aging. New York: Three Rivers Press.
--., David Simon, M.D., Leanne Backer. 2002. The Chopra Center Cookbook: Nourishing Body and Soul. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Cleland, Richard L., Walter C. Gross, Laura D. Koss, Matthew Daynard, Karen M. Muoio. 2002. Weight-Loss Advertising: An Analysis of Current Trends. The Federal Trade Commission. www.ftc.gov/bcp/reports/weightloss.pdf (accessed March 14, 2008).
Hanley, Kate. 2008. Your best shape. Body and Soul Magazine. March 2008.
Lad, Vasant. 1998. The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies. New York: Three Rivers Press.
--. 2002. The Textbook of Ayurveda: Fundamental Principles. Albuquerque, New Mexico: The Ayurvedic Press.
Ottaway, Celina. 2007. Weight loss action plan. Body and Soul Magazine. September 2007. http://www.marthastewart.com/article/weight-loss-action-plan?lnc=18a9cf380e1dd010VgnVCM1000005b09a00aRCRD&page=6&rsc=articlecontent_health (accessed March 15, 2008).
Spiegel, Alix. 2008. Hotel maids challenge the placebo effect. Your Health. National Public Radio. 3 January 2008. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17792517 (accessed January 3, 2008).
Svoboda, Robert E., Dr. 2003. Lessons and Lectures on Ayurveda. Albuquerque, New Mexico: The Ayurvedic Press.
--. 2002. The Hidden Secrets of Ayurveda. Albuquerque, New Mexico: The Ayurvedic Press.
The Today Show. 2008. Ann gets Ayurvedic: Alternative treatments series. 25 January 2008. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22841276#22841276 (accessed March 15, 2008).
Vasudev, Sadhguru Jaggi. 2008. Management for wellbeing. Jan Darpan Magazine. January 2008.
The Weight Control Network. 2008. An information service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://win.nih.gov/statistics/index.htm#other (accessed March 14, 2008).
The Weight-Control Information Network, an information service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, estimates that approximately two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight and that almost one-third of these people are obese. The prevalence towards being overweight or obese has steadily increased among Americans over the past forty years. This increase has been wide ranging, including both genders, all ages, races, ethnic groups, and educational levels. Between 1960 and 2004, the number of overweight adults increased from 44.8 percent to 66 percent. The number of obese adults increased from 13.3 percent to 32.1 percent, with the majority of this increase occurring after 1980 (The Weight-Control Network 2008).
George L. Blackburn, M.D., Ph.D., the S. Daniel Abraham Chair in Nutrition Medicine at Harvard Medical School, estimates in his introduction to the Federal Trade Commission’s 2002 report, “Weight-Loss Advertising: An Analysis of Current Trends,” that in the year 2000, Americans spent roughly thirty five billion dollars on weight loss products or services. At any given time, almost seventy million Americans are trying to lose weight or prevent weight gain (Blackburn 2002, v). The Federal Trade Commission report goes on to state that sales at the nation’s eight largest weight loss chains topped 788 million dollars in 2000, and that same year, sales of dietary weight loss supplements from retail outlets alone were in the range of 279 million dollars (Cleland et al 2002, 2).
Americans are becoming increasingly desperate to lose weight, and both marketers and manufacturers have found great profit potential in attempting to meet this need. Since 1992, the number of ads for weight loss products in mainstream publications has increased by 129 percent while the number of weight loss products had increased by 157 percent. According to a sample study done by the Federal Trade Commission, approximately forty percent of these ads contain promises that are almost certainly false, while fifty-five percent contain promises that are likely false (Cleland et al 2002, 21). Americans continue to search for a painless, effortless way to maintain a healthy body weight despite the fact that the Federal Trade Commission has concluded that “almost all weight loss experts agree that the key to long term weight management lies in permanent lifestyle changes that include, among other things, a nutritious diet at a moderate caloric level and regular physical exercise” (Cleland et al 2002, 1). In short, there is no magic bullet or single solution to maintain healthy weight. Healthy weight is a reflection of a healthy lifestyle that is a multi-faceted undertaking. It must involve an individual’s entire being. This does not, however, have to be a painful or unpleasant undertaking, and this is how the ancient philosophy of Ayurveda can help Americans to maintain healthy body weight.
Ayurveda is a philosophy and a system of healing that has its roots in ancient India. Ayurvedic philosophy is based on the Shad Darshan, which was developed by ancient sages from the scriptures of India. These scriptures are known as the Vedas and are among the oldest bodies of written knowledge in the world (Lad 2002, 1-3). The Vedas also contain the basis for Hindu religion, but one does not need to embrace the Hindu religion in order to use the principles of Ayurveda in order to maintain healthy body weight. According to Dr. Vasant Lad, founder of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, “Ayurveda is a medical science and its purpose is to heal and to maintain the quality and longevity of life…There is no concept of specialization in Ayurveda, as there is in Western medicine. Ayurveda treats the whole person, not just the organ or system involved” (Lad 2002, 1, 2). Neither does one need to accept on faith the notion that what occurs in the mind affects the body and vise versa, because medical research continues to compile evidence to prove that this relationship between the body and the mind is real.
One recent study by Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer brought sharply into focus the effect the mind and an individual’s perception of reality can have on the individual’s body and on that individual’s ability to lose weight. Dr. Langer decided to study how much of an effect the perception of exercise has on how the body actually responds to the effort. In order to do this, Dr. Langer decided to study hotel maids. These women spend the majority of their day engaged in fairly strenuous physical activity. What Dr. Langer discovered, though, was that these women did not see themselves as physically active. Sixty-seven percent reported that they did not exercise. More than one-third reported that they did not get any exercise at all. What was even stranger was that these women’s bodies reflected their perceptions. Their bodies did not seem to be benefitting from the exercise these women were experiencing on a daily basis. In fact, when Langer measured the women’s health indicators, all the indicators matched the perceived amount of exercise as opposed to the actual amount of exercise these women were experiencing (Spiegel 2008).
Dr. Langer then divided the women into two groups. The first group was given insight into how the tasks they already engaged in each day benefited their bodies and approximately how many calories each of those tasks used. These women were also told that they were already getting enough exercise each day to meet the surgeon general’s definition of an active lifestyle. The second group was given no information at all. One month later, Langer returned to re-measure the health indicators in both groups and was surprised to learn that in the first group, there was a decrease in their weight, their waist to hip ratio, and a ten percent drop in blood pressure (Spiegel 2008).
These findings would be of no surprise to either the student or the teacher of Ayurveda. Dr. Robert E. Svoboda has stated, “Health is a harmony of body, mind, and spirit…Whatever affects the body, affects the mind and vice versa” (Svoboda 2003, 3, 5). One can not expect to maintain a healthy body weight if one is living a life that is laden with stress and full of unhealthy choices, and one is feeling miserable most of the time. Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, in his speech at the tenth annual convocation of the Symbiosis Center for Management and Human Resource Development in Pune, India, stated:
Anywhere you go today; people are talking about “stress management,” especially a few years ago when I first went to the United States, wherever I went people were talking about “stress management.” I could not understand why anyone would want to manage his stress. I can understand you want to manage your business, your finances, your family, your property, whatever, but why would you want to manage your stress? It took me a while to realize that these people have come to the conclusion that there is no other way to live. Somehow people have come to the conclusion that, if you do things in the world, you’re bound to be stress[ed]” (Vasudev 2008, 57)
Ayurveda: A Literature Review
The literature concerning the study of Ayurveda is wide ranging in its degree of complexity and orthodoxy. Ayurveda has become a bit of a buzz word in the popular media and in marketing in the last few years. Recently, popular publications such as Body and Soul magazine have featured articles concerning how to incorporate Ayurveda into both exercise and weight loss regimes (Hanley 2008, 125; Ottaway 2007). The Today Show on NBC recently produced a series of segments entitled “Alternative Treatments,” and discussed the use of Ayurveda for chronic conditions with Dr. Deepak Chopra and neurologist Dr. David Simon (The Today Show 2008). Part of the popular appeal of Ayurveda is its recognition of each person as an individual with specific traits and tendencies which may or may not reflect the normal or average tendencies. Ayurveda recognizes three basic mind/body types – vata, pitta, or kapha – of which an individual will have a dominant and most likely a secondary type. Ayurveda teaches that one’s mind/body type influences everything from one’s basic personality traits to what types of food and exercise will be the most effective for maintaining health (Chopra 2000, 36-37). While this may seem a bit esoteric at first glance, it is very similar in concept to the Western notion of ectomorphic, endomorphic, and mesomorphic body types. Ayurveda simply takes this notion to a more holistic level.
At the other end of the spectrum in Ayurvedic literature are the writings and teachings of Ayurvedic doctors such as Dr. Vasant Lad and Dr. Robert E. Svoboda. Both of these doctors are practicing Hindus and see Ayurveda not only as a means to health but as a vital component in the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment. Dr. Vasant Lad is the author of The Textbook of Ayurveda: Fundamental Principles (2002), The Textbook of Ayurveda: A Complete Guide to Clinical Assessment (2006), The Secrets of the Pulse: The Ancient Art of Ayurvedic Pulse Diagnosis (2006), The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies (1998), and Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing (2006). Dr. Lad is also the founder of The Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico as well as an accomplished artist and poet. Dr. Robert E. Svoboda is a professor at the Ayurvedic Institute with Dr. Lad, and Dr. Svoboda is the first Westerner to ever graduate from a college of Ayurveda in India and be licensed to practice in India. He is the author of The Hidden Secrets of Ayurveda (2002), as well as Ayurveda: Life, Health, and Longevity (2004), Ayurveda for Women: A Guide to Vitality and Health (2000), and Lessons and Lectures on Ayurveda (2003). While both of these doctors are clearly experts in their field and devoted to Ayurveda, the depth of their material as well as the spiritual undertones of the material may prove to be overwhelming to the American who is previously unexposed to Ayurveda and is simply looking for answers that will help him or her maintain a healthy body weight through manageable daily practices.
Perhaps the most cited and accessible expert on the subject of Ayurveda and its application in the United States today is Dr. Deepak Chopra. Dr. Chopra has written and spoken extensively on the subject of Ayurveda and maintaining a healthy body weight. Most importantly, he has produced works with varying degrees of practical and theoretical material so that the American who is simply looking for a plan to enable him or her to eat more healthfully may have his or her needs met, as well as the American who feels in need of a complete lifestyle makeover.
The most basic of these works, The Chopra Center Cookbook: Nourishing Body and Soul (2002), is co-authored with neurologist Dr. David Simon and Leanne Backer. This book introduces the basic concepts of utilizing the six tastes classification system used by Ayurveda (foods being sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent) and the need to have all six of these tastes represented at a meal at least once a day in order to avoid unnatural and unhealthy food cravings (Chopra et al 2002, 10-12). This book also introduces the concept of mindful eating – that is being aware of the sensual experience of eating and enjoying it. According to Ayurveda, the problem is not that an individual eats a piece of chocolate cake after dinner; the problem is that the individual eats the cake and is unaware and not focused on the experience. Therefore, the individual is unsatisfied and more than likely reaches for a second piece of cake in order to feel satisfied (Chopra et al 2002, 12, 15-18).
Dr. Chopra’s book Grow Younger, Live Longer: Ten Steps to Reverse Aging (2001), also co-authored with Dr. Simon, takes the concepts of Ayurveda to the next level and introduces the ideas of mind/body types, the importance of perceptions, the use of meditation to increase mindful living, the importance of restful sleep, and the importance of eliminating toxins (both physical and emotional) from one’s life. This book also gives a basic explanation of the mind/body connection that is the basis of Ayurvedic philosophy in easily understandable Western medical terms:
Mind and body are intimately interconnected. Your body is composed of physiological systems, organs, and tissues, but at its basis is a collection of molecules. Your mind is composed of ideas and beliefs, memories and desires, but is essentially a collection of thoughts. Your body is a molecular field; your mind is a thought field. Giving rise to both your field of molecules and your field of thought is an underlying field of consciousness, which is the source of both your mind and body. Every time you have a thought you precipitate a molecule in your nervous system that influences the other molecules throughout your body (Chopra et al 2001, 109).
Americans will also find it reassuring that Dr. Chopra does not reject Western medicine, stating in his January 25, 2008 appearance on the Today Show that,“ Ayurveda works in conjunction with [Western medicine]. Western medicine is very good for treating acute conditions – if you have pneumonia, you better take an antibiotic. If you break your leg, see an orthopedic surgeon; but for many chronic conditions, it [Ayurveda] can be used by itself or in conjunction with pharmaceuticals” (The Today Show 2008). For most Americans, maintaining a healthy body weight is definitely a chronic condition as it is a life-long challenge.
A more advanced offering from Dr. Chopra on the subject of Ayurveda includes: Perfect Health: The Complete Mind Body Guide (2000). This book broaches the concepts with the use of more Ayurvedic terminology and discusses the idea of raising one’s consciousness in order to live a more fulfilled life. Perhaps the most interesting concept to most Americans introduced in this book will be the Ayurvedic concept of healthy exercise, which is in direct conflict with the basic Western notion of “no pain, no gain”:
Since life is generally meant to be comfortable and happy, Ayurveda views exercise as a means to that end. It holds that exercise should leave you ready for work. Exercise shouldn’t be work itself. If you get one benefit from Ayurveda’s approach to exercise, it should be that “no pain, no gain” is a myth…How much is enough then? As a general rule, Ayurveda wants us to exercise to 50 percent of maximum capacity. If you can bicycle for ten miles, go for five; if you can swim twenty laps, make it ten. These lower limits are not detrimental to fitness; in fact they make exercise more efficient, because you are not giving your body so much repair work to do afterwards, and your cardiovascular system will have an easier time returning to normal after your workout (Chopra 2000, 319).
More importantly, this gentle attitude is encouraging as opposed to discouraging to the individual who is attempting to build and maintain a life long habit.
Conclusion
Ayurveda is the Sanskrit word which means “Knowledge of Life” (Svoboda 2002, 10). Ayurveda dates back more than 5000 years as Indian sages began to compile this information many centuries before the construction of the Pyramids in Egypt (Chopra 2000, 11). Although Ayurveda is based in Indian Vedic scriptures, which are also the basis for the Hindu religion, one does not need to embrace Hinduism in order to implement the practical advice Ayurveda has to offer on the subject of maintaining a healthy body weight.
The first of these practical solutions would be to determine one’s mind/body type. Questionnaires are readily available online at both www.chopra.com and at www.ayurveda.com as well as other websites. Once an individual has made this preliminary distinction, he or she will find it easier to sort through the dietary and exercise options available and find the most rewarding scenario. Secondly, the individual should begin to practice eating awareness, such as not eating when upset, eating only when hungry, experiencing all six tastes at least one meal each day, eating freshly cooked, high quality food whenever possible, becoming aware of the speed at which one is eating, and what it feels like to be hungry or comfortably full. It is important not to use Ayurvedic knowledge of food to become obsessive about diet. As Dr. Chopra states, “…don’t get caught up in the details of whether food is too hot, too cold, too heavy or too light, too oily or too dry…This is not the way of self-knowledge” (Chopra 2000, 121).
Thirdly, the individual should find some type of exercise that is rewarding and relaxing. Once the individual has determined his or her mind/body type, he or she will have several suggested exercise options to explore. For example, a Vata body type tends to crave motion and might enjoy a fast-paced activity such as tennis. The Pitta body type tends to have high endurance and might enjoy long distance running. The Kapha body type tends to be more sedentary and will respond better to exercise of a more gentle nature, such a yoga or tai chi (Hanley 2008).
All body types benefit from walking outdoors and experiencing nature, which encourages the final component of an Ayurvedic plan for maintaining a healthy body weight, and that component is restful sleep. Studies have shown that if an individual does not achieve adequate and restful sleep, not only is the individual more prone to weakened mental and physical health, minor and major accidents, but the individual’s very immune cells do not function well for the next twenty-four hours (Chopra et al 2001, 51). While additional suggestions for restful sleep include warm milk, a warm bath, and meditation, many times sleep quality will increase with adjustment of dietary and exercise principles (Lad 1998, 211-212).
All in all, Ayurveda presents Americans with a reasonable and more importantly, a sustainable option in their continued struggle with maintaining a healthy body weight. Once the basic premises have been embraced, increased energy and a greater feeling of well-being make adopting this plan an attractive long term option for most individuals. Also, because Ayurveda takes a gentle, evolutionary approach to lifestyle change as opposed to the violent upheaval taken by fad diets and exercise extremists, the individual is less likely to experience low energy, moodiness, sickness or injury and therefore be encouraged to stick with the Ayurvedic plan. With the gentle, evolutionary approach to health, failure is not an option because with each new day, there is a new opportunity for success.
Reference List
Blackburn, George L., M.D., Ph.D. 2002. Introduction. Weight-Loss Advertising: An Analysis of Current Trends. Cleland, Richard L., Walter C. Gross, Laura D. Koss, Matthew Daynard, Karen M. Muoio, authors. The Federal Trade Commission. www.ftc.gov/bcp/reports/weightloss.pdf (accessed March 14, 2008).
Chopra, Deepak, M.D. 2000. Perfect Health: The Complete Mind Body Guide. New York: Three Rivers Press.
--., David Simon, M.D. 2001. Grow Younger, Live Longer: Ten Steps to Reverse Aging. New York: Three Rivers Press.
--., David Simon, M.D., Leanne Backer. 2002. The Chopra Center Cookbook: Nourishing Body and Soul. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Cleland, Richard L., Walter C. Gross, Laura D. Koss, Matthew Daynard, Karen M. Muoio. 2002. Weight-Loss Advertising: An Analysis of Current Trends. The Federal Trade Commission. www.ftc.gov/bcp/reports/weightloss.pdf (accessed March 14, 2008).
Hanley, Kate. 2008. Your best shape. Body and Soul Magazine. March 2008.
Lad, Vasant. 1998. The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies. New York: Three Rivers Press.
--. 2002. The Textbook of Ayurveda: Fundamental Principles. Albuquerque, New Mexico: The Ayurvedic Press.
Ottaway, Celina. 2007. Weight loss action plan. Body and Soul Magazine. September 2007. http://www.marthastewart.com/article/weight-loss-action-plan?lnc=18a9cf380e1dd010VgnVCM1000005b09a00aRCRD&page=6&rsc=articlecontent_health (accessed March 15, 2008).
Spiegel, Alix. 2008. Hotel maids challenge the placebo effect. Your Health. National Public Radio. 3 January 2008. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17792517 (accessed January 3, 2008).
Svoboda, Robert E., Dr. 2003. Lessons and Lectures on Ayurveda. Albuquerque, New Mexico: The Ayurvedic Press.
--. 2002. The Hidden Secrets of Ayurveda. Albuquerque, New Mexico: The Ayurvedic Press.
The Today Show. 2008. Ann gets Ayurvedic: Alternative treatments series. 25 January 2008. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22841276#22841276 (accessed March 15, 2008).
Vasudev, Sadhguru Jaggi. 2008. Management for wellbeing. Jan Darpan Magazine. January 2008.
The Weight Control Network. 2008. An information service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://win.nih.gov/statistics/index.htm#other (accessed March 14, 2008).
Welcome!
Welcome to Educate Your Bad Self! My name is Kelley Pujol. Have a problem that is bugging you and looking for a solution that isn't the same old tired answer? Well, original solutions that work for you is what this blog is all about.
We begin with a pretty common problem - a few unwanted extra pounds that will not go away - okay - maybe more than a few. Maybe like ten or twelve...
Here is an answer that is showing a great deal of promise for me. It's the ancient Indian system of Ayurveda. The following article is a great beginning course - enough for you to see if it is interesting to you, maybe think of some questions, and we can go from there.
Be sure to check out the references at the end of the article if you want more in depth information.
Let's go!
We begin with a pretty common problem - a few unwanted extra pounds that will not go away - okay - maybe more than a few. Maybe like ten or twelve...
Here is an answer that is showing a great deal of promise for me. It's the ancient Indian system of Ayurveda. The following article is a great beginning course - enough for you to see if it is interesting to you, maybe think of some questions, and we can go from there.
Be sure to check out the references at the end of the article if you want more in depth information.
Let's go!
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