Bridging Ayurveda with Dad

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Walking My Dad Through Illness With Ayurveda and Faith

After COVID hit, the world changed. But for me, something more personal started shifting too—my dad began showing strange symptoms. Tremors, trouble walking, fatigue, anxiety. It all felt very Vata to me—an imbalance of air and space in the body. So, I did what I knew—I turned to Ayurveda.

We spent years going to doctors, running test after test, trying to figure out what was going on. Nothing made sense. No one had answers.

So I supported him the best I could. Warm, nourishing foods. Oil massages. Calming herbs. Pranayama. Working with Ayurvedic doctors. For a while, it helped. He felt better, more grounded, more stable.

But over time, the symptoms returned. And eventually, he was diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy (MSA)—a rare, degenerative neurological disorder. 

It was hard. It felt unfair. And honestly, it broke my heart.

We Did Everything We Could

We didn’t stop trying. We worked with both Ayurvedic and Western doctors. We did massage, energy work, grounding routines. And I kept holding on to faith. Ayurveda helped him feel more comfortable and gave him relief—but it didn’t “cure” him.

And that’s when the deeper understanding of karma came in.

In Ayurveda, we know that not all illnesses are something to fix. Some things are part of a soul’s journey. Karma isn’t a punishment—it’s a process. A path. And when I looked at my dad through that lens, I stopped fighting for control and started focusing on presence—being with him, loving him, and helping him feel safe and seen.

Bridging Both Worlds

Western medicine gave us answers. Ayurveda gave us comfort and peace. Both mattered.

Sometimes healing isn't about making things go away. It's about how we walk through it—with grace, love, support, and faith. My dad passed a year and a half ago, after living with MSA for a few years. Watching him go through this changed me. I saw how Ayurveda could hold a person gently—even in their final chapter. I saw how the soul is on its own timeline. And I learned to trust that.

I miss him deeply. But I know we did everything we could—with heart and integrity.

And that’s enough.

With all my Love

Chandravati

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