Expert Assessment

A t New Leaf Ayurveda, Health Consultations are where you begin. Nicole Wilkerson, often with a Student Apprentice, will conduct a detailed interview and Ayurvedic evaluation, leaving no stone unturned. With an open mind and heart, we will begin with your life and medical history, then make our way to your current complaints.

After all the details of your life are covered, an Ayurvedic Pulse read will be done, along with an evaluation of your tongue, skin, hair, nails, eyes and other physically apparent structures. We may ask many questions that no one has ever asked you – this detective work always pays off! It is usually in the minute details that important clues are found, giving us an edge in unraveling the mystery of your health. This data will construct a Whole Health picture that will allow us to prioritize interventions and get you results.

You will leave New Leaf with a Plan of Action that includes: Ayurvedic Herbal Medicines, Food-based remedies with a comprehensive diet to follow, and a recommendation for Ayurvedic Body therapies or other supportive methods. You can get started immediately!  

The Interview

This is the time for you to bare all and leave nothing out. Often, our current problems are reverberations from our past, making it crucial to share. Our traumas, experiences, diet and lifestyle habits, and careers all play roles in how we came to be who we are. We are searching for the Root Cause of dis-ease, so that our efforts can bring lasting change.

What we need to know is how you came to be this person in front of us, and what happened to shift your health. Sometimes this discovery process is straight-forward and obvious, while other times it’s elusive and multiplicitous. Without judgement and with open curiosity, we pursue an understanding of your unique facets so that we can get, as close as possible, to a sustainable and healthy you.

A yurvedic Pulse diagnosis is not magic, although it does seem like it at times! A practitioner places her fingers onto the radial artery below the wrist and “reads” the doshas or elements at play. The heart is not just a muscle that pumps blood, but is now well-understood to contain neurotransmitters that send subtle electrical vibrations through the conductive liquid in our veins. The radial artery flows directly from the heart and holds within it the secrets of your very being.

Traditional pulse diagnosis includes the seven layers of tissues, called dhatus; the three doshas and their fifteen sub-doshas (relating to the functions of the organs); the emotional and mental patterns, called manomaya kosha; the chronic or “deep” imbalances; and whether these are new or old. It is explained that all the experiences of the five koshas, or “bodies”, are recorded as a vibrational signature that can be experienced through touch of the Nadi (subtle electrical channel).

The Tongue

Tongue Diagnosis is a surprisingly revealing method of discovering the health and well-being of all the internal organs. The tongue is the only digestive organ that can be seen and examined from the outside, and its appearance is indicative of the state of doshas as they express in your physical body. The tongue’s shape, color and coating, among other things, all denote organ health and give us a map of functionality. This valuable assessment tool will help guide our recommendations, and gives us an insider’s look at what is going on.

Physical Examination

Oftentimes, a complaint will require physical examination and touch. Your skin, nails and hair will be observed, and often our practitioner will want to see the body part that is in pain or is indicated in your complaints. This is done with your consent and comfort-level in mind. These physical clues are a part of our investigation, and can help us to establish correct use of Ayurvedic therapeutics and herbal medicines.