Bridge the gap between Ayurvedic wisdom and Western medicine's approach to addiction and substance use.

What if you understood both the allopathic (Western) brain disease model of addiction AND the doshic effects of the mostly commonly used drugs? Had a clear approach with clients to help them navigate decreasing or stopping use of these drugs when appropriate?

Transform your practice with a comprehensive understanding that bridges traditional wisdom with modern science.


🍸Alcohol: Nearly 80% of Americans have consumed alcohol at some point, and alcohol use disorder (“alcoholism”) affects about 10% of the U.S. population—the most common addiction in the country. Globally, around 7% of people are affected with alcohol use disorder, roughly the same percentage as those impacted by cancer worldwide. Alcohol is a recognized carcinogen linked to increased risks of breast, liver, colorectal, and several other cancers.¹

As an Ayurveda practitioner, you’ll encounter many factors that significantly impact your clients’ health and well-being. The use of these substances are more common than you might think:

☕Caffeine: This might surprise you—85% of adults in the U.S. consume caffeine regularly, making it the most widely used psychoactive substance worldwide.² Whether it’s a morning coffee or an energy drink, caffeine use is woven into the fabric of daily life. Just because it’s so widely accepted and used, doesn’t mean it’s great for everyone. From an Ayurvedic standpoint, caffeine increases vata and pitta.

🌿Cannabis: Over 1 in 5 Americans aged 12 or older (21.8%) reported using cannabis in the past year, making it the most widely used federally illicit drug. Rates of use vary by age, ranging from 11.2% to 36.5%.³ Though it’s often toted as a panacea to just about any condition when you walk into a dispensary, its chronic use may result in long-term cognitive impairment, increased anxiety, and reduced REM sleep, making sleep less restorative. In Ayurveda, we see this as increased vata.

References:

  1. World Health Organization (WHO). Alcohol and cancer: the carcinogenic effects of alcohol consumption. Geneva: WHO; 2020.

  2. Mitchell DC, Knight CA, Hockenberry J, Teplansky R, Hartman TJ. Beverage caffeine intakes in the U.S. Food Chem Toxicol. 2014;63:136-42. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2013.10.042

  3. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Results from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings. Rockville, MD: SAMHSA; 2023.

  4. National Institutes of Health (NIH). National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Trends and statistics on tobacco and nicotine use. Bethesda, MD: NIH; 2022.

🚬Nicotine: Tobacco and nicotine vaping are still common, with 22% of Americans (about 61.6 million people) reporting use in the past month.⁴ The consequences of nicotine are widely recognized, and it is a known cause of many cancers.

Introducing: Understanding Addiction, Commonly Used Drugs + Doshic Effects

A focused, practical course that brings together Ayurvedic wisdom and Western understanding:

  • Simple addiction education, no allopathic training needed: Five-part series on understanding the brain disease model

  • Clear, Digestible Lessons: A total of ten focused videos, each 5-10 minutes long (about 2 hours of total content)

  • Drugs + Doshas: Detailed exploration of alcohol, caffeine, cannabis, and nicotine and their impacts from a doshic lens

  • Client Support Strategies: Practical tips for helping clients decrease, minimize, or stop substance use when appropriate

Upon completing this course you will:

  • Appreciate the difference between little a “addictions” versus big A “Addiction”

  • Do away with punitive language, including “addict,” “alcoholic,” and “addictive personality”

  • Recognize that withdrawal or tolerance to a substance are not the same as addiction

  • Understand the doshic effects of caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and cannabis 

  • Identify withdrawal symptoms of each drug 

  • Support clients to reduce doshic effects when they want to continue to use

  • Help clients when they want to quit with a systematic approach

  • Refer clients out when use is problematic and potentially continue to support them as part of a larger team 

Imagine If...

Right now, you might be uncertain about how to support clients with substance use

But imagine if...

  • You understood the allopathic/Western model of addiction

  • You could confidently explain to clients how common substances affect the doshas, and therefore, their health and wellness

  • You knew how to systematically support clients in reducing or stopping commonly used drugs

  • You recognized when to refer clients out for additional help

  • Your practice helped bridge the gap between traditional wisdom and modern medicine

Your Clinical Pharmacist Turned Ayurveda Health Counselor

Maria Gabriela Guevara, Pharm.D.

Hi there 👋🏽. I’m Maria Gabriela, and I’m a clinical pharmacist turned Ayurveda Health Counselor. As a pharmacist, I specialized in pain management and substance use disorders (SUD) and educated other healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, other pharmacists) on addiction and pain management for close to fifteen years. 

I believe there are spaces where we can bridge the beautiful, ancient wisdom of Ayurveda with allopathic/Western medicine, and this is one of them. I’m passionate about continuing to educate on the highly misunderstood topic of addiction and substance use. 

Learn more about me, my philosophy and credentials here.

I hope this course enriches your knowledge and adds tools to your skillset to help your clients towards their deepest state of Swastha. 🌟

✺ Frequently asked questions ✺

  • This course is geared at Ayurveda practitioners and those with knowledge of Ayurveda. The basics of Ayurveda (such as doshas) will not be defined in this course.

  • The course is broken up into short, digestible 5-10 minute lessons for easy integration, with practical tools given to apply the material for use with clients. The total course time is about two hours.

  • No. The course is designed for the non-Western trained practitioner, and will help you understand some of the allopathic principles around addiction and the brain. I also talk specifically about how Western medicine views caffeine, alcohol, cannabis and nicotine, and how this translates to doshic effects in the body.

  • The course is yours to keep once purchased. I promise at least one year of access. I never say lifetime because I don’t know what’s going to happen with the internet in the future!

  • You’re welcome to reach out to me with general questions on the material. You can email me at maria@intuitiveayurveda.com. If you’re looking for help with a specific question regarding your client, we can discuss setting up a consult.