In retrospect, I would have: started Ayurveda sooner and signed up for panchakarma the first day I walked through the door at Geeta Arora’s. I came to Ayurveda in large part because I was at what felt like a dead-end with western medicine. I have a long-standing autoimmune issue that caused a number of health problems, many with symptoms for which there is no known cure. I first went to see Geeta in August, and we started slowly, first with changes in my diet.  Although I am health conscious, these changes had dramatic positive effects.   Despite early success, it took me two months to set up an appointment for panchakarma.  The description of the process contained within it enough unknowns that my progress was slowed by tightly held caution.  But again the results were dramatic. The week-long treatment rendered a number of changes, both physical and emotional. The most concise way to summarize the physical changes is that I felt ten years younger. Pains in my feet that I had learned to live with for the last five years were gone. My wrist and arm pain, accumulated over the computer keyboard and piano, were gone. I stood straighter and felt lighter. My hair and skin felt more supple, and my body seemed to function more smoothly. It felt like my carapace had been removed. But in truth, these changes are nearly overshadowed by the emotional lift I experienced. I have a chronic, degenerative autoimmune issue which, in my experience, leads to a steady stream of negative medical feedback, which is corrosive over time  Geeta gives me back a spirit of hopefulness. I have rarely been in the company of someone who is so optimistic—and have never been in the company of someone so positive about my health. She somehow made space in my head and my heart to be hopeful about my health going forward—a change that I hadn’t even thought to wish for—and for which I am forever grateful.