My Working Day:As a practitioner of the ancient Indian medical system of Ayurveda, Dr Donn Brennantreats patients while educating them on how to live a healthier life
Having spent a number of years visiting up to 30 cities annually to promote the concepts behind Maharishi's Ayurveda, I have recently cut back my work to Dublin and London. Now, I work three weeks a month in clinical practice in Dublin and one week a month in London.
Ayurveda is an ancient Indian medical system (in Sanskrit, Ayu means life and Veda means pure knowledge) but it now taught throughout the world.
Ayurveda empowers people to create healthier lives and I believe for that reason it is the medicine of the future. In Ayurveda the premise is that by acting against our unique nature, we cause illness.
Ayurveda teaches people how to recognise their own make-up and to understand the specific ways of living, eating and being physically active that will keep them healthy. Although primarily a healthcare system which aims to prevent disease, Ayurveda practitioners can also treat some illnesses with herbal preparations. I spend a lot of my time educating people who are concerned about their health but aren't terribly ill. People who live stressed lives and suffer the consequences - musculoskeletal, abdominal, gynaecological problems or allergies.
For instance, we need to adjust our health to the seasons. Ayurveda teaches us how to take advantage of our natural understanding of the seasons (eg eating more salads in summer) and the different stages in life and how to make appropriate choices to keep on top form.
In Ayurveda, there are six stages of illness. In the first four stages there will just be minor symptoms, resulting in a lack of energy, discomfort with digestion or general unwellness.
In the fifth stage, the disease manifests itself physically and a more intensive programme is required because people are no longer intuitively aware of how to heal themselves. In the sixth stage, complications arise which can be difficult to treat.
It is important for the Ayurveda practitioner to be as integrated in mind and body as possible to help others. I start and end my working day with an hour of yoga, breathing exercises and transcendental meditation.
I get to my desk about 7.30am and deal with letters and e-mails. Recently, I have had a lot of administrative work as president of the Ayurvedic Practitioners Association (APA) in Britain.
There are few practitioners of Ayurveda in Ireland but in Britain, the APA is moving towards the registration of practitioners, backed by the Indian government.
I see clients between 9am and 1pm. Then, I have my main meal of the day, which is the healthiest time of the day to have your main meal. I have more consultations in the afternoon and finish at 5pm.
Generally, I see more female clients, partly because they are more sensitive about their health and traditionally, they also have had the role of taking care of the health of all the family.
• In conversation with Sylvia Thompson