Sesame Oil is Hot : Treating Vata

With vata in mind as my dosha I decided to try to do something about my dry skin and the fact that I am cold all the time.  I chose to oil my entire body with sesame oil 15 minuets prior to every shower and use it nightly on my arms, hands, feet and legs.  I also have trouble with my feet turning into ice cycles before bedtime, so I bought a blowup footbath that I filled with hot water and a bit of oil to soak in before bed.  For the diet portion I chose to not change what I was eating, but to change the temperature of what I was eating. I switched to all warm food from my normal diet of some warm but mostly raw vegetables with chilled beverages.  I am a vegetarian so a raw diet is easy and enjoyable for me.

I did not get the response I had expected.  I was pretty sure that these things would help reduce my vata but only barely.  What actually happened was quite different.  After about 4 or 5 days I found myself being repulsed by warm food and craving only sugary iced drinks and frozen desserts.  Not really what I was hoping for. My skin on the other hand was wonderful. My feet and hands were in great shape and the rest of my skin was clearing up nicely.