Everyday Ayurveda with Kate

In this episode, Kate O'Donnell sits down with Jiaming Ju — a second-generation Chinese medicine practitioner, former health economist, and founder of the online clinic Kun Health — for a rich, cross-cultural exploration of how traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda view the body, health, and healing.

Jiaming brings a uniquely layered perspective: she spent a decade running health economics research across New York, India, Jordan, and Singapore before training for four years to become a California-licensed Chinese medicine practitioner. She now practices entirely online alongside her father — one of the early pioneers of telemedicine in Chinese medicine — treating complex chronic cases from around the world, and she still sees everything through the lens of a data economist.

What We Cover:

How tongue reading works in TCM — and why it differs fundamentally from Ayurvedic tongue assessment

The difference between yin deficiency and yang deficiency, and why yang deficiency is far more common in Western patients today

The gut-ADHD connection: why so many ADHD presentations begin with early digestive disruption

How antibiotic overuse in childhood may have long-term consequences for digestion, focus, and mood

The autoimmune-stress connection: Jiaming's "candle wax" theory of burnout and chronic illness

Why Americans have disproportionately high rates of autoimmune disease — and what the data shows

Seasonal eating in Chinese medicine: where it aligns with Ayurveda and where it diverges

Why extreme exercise may harm more than help — and what moderation actually looks like

How Jiaming and her father practice true family medicine online, tracking hereditary patterns across generations

Guest Bio: Jiaming Ju

Jiaming Ju is a second-generation Chinese medicine practitioner and the founder of Kun Health, an online Chinese medicine clinic she runs alongside her father. Trained first as an economist at Columbia University, Jiaming spent over a decade as a health economist leading major think tanks and research initiatives across the globe before returning to the medicine she grew up with. She holds a California license in Chinese medicine and brings a data-driven, prevention-focused approach to her clinical practice. Known for her tongue reading expertise and her candid communication style, Jiaming is on a mission to bring Chinese medicine to a global audience — authentically and rigorously.

Website: https://www.kun.health/

Instagram: @byjiamingju 

Health Disclaimer

The information shared on Everyday Ayurveda with Kate is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, supplements, or wellness routine.

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Have you ever wondered why you crash at 3pm, crave food late at night, or can't seem to fall asleep before midnight? Ayurveda has a 5,000-year-old answer — and it's called Dinacharya, or the Ayurvedic daily flow.

 

In this solo episode, Kate walks you through the complete Ayurvedic 24-hour clock — explaining what elements are active in your body at each time of day, and how to align your eating, sleeping, exercising, and resting with those natural rhythms.

 

Whether you're new to Ayurveda or have been practicing for years, there's something here for you — and Kate's invitation is simple: take one thing and try it.

 

In this episode:

Why 10pm is the magic bedtime hour — and what your body does when you miss it

The midnight fire cycle that drives natural detoxification

Morning practices that open channels of elimination

Why your biggest meal belongs at midday

The afternoon energy crash — and the 10-minute reset that beats it

How to wind down from 6–10pm for deeper, more restorative sleep

 

Subscribe to Everyday Ayurveda with Kate for weekly episodes on Ayurvedic nutrition, seasonal living, and daily practices. Visit healwithkate.org to learn more.

Spring Cleanse: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/kitchari-cleanse-ayurveda-spring

Connect with Kate: https://www.healwithkate.org

Ayurvedic Living Institute Membership: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/membership

Women's Health Collection: https://courses.ayurvedicliving.institute/collections/womens-healthhttps://courses.ayurvedicliving.institute/products/courses/copy-of-fall-community-cleanse-2024

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After decades of traveling to India for her own Panchakarma practice — a tradition she kept almost entirely private — Kate O'Donnell finally brought a group. Twelve people. Twenty-one days. An Ayurvedic healing village nestled in the countryside near the Tamil Nadu–Kerala border, surrounded by coconut palms, temple chanting, and the gentle rhythm of cows heading out to pasture each morning.

In this episode, Kate offers a day-in-the-life travel log of the experience, walking listeners through the structure of a Panchakarma day from sunrise chanting to evening group meetings. She describes the food, the treatments, the classes, the restricted screen time, and the unexpected depth of community that formed among strangers who became lifelong friends.

Then she hands the mic to five participants — Susan, Sarah, Maya, Allison, and Bethany — who share, in their own words, what changed.

 

WHAT WE COVER

Why Kate kept her India Panchakarma practice private for decades — and what changed

What a day actually looks like at an Ayurvedic healing village (chanting, meals, treatments, classes, rest)

The role of ritual, ceremony, and spirituality in Ayurvedic medicine

How the healing village limits screens, sunlight, and stimulation during treatment

Why community deepens the Panchakarma experience

The common threads Kate observed in all participants after coming home: less internal noise, knowing what to do, and restored relationships

Real participant voices: what shifted physically, mentally, and spiritually for five travelers

NEXT TRIP: JANUARY 2027
Kate will be leading another group Panchakarma journey to India in mid-January 2027. The trip is approximately three weeks, ending around the first week of February.

 

To get on the waitlist:

Visit: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/panchakarma-in-india

DM @kateodonell.ayurveda on Instagram with the word INDIA

Email [email protected]

Spring Cleanse: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/kitchari-cleanse-ayurveda-spring

Connect with Kate: https://www.healwithkate.org

Ayurvedic Living Institute Membership: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/membership

Women's Health Collection: https://courses.ayurvedicliving.institute/collections/womens-healthhttps://courses.ayurvedicliving.institute/products/courses/copy-of-fall-community-cleanse-2024

Thanks to our Sponsor: Banyan Botanicals
Banyan Botanicals Link:  https://glnk.io/kovw3/kate
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Triphala: https://glnk.io/kovw3/kate28g

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Spring has its own hunger. In this solo episode, Kate shares what's actually stocked in her kitchen this time of year and how Ayurveda shapes the way she cooks and eats when the season shifts. No complicated recipes, no pressure to be perfect — just practical, seasonal ideas for when you open the fridge and feel completely lost.

 

Kate covers spring pantry staples including sprouted mung beans, white beans, chickpeas, asparagus, celery, kale, goat cheese, rye crackers, and corn tortillas. She walks through her signature blended soups (cream of asparagus, cream of celery, carrot-ginger-chickpea), a simple breakfast bok choy broth, quinoa cereal with hemp milk, and the goat cheese pinwheel that has officially earned its place as a lazy-kitchen hero.

 

Part two of the beloved "What To Eat When You Don't Know What To Eat" series. Recipes and seasonal guidance also in the Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook. Visit healwithkate.org for more.

Spring Cleanse: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/kitchari-cleanse-ayurveda-spring

Connect with Kate: https://www.healwithkate.org

Ayurvedic Living Institute Membership: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/membership

Women's Health Collection: https://courses.ayurvedicliving.institute/collections/womens-healthhttps://courses.ayurvedicliving.institute/products/courses/copy-of-fall-community-cleanse-2024

Thanks to our Sponsor: Banyan Botanicals
Banyan Botanicals Link:  https://glnk.io/kovw3/kate
CCF Tea : https://glnk.io/kovw3/kate7k3
Triphala: https://glnk.io/kovw3/kate28g

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The bloodwork conversation is everywhere right now — but are you getting the right tests, and do you know what to do with the results?

Kate sits down with two functional medicine practitioners: Tracey O’Shea, medical director at the California Center for Functional Medicine and program director at the Kresser Institute, and Danielle Dellaquila, functional nutritionist and founder of Eagle Vision Nutrition. Together they demystify the comprehensive blood panel from both a clinical and nutritional perspective.

What We Cover:

What is missing from your standard annual bloodwork

How functional medicine ranges differ from conventional lab ranges

Full thyroid panels, iron panels, nutrient markers, and insulin

Hormone testing in perimenopause: when labs help and when they do not

The real out-of-pocket cost of a comprehensive panel ($399-$469)

DIY bloodwork services: what they get right and where the gaps are

How to balance data with body wisdom

Find resources and practitioners at healwithkate.org.

Order bloodwork with Danielle Dellaquila:

https://www.eaglevisionnutrition.com/comprehensive-blood-analysis/

Danielle's Supplement Dispensary: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/ddellaquila/store-start

 

Spring Cleanse: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/kitchari-cleanse-ayurveda-spring

Connect with Kate: https://www.healwithkate.org

Ayurvedic Living Institute Membership: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/membership

Women's Health Collection: https://courses.ayurvedicliving.institute/collections/womens-healthhttps://courses.ayurvedicliving.institute/products/courses/copy-of-fall-community-cleanse-2024

Thanks to our Sponsor: Banyan Botanicals
Banyan Botanicals Link:  https://glnk.io/kovw3/kate
CCF Tea : https://glnk.io/kovw3/kate7k3
Triphala: https://glnk.io/kovw3/kate28g

Kate's Discount code 15% off Banyan SPRINGWITHKATE