Ayurveda

Ayurveda – Natural system of medicine

Ayurveda is a natural system of medicine that has been practiced in India for more than 5,000 years. It was developed by the seers (rishis) through centuries of observation, experiments, discussion, and meditation. For several thousand years, Ayurvedic teachings were passed down orally from teacher to student. The origins of Ayurvedic medicine are recorded in the Atharva Veda, one of the four Vedic scriptures.1 The first summary of these teachings was put into writing around 1500 B.C. The main sources of knowledge are the three Vedic classics Charaka Samhita, Susruta Samhita, and Ashtanga Hridaya.

Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word made up of two components, ayush meaning life, and veda meaning knowledge or science. Hence, Ayurveda is the “science of life.” The teachings of this ancient system of medicine are written in Sanskrit, the ancient language of India and Hinduism. It is based on Indian (Vedic) philosophy. Ayurveda was the first holistic system of diagnosis and treatment integrating nutrition, hygiene, rejuvenation, and herbal medicine. Ayurvedic medicine considers the human body to be in balance with nature. The body is believed to be a dynamic and resilient system that can cope with all stresses from its environment while maintaining the ability to heal itself.

The main objectives of Ayurveda are:

 

• To maintain and promote health by preventing physical, mental, and spiritual ailments

• To cure disease through natural medicine, diet, and a regulated lifestyle

 

Ayurveda tries to help us live a long and healthy life, achieve our fullest potential, and express our true inner nature on a daily basis. The Ayurvedic classic Charaka Samhita defines Ayurveda as, “the knowledge that indicates the appropriate and inappropriate, happy or sorrowful conditions of living, what is auspicious or inauspicious for longevity, as well as the measure of life itself.”

 

BASIC CONCEPTS OF AYURVEDA

It will be helpful to understand a few important concepts and some Ayurvedic terminology before you decide whether you want to include Ayurveda in your hepatitis C treatment plan. The next few pages provide a brief overview of Ayurvedic concepts on which the diagnosis and treatment of all ailments are based.

  

Pancha-Maha-Bhoota Theory

According to Ayurvedic philosophy, the entire cosmos is made up of the energies of five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether (space). Even the human body and herbs are made up of these elements. Collectively, these elements are called pancha-maha-bhootas or material particles. The material particles and the anti-material particles (the spirit) form the cognitive aspect of a living being. The predominance of a particular element(s) determines the characteristics of a thing, whether it is an animal, a person, or an herb. The medicinal properties of a drug or an herb are determined by the characteristics it exhibits. Similarly, depending upon the relative amounts of the elements, each of us exhibits a unique set of physical and mental characteristics. A disease state changes these characteristics. This change is the basis for the diagnosis and treatment of disease. In prescribing a remedy, the doctor chooses a treatment with the opposite characteristics of the disease to counteract the symptoms.

 

 

Tri-Dosha Theory

According to Ayurvedic theory, there are three humors in the body called doshas. These determine the constitution of a person and also the life processes of growth and decay. The doshas are genetically determined. The three doshas are vata, pitta, and kapha. Each dosha is made up of the five fundamental elements. Each dosha is responsible for several body functions. When the doshas are healthy and balanced, this is the state of good health. Imbalances cause disease. Ayurveda recognizes that different foods, tastes, colors, and sounds affect the doshas in different ways. For example, very hot and pungent spices aggravate pitta. Cold, light foods such as salads calm it down. This ability to affect the doshas is the underlying basis for Ayurvedic practices and therapies.

 

Vata

Vata is composed of space and air. It is the subtle energy associated with all voluntary and involuntary movement in the human body. It governs breathing, blinking, muscle and tissue movement, and the heart beat. It is also responsible for all urges. Creativity, flexibility, and the ability to initiate things are seen when vata is in balance. Indecision, restlessness, anxiety, and fear occur when vata is out of balance. Vata is the motivating force behind the other two humors. In modern medicine, the physiological role of vata is in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Vata has a tendency to expand indefinitely and to disturb the nervous activity or the vital forces in the body.

 

Pitta

Pitta is composed of fire and water. It is responsible for all digestive and metabolic activities. It governs body temperature, complexion, visual perception, hunger, and thirst. In a balanced state, pitta promotes intelligence, understanding, and courage. Out of balance, pitta produces insomnia, burning sensations, inflammation, infection, anger, and hatred. Pitta is the humor involved in liver disorders.  Pitta has a tendency to become more liquid and to weaken the digestive and biochemical processes in the body.

 

Kapha

Kapha is composed of water and earth. It provides the strength and stability for holding body tissues together. Kapha is the watery aspect of the body. It provides lubricants at the various points of friction in the body. In balance, kapha is responsible for wisdom, patience, and memory. Out of balance, kapha causes looseness of the limbs, lethargy, greed, and generalized sluggishness or hypoactivity. This dosha maintains body resistance to disease.  Kapha has a tendency to thicken and obstruct the passages of the body and damage the process of lubrication.

 

Sapta-Dhatu Theory

Ayurvedic theory states the human body is composed of seven tissues called dhatus.

• plasma and interstitial fluids (rasa)

• blood (rakta)

• muscle (mamsa)

• fat or adipose tissue (medas)

• bone (asthi)

• bone marrow (majja)

• reproductive tissue (sukra)

 

Kapha is specifically responsible for plasma, muscle, fat, marrow, and semen. Pitta creates blood. Vata creates bone. Diseases of the humors are usually reflected in the tissues they govern. When out of balance, the humors can enter any tissue and cause disease.

 

Malas

The quantities and qualities of the three excreta from the body, sweat (sweda), feces (mala), and urine (mutra), and other body waste products play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. The Sanskrit word for these waste products is malas.

 

Tripod

Tripod includes the doshas, dhatus, and malas. They maintain health when they are in equilibrium and produce disease when they are not.

 

Srotas

The human body has numerous channels to allow the flow of energy, nutrients, and waste products. These channels are called srotas. Some of the srotas such as the alimentary canal (the digestive channel that runs from the mouth to the anus) are very large. Some are small such as arteries and veins. Others are very minute such as the capillaries, nerve terminals, and the lymphatics. Some srotas carry nutritional materials to the tissues of the body. Other srotas carry waste materials out of the body. The three doshas are present in every part of the body and move through every srota. Blockage or improper flow within the srotas produces ailments. The physical channels are similar to the different systems of western medicine such as the digestive, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems. Diseases are classified according to the systems they involve.

 

Agni and Aama

Poor functioning of the digestive system leads to many diseases. The digestive fire or agni controls the activities of digestion. According to Ayurveda, digestion is the cornerstone of good health. Good digestion nourishes the body. Eating the correct foods makes a big difference in your well-being. Agni helps the body produce secretions and generates the metabolic processes necessary to create energy, and maintain and repair the body.10 Agni is also part of the immune system since its heat destroys harmful organisms and toxins. There are 13 agnis. The activity of agni varies throughout the day. A natural ebb and flow of your digestive fire is necessary for good digestion and immune function, and resistance to disease.

 

The opposite of this process is aama. Aama is defined as imperfectly metabolized food or drugs. In other words, an aama is a toxin that needs to be eliminated from the body. Aama is usually generated in the body because of weak digestive fire or jatharagni.12 It is also believed that aama is produced by out of balance doshas. Aama is mixed up with the tissues and causes disease by clogging the channels. Out of balance pitta, dosha, and poor agni play important roles in the symptoms liver disorders.

 

 

 

Ojas

Ojas is the essential energy of the immune system. It is a unique concept of Ayurveda that embodies a subtle essence of all the tissues in the body. In other words, ojas is the glue that cements the body, mind, and spirit together, integrating them into a functioning individual. Proper agni is required for proper production of ojas. Ojas decreases with age. Low ojas levels cause chronic degenerative and immunological diseases. In western medicine, ojas would be similar to immunoglobulins and other immunomodulators like cytokines. Abnormalities of ojas lead to decreased immunity, making a person more vulnerable to infections including hepatitis.

 

Prakruti and Gunas

The proportion of the humors varies from person to person. One humor is usually predominant and leaves its mark on a person’s appearance and disposition. Based on the predominant humor, every person is born with a unique mind-body constitution called prakruti. Gunas denote a person’s mental make up and are of three types: satva (perfect), rajas (semi-balanced), and tamas (unbalanced). A person’s prakruti is determined at the time of conception. Every person has specific physical, mental, and emotional characteristics. These characteristics are called a person’s constitution. Prakruti must be considered in determining natural healing approaches and recommendations for daily living.

 

DEFINITION OF HEALTH

Ayurveda defines health as, “the equilibrium of the three biological humors (doshas), the seven body tissues (dhatus), proper digestion, and a state of pleasure or happiness of the soul, senses, and the mind.” This definition dates back to 1500 B.C. and is described in Sushruta Samhita, the surgical compendium of Ayurveda.

 

 A balance among the three doshas is necessary for health. Together, the three doshas govern all metabolic activities. When their actions in our mind-body constitution are balanced, we experience psychological and physical wellness. When they go slightly out of balance, we may feel uneasy. When they are more obviously unbalanced, symptoms of sickness can be observed and experienced.

 

 PATHOGENESIS OF DISEASE

Ayurveda asserts that each person is unique, made up of specific characteristics that are his or her own. This means that in order to protect or preserve your health, you need to follow a diet and lifestyle that create balance with your constitution or internal environment. Such a lifestyle keeps the humors at normal levels. Aggravating factors such as diet, climate, seasons, emotions, and lifestyle can make the humors go out of balance. Imbalance weakens the digestive fire and increases the production of toxins. The toxins along with the out of balance humor(s) block the channels and disrupt the energy and nutrition flow to that particular tissue. The result is that the tissue involved in the process becomes diseased. This happens in six stages: accumulation, aggravation, overflow, relocation, manifestation, and diversification.

  

Classification of Diseases

Various diseases are produced by imbalances of specific humors in specific tissues. Diseases are classified as vata, pitta, or kapha disorders, and combinations of these three. Based on the predominant humor, 80 vata, 40 pitta, and 20 kapha disorders have been identified. There is further classification of the disorders based on the physiological systems or srotas involved. Most diseases of the organ systems are further sub-classified and are named after the predominant humor, tissue, or organ involved in the disease process.

Diagnosis of Disease

Diagnosis in Ayurveda is done in eight parts. Disease is diagnosed by taking a detailed history of the causative factors, prodromal symptoms, cardinal signs and symptoms, and the aggravating and relieving factors.20 The affected humor and tissue are identified for treatment. Various methods are used to help acquire information during an assessment. These methods are very similar to other medical disciplines and include questioning, observation, palpation, direct perception, and inference. Techniques such as taking the pulse, observing the tongue and eyes, noting physical symptoms, and examinations of urine and stool are employed during an assessment.21 The pulse is one of the important tools in diagnosing the constitution of an individual and the humors involved in a disease. In some cases, the pulse can identify the stage of the disease. Pulse diagnosis gets more accurate as the Ayurvedic practitioner gains experience.

 

 Prognosis of Diseases

Ayurveda is not a cure for all ailments and all stages of disease. Diseases are classified based on their prognosis.

• Easily curable: recent onset, one humor involved

example - digestive disorders

• Difficult to cure: chronic, one or two humors involved

example - most skin disorders

• Chronic with maintenance therapy: two or more humors involved, or chronic and metabolic diseases

examples - diabetes and hepatitis C

• Incurable: all three humors involved with associated complications

example - cancer

• Terminally ill: the chance of continued life is very bleak

If the first two stages of a disease are not treated properly, they can progress to become a chronic disease with maintenance therapy or could end up as incurable.

 

PRINCIPLES OF AYURVEDIC TREATMENT

The first goal of Ayurveda is health promotion and disease prevention. The second goal is to treat physical, mental, and spiritual illness. Ayurveda teaches that separating mind and spirit from the body creates physical imbalance, the first step in the disease process. It naturally follows that reintegration of mind, spirit, and body is the first step toward healing. The goal of treatment for any disease is to restore the balance of the humors to reestablish a person’s original constitution. This is achieved by adjusting the factors responsible for causing disease. A combination of herbs, body work, and lifestyle changes are suggested for the treatment of a disease or ailment. Dietary advice is also an important component of Ayurvedic treatment. The practitioner will suggest a specific diet that helps eliminate or slow the progression of disease. Finally, yoga and meditation are advised because they are integral to Ayurvedic treatment. Treatment recommendations are based on a person’s constitution, current health imbalances, and the time of year.15, 24

The humors are balanced and toxins are eliminated from the body through cleansing therapies known as panchakarma. Panchakarma is another hallmark of Ayurvedic treatment. Panchakarma is comprised of five parts: emesis, purgation, cleansing enemas, retention enemas, and cleansing nasal medication. After panchakarma, rasayana (rejuvenation therapy) is recommended. This helps enhance immune function and also helps the person have a longer, healthier life.