Six Distinct Phases Of Disease

Putting patients back in touch with their own nature is the main aim of medicine. The illness can originate in either the body or the mind. With the advent of mind body medicine, it is clear that these two cannot be separated.

According to Ayruveda the disease process has six distinct phases. The first three are invisible and can be tied in to either the body or the mind; the last three carry symptoms that can be detected by both the patient and his doctor. Each stage represents a loss of balance, but its appearance changes as the process continues:

• Accumulation: The process begins with the buildup of one or more doshas.
• Aggravation: The excess dosha accumulates to the point that it starts to spread outside its normal boundaries.
• Dissemination: The dosha moves throughout the body.
• Localisation: The wandering dosha settles somewhere it does not belong.
• Manifestation: Physical symptoms arise at the point where the dosha has localized
• Disruption: A full blown disease erupts.

As Ayurveda works at such a subtle level in our bodies, symptoms as unexplainable pain, anxiety, depression, fatigue, etc, can be relieved, because they originate at the early stages of dosha imbalance. It is easy to manage them while they are still in stages 1, 2, or 3, when diet, herbs, exercise, daily routine and a special purification technique for the body called panchkarma can all be effectively employed.

Once we are dealing with full-blown illness, the damage to body tissues often goes far beyond what these treatments alone can undo. Then, we must progress to more advance Ayurvedic therapies, or call in Western medicine, which has been formulated to deal with acute conditions of all sorts.

What your body is telling you at stage 4 is not that you are in grave danger, but that you need to purify your tissues of excess doshas. Once you do, Vata, Pitta and Kapha will regain their natural balance. The basic approach of “talking” to the doshas via simple changes in diet and exercise and following a daily routine can bring dramatic results, even in cases of serious illness.

Note: The points discussed here are intended for prevention only. They are not suitable for treating diseases or as a substitute for a doctor’s care.

Live As Nature Made You

The secret to balancing the whole mind-body system is to make your doshas happy. To respect your body type you have to trust that its needs are good for you. No one can be happy or healthy in an unbalanced state, because it is just not natural.

Like the doshas, your prakruti is double edged. You can see yourself as trapped by it, or you can learn from it and benefit from what your system is trying to tell you. A pitta nature may predispose you to hostility and a Vata nature to irritable bowels, but nothing forces you to embrace the stressful lifestyle that fans Pitta to a flame, or drives Vata to exhaustion, bringing out such problems. Living with your doshas is a perfect example of how to find freedom within your nature’s limits.

Because you were born with it, your body type does not change. On the other hand, the doshas are constantly in a flux. Every time your doshas shift with actions and thoughts. A person whose heart is pounding is having a strong Vata reaction, no matter what his basic nature is. Whatever your prakruti happens to be, try to live all three doshas fully. To be the best that can be derived from each of the doshas – that is what it means to be a complete person.

The positive psychological traits of each dosha include the following:

Vata: Imaginative, sensitive, spontaneous, resilient, exhilarated
Pitta: Intellectual, confident, enterprising, joyous
Kapha: Calm, sympathetic, courageous, forgiving, loving.

Whenever you meet someone who lives up to all of these qualities, naturally you are impressed. Such a person has accepted the greatest gift of nature – perfect balance. Rare as it is, perfect balance is not abnormal; it is possible for everyone to achieve. Everybody type contains a wide range of possibilities. Unfortunately we all have a tendency to compare ourselves to a norm, which generates feelings of inadequacy when we cannot live up to the standards we feel everyone must meet.

Doshas And Subdoshas

There are 3 main doshas – vata, pitta and kapha. Each dosha is broken into five subdoshas which make diagnosis and treatment more accurate in ayurveda.

Udana Vata: Located in throat and lungs. Physically, this subdosha controls the process of speech. Through the speech centre in the brain, it is also responsible for memory and movement of thought.
Imbalance of Udana Vata is linked to speech defects, dry cough, sore throat, tonsillitis, earache and general fatigue.

Samana Vata: Located in stomach and intestines. This subdosha controls the movement of food throughout the digestive tract; it is responsible for the rhythm of peristalsis.
Imbalance of Samana Vata is linked to too slow or too rapid digestion, gas diarrhea, nervous stomach, inadequate assimilation of nutrients and emaciated tissue formation.

Apana Vata: Located in the colon and lower abdomen. This downward moving sudosha is responsible for elimination of waste, for sexual function and menstruation. One of its locations, the colon is considered the principle seat of Vata and is the site where ready signs of Vata imbalance are likely to originate.
Imbalance is linked to constipation, diarrhoea, gas, intestinal cramps, colitis, genitor-urinary disorders, menstrual disorders, swollen prostrate, various sexual dysfunctions and lower back pain, including muscle spasm.

Vyana Vata: Located throughout the body via the nervous system, skin and circulatory system. This subdosha governs dilation and constriction of blood vessels and peripheral circulation. Blood pressure is regulated by Vyana Vata; it is also responsible for sweating, yawning, and sensation of touch.
Imbalance is linked to high blood pressure, poor circulation, irregular heart rhythem and stress related disorders.

To be continued

Know Your Body Constitution

No individual constitution is made up solely of any one element. Each person is a combination of all three elements with a predominant tendency toward one or more.

The doshas are the powerful and important aids in understanding the characteristics, behavior of each human being and their reactions towards stress, certain foods and the environmental conditions. Any kind of imbalance in the doshas results in various diseases.

Vata Constitution

People of vata constitution are generally physically underdeveloped. Their chest are flat and their veins and muscle tendons are visible. The complexion is brown, the skin is cold, rough, dry and cracked. There usually are a few moles present which tend to be dark.

1. Vata people generally are either too tall or too short, with thin frames which reveal prominent joints and bone-ends because of poor muscle development.
2. Curly and scanty hair.
3. The eyelashes are thin and the eyes lusterless. The eyes may be sunken, small, dry, active and the conjunctiva is dry and muddy.
4. The nails are rough and brittle.
5. The shape of the nose is bent and turned-up.
6. Vata people crave sweet, sour and salty tastes and like hot drinks.
7. The production of urine is scanty and the feces are dry, hard and small in quantity.
8. They have tendency to perspire less than other constitutional types.
9. Their sleep may be disturbed and they will sleep less than the other types.
10. Their hands and feet are often cold.
These people are creative, active, alert and restless. They talk fast and walk fast but they are easily fatigued.

Pitta Constitution

1. These people are of medium height, are slender and body frame may be delicate. Their chests are not as flat as those of vata people and they show a medium prominence of veins and muscle tendons.
2. They have many moles or freckles which are bluish or brownish-red.
3. The bones are not as prominent as in the vata individual. Muscle development is moderate.
4. The complexion may be coppery, yellowish, reddish or fair. The skin is soft, warm and less wrinkled than vata skin.
5. The hair is thin, silky, red or brownish and there is a tendency toward premature graying of hair and hair loss.
6. The eyes may be gray, green or cooper-brown and sharp, the eyeballs will be of medium prominence. The conjunctiva is moist and copper-colored.
7. The nails are soft.
8. The shape of the nose is sharp and the tip tends to be reddish.
9. These people have strong metabolism, good digestion and resulting strong appetites.
10. The person of pitta constitution generally takes large quantities of food and liquid.
11. The pitta people have a natural craving for sweet, bitter and astringent tastes ans enjoy cold drinks.
12. Their sleep is of medium duration but uninterrupted.
13. They produce a large volume of urine and the feces are yellowish liquid, soft and plentiful.
14. The body temperature may run slightly high and hands and feet will tend to be warm.
15. The pitta people do not tolerate sunlight, heat or hard work well.

Kapha Constitution

1. These people have well-developed bodies. There is however a strong tendency for these individuals to carry excess weight. Their chests are expanded and broad. The veins and tendons are not obvious because of their thick skin and their muscle development is good. The bones are prominent.
2. These people have fair and bright complexion. The skin is soft, lustrous and oily; it is also cold and pale.
3. The hair is thick, dark, soft and wavy.
4. The eyes are dense and black or blue; the white of the eyes is generally very white, large and attractive.The conjunctiva does not tend to redness.
5. Kapha people have regular appetites, the digestion functions relatively slowly and there is less intake of food.
6. They tend to move slowly.
7. They crave pungent, bitter and astringent foods.
8. Their perspiration is moderate.
9. Sleep is sound and prolonged.
10. There is a strong and vital capacity evidenced by good stamina, and are generally healthy, happy and peacful.