Eeshanayurveda

Ayurvedic Treatment for Osteoporosis

The term Osteoporosis is a disease of the bone. It means "porous bone". It's a condition that causes bone to become thin and porous, decreasing bone strength and leading to increased risk of breaking a bone. It happens when an individual loses too much bone; make too little bone or both. As a result, the bone become weak and may break from a minor fall or, in serious cases, even from simple actions, like sneezing or bumping into furniture.

A healthy bone that is viewed under a microscope has parts that look like a honeycomb. If an individual has osteoporosis, the holes and spaces in the honeycomb would be much bigger than they are in the healthy bone. This apparently means that the person's bones have lost density or mass and that the structure of the bone tissue has become abnormal. As the bones become less dense, they also become weaker and more susceptible to break.

The risk factors for Osteoporosis include:

· Age

· Sex

· Vertebral compression Fracture

· Fragility fracture after age 40

· More than 3months usage of glucocorticoid drugs

· Medical conditions that contribute to bone loss

Symptoms:

Osteoporosis is called the "silent thief" because loss of bone occurs without any symptom, unless one has fractured. Symptoms which could be experienced over a long period include:

· Gradual loss of height

· Bone fracture

· Acute lower backache

· Nocturnal leg cramps

· Reduction or loss of mobility

· Rounding of shoulders

Ayurvedic Treatment for Osteoporosis:

Vata body-type people in the vata stage of life are likely to experience loss of bone density at a higher rate. Some of the behavioural patterns that can create an imbalance of vata in the body are being in stress or reacting to stress with anxiety, physical exhaustion, mental strain, lack of sleep, fear or shock. Thus, the risk for osteoporosis will be higher in persons with a vata body type, old people and women after menopausal age. For women, a regular menstrual cycle is important for building and maintaining bone strength throughout her reproductive years.

Line of treatment:

Balancing the vata and nourishing the Kapha.

The treatment modalities includes panchakarma, external therapies, internal medications, Activities, Advice of food and life style changes.

Panchakarma – Basti

Externally – Abhyanga, PPS, SSPS, Sarvanga Dhara, Kashaya Seka

Internally – Combinations of herbs as Ashwagandha, Shatavari, Medicated ghee, Sallaki, Guggulu, etc

Activities:

Specific Asanas, Physiotherapy, Aqua Yoga

Food and lifestyle changes: specific to the individuals constitution, nature of work and geographical conditions.

Obesity - Ayurveda's solution to the “Big” problem

Obesity statistics are increasing all over the world and it is becoming one the world's biggest health problem. Recent reports suggest that it may soon overtake cigarette smoking as a serious health risk. These statistics are alarming because being overweight, and especially being obese, increases our risk of many health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers, stroke, back and joint pain, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, gallstones, fatty liver, infertility, breathlessness, depression, insomnia, etc.

The Problem

Obesity is defined as an excess of body fat in the body. It is a condition where the natural energy reserve stored in the fatty tissue increases to a point where it is associated with certain health conditions or increased mortality.

Being obese is not a cosmetic issue. Obesity is not a sign of a person being out of control. It is a serious medical disease that affects over a quarter of adults in the United States, and about 14% of children and adolescents. A report from the National Audit Office concluded that obesity could shave an average of nine years from our lifespan. Obesity needs to be treated early in life to prevent the long-term complications later in life.

Causes

The most obvious cause of obesity is eating more than the body needs or when food energy intake exceeds energy expenditure, fat cells throughout the body take in the energy and store it as fat. Other factors that contribute to obesity are genetic factors and genetic disorders, an underlying illness, eating disorders, consumption of certain medications, leading a sedentary lifestyle, a high glycemic diet (i.e. a diet that shows gives a high post prandial blood sugar reading), stress, etc.

The Tridosha

In Ayurveda every human being is a unique phenomenon of cosmic energy, which manifests itself thought the three basic elements or the “Tridosha” - Vata - Air, Pitta- Fire and Kapha - Water. Each individual's constitution has its own unique balance of these three energies. When this “doshic” balanced is disturbed it leads causes damage to normal bodily functions leading to various health disorders and diseases.

Obesity is cause by an imbalance ' Kapha - Water Energy'. According to Ayurveda, people with a Kapha (Water) constitution are more likely to gain weight through excess fat than a Pitta (Fire) or Vata (Air) person. People with an imbalance in their Kapha energy have to take that little extra care to avoid putting on those unwanted pounds.

Obesity and Ayurveda

In the Ayurvedic texts, 'Charakacharya' has described eight 'nindya prakruties' (undesirable constitution) of the body; obesity is one of them and is described as 'Medoroga'. In an Obese person individual Medas (Fat) is excessively nourished and remaining other Dhatus get malnourished. Kapha gets accumulated in between. When Kapha increases in abnormal fashion, Fat metabolism gets hampered and person becomes Obese.

Ayurvedic treatment for Obesity is achieved through a combination of:

Panchakarma therapy - Includes five types of therapies, which are mainly used for purification or elimination of toxins. For weight loss Virechana (Purgation Treatment) or Basti (Medicated Enema) are recommended, depending on the individual health.

Diet management - It is not only the quantity of food that is important, but also the type of food one eats. One should eat the correct food, cooked the Ayurvedic way in the right quantity and at the correct time.

Udvartana Massage - Here herbal paste and powders are applied all over the body and deeply massaged with specific movements. This massage tones the skin, removes cellulite, loosens fat molecules and eliminates them from the sub-cutaneous level and removes Kapha toxins from the body.

Herbal supplements - Medicines can be of great benefit in weight control without the negative side effects of conventional drugs. These medicines improve fat metabolism in an obese person.

Therapeutic Yoga - Yoga not only helps one loose weight but also enhances the healing potential of Ayurveda.

Pranayamas - Are the Ayurvedic breathing techniques, which brings about tremendous benefits, such as increased energy, increased perception and development of various brain faculties.

The Ayurvedic weight loss program, besides the immediate weight-loss, cleans out toxins from your body and allows it to function more efficiently promoting an overall feeling of health and wellness.

The quick fix - There is no such thing! Fad diets, slimming pills, liposuction, surgery, etc. none offer a permanent solution. Ayurveda teaches us to make simple and permanent lifestyle changes by helping us understand what our body needs, it teaches us to make a commitment to our body and follow through with goals. This helps us develop respect for our bodies enabling us to enjoy every moment of LIFE. In fact if maintained, even weight loss of as little as 10 percent of body weight can improve one's health.

Ayurvedic Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society defines Multiple Sclerosis as a disease that involves an immune system attack against the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves). The disease is thought to be triggered in a genetically susceptible individual by a combination of one or more environmental factors.

Thus, as part of the immune attack on the central nervous system, myelin( the fatty substance that surrounds and protects the nerve fibres in the central nervous system) is damaged, as well as the nerve fibres themselves. The damaged myelin forms scar tissue (sclerosis), which gives the disease its name. When any part of the myelin sheath or nerve fiber is damaged or destroyed, nerve impulses traveling to and from the brain and spinal cord are distorted or interrupted, producing the variety of symptoms that can occur.

Types of Multiple Sclerosis:

Primary- Progressive MS:

It is characterized by slowly worsening neurologic function from the onset, with no distinct relapses or remissions

Secondary-Progressive MS: It's initially similar to relapsing- remitting MS, and eventually the disease worsens more steadily, with or without occasional flare-ups, recoveries, or plateaus

Progressive -Relapsing MS- Disease steadily worsens from the beginning, but with clear attacks of worsening neurologic function along the way,

Relapsing- Remitting MS- People with this type of MS experience clearly defined attacks of worsening neurological function. These attacks, which are called relapses, flare-ups, or exacerbations, are followed by partial or complete recovery periods, during which no disease progression occurs.