Could Ayurveda provide the missing link?
More people are loosing faith and turning away from modern Western medicine towards ancient systems of healing that can explain, treat, and resolve symptoms rather than suppress them.
Tri-Dosha theory is at the heart of Ayurveda, which Dosha are you?
What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is an ancient system of healing that has its roots in Indian antiquity. It is the oldest medical system on the planet and most other medical traditions have their roots in Ayurveda. Ayur means 'life' and veda means 'knowledge', so Ayurveda means 'knowledge of life'. Historically Ayurveda has influenced almost all medial systems of the world. Hippocrates recognised the significance of Ayurvedic medicine when he is quoted as saying 'foolish the physician who despises the wisdom of the ancients'. Ayurvedic medicine is thought to be over 10,000 years old and was passed down verbally from teacher to student for thousands of years. The earliest written records date back 3000 years and this is because for a long time the written word was seen as inferior to verbal teaching from sages and rishi's.
India has suffered numerous invasions during its history and sadly during the British occupation there was a brutal repression of Ayurveda and an enforcement of Western medicine. Although Ayurvedic teaching has returned to India it is unfortunately now a blend of Ayurvedic and allopathic medicine. Tibet is considered one of the few places where the original Ayurvedic teachings can still be found. Ayurveda is vast and approaches health and disease from a very different perspective and understanding of anatomy and philosophy. ​
What is a Dosha?
In Ayurveda health is controlled by the three Dosha’s - Vata, Pitta and Kapha referred to as the Tri-Dosha which are based, or 'live', in the gastrointestinal tract. Think of a Dosha as a bit like an efficient housekeeper whose job it is to keep the house (your body) in optimal working order. Each of the three Dosha's brings different characteristics and qualities to their roles as housekeepers and when they work in harmony to achieve balance, you can expect to be in good health but when they stop co-operating and go out of balance, the disease process starts. Efficient housekeepers can be trusted to make the right decision to support the orderly functioning of the house (your body), but when they become disturbed or out of balance, they begin acting like hell-angels wreaking havoc in the body making decisions that fuel their destructive side which causes disease.
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In Ayurveda, it is the Dosha’s that govern all physiological, psychological, and pathological changes in the body. They govern our thought processes, food choices, and general wellbeing. According to Ayurveda, the doshas regulate everything that occurs down to the complex aspects of our biological functions. Between them the three Dosha’s also control and manage the five great elements within the body - Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. All living things contain all five elements and their corresponding attributes (or characteristics) in differing quantities which is what gives us our individual constitution.
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For example, attributes associated with Ether are movement, subtle, and clear, attributes associated with Air are cold, dry and penetrating, attributes associated with Fire are hot, light, and spreading, attributes associated with Water are oily, heavy, and steady, and attributes associated with Earth are dense, hard, and rough. There are 10 opposing pairs of attributes in Ayurveda making 20 possible attributes (or characteristics) in total. Each attribute relates to one or more element and each element relates to a Dosha. Vata governs Ether and Air, Pitta governs Fire, and Kapha governed Water and Earth. In Ayurveda everything is connected.
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Dosha’s are always moving and trying to ‘keep the peace’ or balance in the body. Normal fluctuations occur throughout the day and with the seasons. Symptoms of imbalance associated with daily or seasonal changes often rebalance themselves as the time of day or season changes. Depending on the severity of symptoms, an individual may seek treatment to support seasonal changes and bring about balance. More commonly, symptoms are caused when an individual follows a diet and lifestyle that is not aligned with their constitution causing the Tri-Dosha to go out of balance. The longer the incorrect diet and lifestyle have been followed, the deeper the course of disease, or Samprapti in Sanskrit, has progressed within the body. Once the Dosha’s have become imbalanced, they have left their ‘homes’ or place of residence within the gastrointestinal tract and travelled to weaker tissues within the body where they attempt to conquer the tissues causing more specific and more complex or serious symptoms. Quite often it is only when symptoms reach this stage that a person becomes aware of them and seeks treatment.
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What 'type' are you?
​Your individual constitution or Dosha type will be a mix of Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Most people are predominantly one Dosha type, for example someone who has a fiery temperament, overheats easily, and likes to be in control of people or situations would most likely be a 'Pitta type' whereas someone who is anxious, dis-organised, changes their mind a lot, and finds it hard to settle down would typically be a 'Vata type'. There is no 'good' or 'bad' or 'better' or 'worse' type. In Ayurveda you have the constitution you are born with (your Prakruti) and the one you have right now (your Vikruti). To be in the best of health these should be the same, i.e. Pitta Prakruti and Pitta Vikruti.
Various factors contribute to our Prakruti or our natural constitution or individual balance of the Tri-Dosha’s, elements and attributes. ​Your Prakruti is the constitution you were born and was influenced by the constitutional balance of your parents at the time of conception, the season and environment when conception occurred and the balance of your mothers Dosha’s during pregnancy. This is the constitution or balance that in Ayurveda we are always seeking to restore when Dosha’s become out of balance. The constitution you have at the present time is called your Vikruti. Generally speaking, if symptoms have manifested its due to seasonal changes, emotional factors, physical issues or eating an incorrect diet and living the wrong lifestyle for the Dosha type causing your present constitution (your Vikruti) to no longer match your natural constitution (your Prakruti). An Ayurvedic nutrition, lifestyle, and treatment programme aims to restore order and bring you back to your Prakruti. Discovering your Prakruti and Vikruti is achieved using questionnaires and detailed case taking during a consultation.
The importance of Agni and Ama
In Ayurveda, Agni relates to body temperature, digestive enzymes, amino acids, hormones and all metabolic activities in the body. In Ayurvedic medicine it refers to the digestive Fire and is considered the most important process in the body for maintaining health. Agni governs all transformation in the body including digestion, absorption, assimilation and transformation of food and sensations into energy. Through the digestion of sensory perception, Agni gives us knowledge and understanding and through the digestion of food, Agni gives us life energy through both optimisation of nutrition and neutralisation of pathogens that come into contact with the gastrointestinal tract. In Ayurveda the strength of an individual’s Agni reflects how healthy they are and what diseases they might suffer from. Agni is considered the main source of life therefore if a person’s metabolic ‘fire’ is robust, they will lead a long and healthy life, if their Agni is slow, their health will deteriorate.
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Ama is a substance formed from partly or wholly undigested food in the digestive tract, and according to Ayurveda, Ama is the beginning of all disease. Jathara Agni is the main Agni in the body (there are 40 types located in different parts of the body) needed to digest food, ‘melt’ Ama, and remove it from the body. The relationship between Jathara Agni and Ama is considered extremely important due to Jathara Agni’s ability to prevent Ama formation and therefore halt the development of disease. If Jathara Agni is low, then food isn’t ‘cooked’ or digested, assimilated, or absorbed properly and undergoes fermentation in the stomach and becomes Ama, which is described as a morbid, toxic, sticky, cold, thick, cheese like substance. Although Ama is mainly created in the gastrointestinal tract as a result of low Jathara Agni, it can spread to other parts of the body if the Agni’s located there are also low. For example, low Pachaka Pitta will allow Ama to form in the small intestine, low Bhuta Agni’s will allow Ama formation in the liver, and insufficient Jatru Agni will allow Ama to form in the thyroid and thymus.
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Ama can be likened to the Western understanding of intestinal dysbiosis which occurs due to a lack of hydrochloric acid decreasing bowel pH and causing dysbiosis of the gut microbiome. The increased alkalinity of the bowel enables pathogenic bacteria and yeast such as Candida Albicans to leave the large intestine and survive in the small intestines by feeding on the partially digested and undigested food found there facilitating their proliferation. The spreading of Ama or in Western medicine, an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria or yeast in the gut, causes inflammation of the gut lining damaging it’s integrity and interfering with nutrient absorption.
The story or 'Samprapti' behind the symptoms
Samprapti is an Ayurvedic term for the course of disease which begins with disturbances in the balance of the Doshas. Temporary imbalances are normally caused by the natural cycle of the day and changes in the seasons and resolve themselves as the day progresses or with the change of season - these imbalances are generally not of concern. According to Ayurveda, disease occurs when the imbalances are not corrected and persist causing the Doshas leave their primary sites in the gastrointestinal tract and spread via the general circulation to the weaker areas of the body where they encroach on the qualities of the dhatus (tissues of the body) causing symptoms and eventually structural changes and complications of other organs, tissues, or systems. Ayurveda recognises six stages of disease with each stage representing a deeper and worsening state than the previous stage. The six stages are: accumulation, provocation, spreading, deposition, manifestation, and destruction with the Doshas manifesting, or causing, symptoms associated with their gunas (attributes/characteristics) at each stage of disease.
How is Ayurveda incorporated into a Naturopathic Diet & Lifestyle Programme?
Pre-consultation you will be asked to complete an Ayurvedic questionnaire (in addition to the usual Health Questionnaire) so that I can assess your Prakruti and Vikruti in readiness for your consultation and during your consultation I will examine your tongue to assess levels of Ama and Agni. A programme, or Rasayana in Ayurveda, that incorporates Ayurveda principles is seeking to rebalance the Dosha's back to your Prakruti by focusing on pacifying the Dosha(s) that have become aggravated, addressing low Agni, and clearing Ama. Herbs, yoga, and massage are key contributors in pacifying the Dosha(s) and are therefore central components of an Ayurvedic based programme alongside correcting the diet and adjusting the lifestyle to restore your Prakruti.
The 6 key components of an Ayurvedic based nutrition and lifestyle programme:
1. Removal of faulty food combinations
Combining certain food groups creates Ama, a thick, cold, morbid, cheesy like substance that causes disease especially when Agni levels are low. Examples of faulty food combinations are eating eggs with dairy and cereals with fruit. Ayurveda also recommends fruit is eaten on its own and melons should be avoided in order to prevent Ama formation Agni is needed to 'melt' Ama so that it can be excreted from the body via faeces, urine and sweat.​ Agni as the digestive fire in Ayurveda and akin to stomach acid in Western Anatomy and Physiology. If we don't have sufficient levels of stomach acid (reflux is a sign of low NOT high levels of stomach acid) then we are unable to digest and absorb our food or prevent intestinal bacterial and yeast overgrowth.
2. Eat the correct diet for your Prakruti
Vata predominant people tend to be more anxious, cooler, and drier and are therefore prescribed a diet that is warming, moist and heavier and advised to increase their intake of foods that are spicy, bitter and astringent to balance their Vata attributes. Pitta predominant people tend to be fiery, hot, and more oily and are therefore prescribed foods that are cooling, drier, and less heavier than a Vata type and to increase their intake of foods that are sweet, bitter and astringent to cool their Pitta attributes. Kapha predominant people tend to be more sedentary, cooler and oily and are therefore prescribed foods that are warming, spicy, and light and increase their intake of foods that are spicy, bitter and astringent to mobilise and lighten their Kapha attributes. The six tastes of sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter have different affects on the five elements and Dosha balance making them an important part of an Ayurvedic based programme.
3. Adjust your lifestyle to pacify & balance the Dosha(s)
Different lifestyles suit different Dosha's. Vata predominant people tend to find it more difficult to settle or commit to a project and prefer plenty of change. If a Vata person begins to experience increased anxiety, depression or becomes overly fearful then this indicates their Vata Dosha has become aggravated and needs pacifying. Implementing a routine that includes consistent wake/bed times and meal times and switching HIIT or running for walking or swimming can help to pacify and ground Vata reducing symptoms. Pitta predominant people need to be cooled down on all levels and benefit from bringing more balance to their lives ensuring they balance hard work with leisure and rest. Kapha types benefit from sleeping less, incorporating more intensive exercise, and frequently changing their routines to prevent Kapha from increasing causing Kapha symptoms such as weight gain, excess sleeping, or congestion.
4. Herbal remedies to pacify & balance the Dosha(s)
Ayurvedic herbs include Ashwaghanda, Shatavari, Tumeric, Guggul, Brahmi and Neem. Ayurvedic herbal combinations include Triphala, Chyawanprash and Trikatu are used to stabilise the Dosha's. Western herbs such as Dandelion, Lemon Balm, Purple Sage, Rosemary, Peppermint and Nettle are also incorporated in an Ayurvedic programme. Different herbs have different affects on the Dosha's and Dhatu's and are therefore prescribed according to individual symptoms. Ayurvedic herbs have become more widely known and available in the West with Ashwaghanda and Shatavari gaining popularity for relief of menopause symptoms because of their effects on the adrenal glands and Artava Dhatu (female reproductive tissue).
5. Yoga & pranayama to pacify & balance the Dosha(s)
Yoga and pranayama are very effective at balancing and stabilising the Dosha's and are therefore prescribed as part of any Ayurvedic programme. If Vata needs pacifying the yoga asanas and pranayama practices will be grounding and calming. If Pitta needs pacifying they will be cooling and grounding, and if Kapha needs decreasing they will be more intensive and heating. Asana's and breathwork will be prescribed as part of a morning and evening routine with the morning practice more stimulating and the evening practice more calming.
6. Ayurvedic Massage to pacify & balance the Dosha(s)
Massage is revered in Ayurveda and is an important part of an Ayurvedic treatment plan. Just like herbs and yoga, different massage treatments and oils are prescribed depending on the Doshic imbalance. Most can be performed at home although some are better performed by an Ayurvedic massage therapist. A simple but effective home massage to calm Vata is to massage warm sesame oil (sesame oil is heavy and oily and particularly nourishing) into the whole body before getting in the shower. A simple Pitta reducing massage is to warm some coconut oil and massage this into the soles of the feet before going to bed. Kapha types benefit from a dry massage using Udvartana powder (for its stimulating effect) which is rubbed into the skin before getting into the shower.
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