Hindu philosophy believes that everything is made up of five elements—earth, water, fire, air and sky. As soon as the food enters the body, chemical process takes place. The taste of the food depends on the nature of its properties. Sweets help in producing blood, flesh, fat, bones, semen and strength the sweets substances are cold and heavy. Sour substances increase the digestive functions. They produce vitality and remove gas. Salty foods also remove the gas but produce mucus.
Some substances have different properties at the time of eating, but their properties get changed in the digestive process. These facts are kept in mind at the time of treatment and prescribing medicines and food.
Stomach is held to be responsible for all types of ailments. Due to activities of the mouth during intake of food, cough is produced. Then all sorts of liquids mix with this cough inside the body. Thus produces bile. Gas is produced after the body has absorbed all the necessary substances from the food. Ahaar-rasa is produced during the process of digestion. Ras-dhatu is produced by ahaar-rasa from which blood, flesh, fat, bone-marrow, semen and energy are produced. Those parts of the food that are absorbed by the body are called Prasad and the useless portion are known as waste matter that goes of the body in the shape of faecal matter and urine. Ayurveda believes that the cause of all diseases is imbalance between phlegm, gas and bile. This is known as the tridosh principle.
The disease is diagnosed by this tridosh principle and it is analysed as to which substance out of bile, phlegm or gas has caused the disease. As per Ayurveda, phlegm is produced in the stomach. It maintains the humidity of the body. Phlegm provides the energy for digestion, blood circulation, memory, appetite, evacuation of waste matter, heartbeat, muscles of hands and feet, sensitiveness and joints in the body. It has the five kinds.
Bile is produced between stomach and longer intestines. It maintains the temperature of the body. Bile is responsible for digesting the food and produces rasa. Bile plays an important role in maintaining eyesight, colour of skin, pulsation, activity of liver, kidneys and also extracts useful substances from food.
Wind or gas, as the name suggests, help in physical activities. It helps in taking out the toxic elements from the body, breathing, taking the food from the mouth to the stomach and then taking the faecal matter up to the anus. Gas is of five different kind. They are known by different names as they reside in different parts of the body. The excess or shortage of phlegm, bile and gas gives rise to diseases.
Ayurveda believes that is it not necessary for disease to strike to make one stick. It can also be due circumstances that make the germs of disease attack the body successfully and induce illness. Some symptoms of a particular disease are prominent while many remains dormant.
This factor also helps in identifying the disease and getting at it cause. The deformities of the body are carefully analysed. It is seen as to which extent the disease has spread into body. Information regarding the history of patient and his disease is gathered. If necessary, information regarding diseases from which, parent, grand-parents or even maternal grand- parents have suffered is gathered for correct diagnosis. The pulse as well as stool and urine is also examined.
METHOD OF TREATMENT
The ailments born out of imbalances in phlegm, bile and gas are treated by diet control, medicines and regulated life. Ayurvedic medicines are also prepared from plants and animals. Pills, discoctions, syrups, powders, jam, ash, medicated edible oils and butter are prescribed as medicines.
According to Ayurveda, medicines affect the body through the digestive system. The Ayurvedic physician keeps in mind which medicines will affect, and in which way, and treats accordingly. Food is strictly regulated and controlled during Ayurvedic treatment.
- Sri Eswaran
