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Skin diseases & Ayurved
Prof. Dr. S. P. Sardeshmukh, Dr. Vineeta V. Deshmukh Principal, Reader, Ayurved is not only an ancient Indian Medical science but it is a science which gives knowledge about life. Maintaining health of a healthy person & curing a disease are twofold aims of Ayurved. 3 Dosha i.e. Vata, Pitta, Kapha; 7 Dhatu i.e. Rasa, Rakta, Mansa, Meda, Asthi, Majja & Shukra; 3 Mala i.e. Mutra, Purisha & Sweda are the basic elements of human body. Balance state of 3 Dosha, 7 Dhatu & 3 Mala is essential to maintain health of healthy person while imbalance in any of these elements lead to various diseases. Different diseases manifest according to various causative factors, aggravation of Dosha causing vitiation of Dhatu & Mala; constitution of a person, season, habitate etc. Skin diseases called as “Kustha” in Ayurvedic texts are caused due to vitiation 7 body elements i.e. 3 Dosha viz Vata, Pitta, Kapha & 4 Dushya viz skin (twak), Rakta, Mansa & ambu (water element).
Different causative factors of skin diseasesA) Dietary causes – 1) Excessive intake of liquid food 2) Excessive intake of unctuous / oily food i.e. deep fried things like Pakora 3) Excessive intake of heavy food i.e. Cheese, Paneer 4) Excessive intake of yoghurt 5) Excessive intake of fish 6) Excessive intake of black gram 7) Excessive intake of raddish 8) Excessive intake of sesame 9) Excessive intake of milk & milk products 10)Excessive intake of jaggery 11)Excessive intake of recipes prepared from dove e.g. Paratha, bread 12)Excessive intake of sour food like vinegar, sauce 13)Excessive intake of salty food like pickle, ruffles 14)Overeating 15)Newly ripped grains 16)Incompatible diet like fish & milk together, sour fruits & milk together 17)Fermented food like bread, Dosa B) Behavioral causes – 1) Exercise immediately after taking meal 2) To become angry after taking meal 3) Cold water intake / bath immediately after physical exercise
C) Vegavarodha (Withholding natural urges) – Withholding all natural urges specially urge of vomiting can cause various skin diseases. These causative factors vitiate 3 Dosha & 4 Dushya i.e. Skin, Rakta, Mansa & Watery element in the body, which are responsible for manifestation of skin diseases.
D) Specific causes – Ayurved believes that some diseases like skin diseases, fever are also caused due to misbehavior done in previous birth like disobeying teachers, spiritual masters.
Types of skin diseasesAccording to Ayurved skin diseases are divided into mainly 2 types which are again subdivided into 7 & 11 types.
1) Mahakustha (Major skin diseases) – 7 in numbers 2) Kshudrakustha (Minor skin diseases) - 11 in numbers All these 11 types of Kustha can be classified & treated as per dominance of Dosha. · Vata dominance skin diseases in which affected skin becomes dry, rough, having black / gray discolouration & pin pricking pain. · In Pitta dominant skin diseases patient suffers from local burning sensation, red discolouration, foul smell, pustular discharge. · White discolouration, itching, coldness, infected wound are the symptoms of Kapha dominant skin diseases. · Dominance of 2 or all 3 Dosha exhibit the symptoms of respective 2 or 3 Doshas.
Home remedies for skin diseases
Do's – Common principles of diet – Diet having Pungent, Bitter & Astringent taste; & the diet which is light to digest is recommended. 1) Cow’s milk – 200 ml + Turmeric powder – 1 pinch 2) Buttermilk – 200 ml + cumin seed powder – ¼ teaspoon 3) Boiled hot water for drinking 4) Grains – Roasted rice, Barley 5) Beans – Green gram, Red lentil 6) Vegetables- Fenugreek leaves, Bitter gourd, White pumpkin, Snake gourd 7) Condiments – Cumin seeds, Turmeric, Coriander seeds & leaves, Garlic, Mint leaves, Curry leaves, Black pepper. 8) Recipes – Green gram Khichadi, Paratha of fenugreek leaves, Chutany of Garlic, Mint & coriander
Don’ts – Common principle – Diet having Sweet, Sour & Salty taste & the diet which is heavy to digest should be avoided. 1) Chilled water, cold drinks 2) Buffalo milk, Yogurt, Cheese, Paneer 3) Jaggery 4) Excessive salt, salty food like ruffles 5) Excessive sour things like Vinegar, Sauce 6) Excessive sweet things like chocolate, various milk products 7) Black gram, Kidney bean, Horse gram 8) Chilli, Capsicum 9) Cucumber, Tomato 10) Banana, sour fruits, fruit salad
Home remedies – 1) Apply turmeric powder on skin diseases having secretions. 2) Apply turmeric paste in water / milk on skin disease having redness, itching. 3) Apply paste of neem leaves on affected part specially having infections & itching. 4) Apply sandlewood paste on the skin having red coloured rash / burning sensation 5) Apply fine cumin seed powder on the skin having itching & excessive sweating.
Panchakarma – Ayurved describes 2 modalities of treatment – 1) Shodhana Chikitsa (Eliminating treatment) 2) Shamana Chikitsa (Palliative treatment)
In Shamana chikitsa, Dosha are pacified in the body with various oral medicines. In Shodhana chikitsa vitiated Dosha are eliminated out of the body through nearest route. Thus radical removal of vitiated Dosha & disease is possible with the help of Shodhana chikitsa.
Shodhana chikitsa is also called as Panchakarma as it comprises 5 procedures viz – 1) Vamana – Emesis 2) Virechana – Purgative 3) Basti – Medicated enema 4) Nasya – Nasal administration 5) Raktamokshana – Bloodletting
Panchakarma chikitsa is indicated when – 1) When Dosha are vitiated to large extend. 2) Dosha are Nirama. 3) Strength of the patient is good. Kustha / skin diseases are Bahudosha pradhana vyadhi i.e. diseases caused due to vitiation of Dosha at large extend. Also this disease is caused due to vitiation of 3 Dosha. Thus all types of Shodhana chikitsa are indicated in skin diseases. Panchakarma should be given frequently in skin diseases for radicle removal of Dosha. It is described in Sushrut Samhita that in chronic skin diseases, Vamana should be done every 15 days, Virechana once in every month, Raktamokshana twice in year & Nasya after every 3 days. Vamana is recommended mainly in skin diseases having dominance of Kapha dosha. Virechana & Raktamokshana are beneficial in skin diseases having dominance of Pitta Dosha & Rakta Dhatu. Basti should be given in dominance of Vata Dosha while Nasya is recommended in skin diseases in head, neck & face region. Shodhana chikitsa comprises 3 procedures – 1) Purvakarma (Pre procedures) a) Snehana (Internal & external oleation) b) Sweadana (Sudation) 2) Pradhanakarma (Main procedure) i.e. Vamana, Virechana, Basti, Nasya & Raktamokshana. 3) Paschatkarma – Special diet regimen which improves digestive power slowly like thin & thick rice gruel, bean soups without & with tadaka & meat soup in sequence. Panchakarma treatment though having lots of benefits in skin diseases, It has to be given under supervision of expert physician as it may lead to many complications if it is not administered properly.
Depression & Ayurved
Prof. Dr. S. P. Sardeshmukh, A.V.P., Ph.D. (Ayurved)
The word Ayurved is derived from 2 words – Ayu & Ved. Ayu means life & Ved means knowledge. Ayu (Life) is a constant & continuous conjunction of Body, Senses, Soul & Mind. Thus to achieve long & healthy life, wellbeing of all these 4 factors is essential. Acharya Sushruta, one of the great experts & Sages of Ayurved, has described healthy person i.e. Swastha Purusha in an unique definition. Aperson whose 3 Doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha), 7 Dhatus (Rasa, Rakta, Mansa, Meda, Asthi, Majja, Shukra) & 3 Mala (Mutra, Purisha, Sweda) are in normal state; whose Agni (Digestive power) is functional well: whose Soul, Senses & Mind are cheerful is called as Swastha (Healthy person). This definition indicates that healthy state of a human being does not depend only on physical health but also on a mental health. Ayurved has given equal importance on physique & mind. Mind is said to be Ubhayendriya ie Gnyanendriya (Sense organ) & Karmendriya (Motor organ) both. Mind is an essential element in the processes of grasping knowledge & in the process of doing action. Thus it is called as Ubhayendriya. It possess 1 Guna (Good quality) i.e. Satva & 2 Dosha (Harmful qualities) i.e. Raja & Tama. Raja & Tama in their imbalanced state become a cause of mental disorders. Depression is one of the commonest mental disorders which is termed as Dukhha (Sadness) in Ayurved. Acharya Charaka has clearly mentioned the cause of Depression – Dukhha as “Ishtasya Alabhat” ie. Not obtaining the things which one demands & “Labhat cha Anishtasya) i.e. Obtaining the things which one hates. Charaka has also described various causes of Mental Disorders, collectively called as Dharaniya Vega (Natural urges which should be controlled) viz – Lobha (Greed), Shoka (Feeling of sadness due to loss of material & temporary things), Bhaya (Fear), Krodha (Anger), Maana (Over confidence), Nairlajya (Excessive boldness), Irsha (Possesive nature), Atiraga (Wish of repeatedly attracting towards a specific thing) & Abhidhya (Bad wishes towards others). Any of these causes lead to Depression. Now a days prevalence of Depression is rising fastly due to materialistic lifestyle of modern society. People are running behind worldly pleasures & thus missing the real satisfaction of human life. This is the main cause of various mental disorders like Depression, Anxiety. Ayurved has precisely mentioned the treatment of Manasa Roga (Mental disorders) in the topic of Achara Rasayana / Sadvrutta. Achara Rasayana means following Ethical code of conduct which is beneficial for Rejuvenation of Mind & Body. It includes various rules & regulations about physical, mental & verbal actions. Physical rules include regulations essential to maintain physical health. E.g. One has to get up early morning which is the best time for meditation & study; one has to follow morning ablutions like brushing, passing urine & stool, bath; one has to perform family duties, professional duties & social duties honestly; one has to follow the ethical rules about sexual contact. Giving respect to elderly persons, masters, teachers; maintaining healthy interpersonal relationship in all relations; avoiding greed are the examples of rules about mental actions. Rules about verbal action include rules about verbal communication in society. E.g. To be a soft spoken, to speak true, to avoid criticism. Ayurved has described 10 sins which have to be avoided in whole life. Physical sins – Himsa (Violence), Steya (Theft), Anyathakama (Sexual intercourse with other’s wife / other woman) Verbal sins – Paishunya (To criticize a person), Parusha Vachana (To have a harsh / unsympathetic word), Anruta Vachana (To speak lie), Sambhinnalapa (Irrelevant speech). Mental sins – Vyapada (Bad thinking about other persons), Abhidya (Greed of getting other’s money), Druk Viparyaya (Disobeying spiritual preaching). One who avoids these 10 sins, can prevent himself from Mental disorders. Summarizing the topic, Depression is the mental disorder which can be compared with “Dukhha (Feeling of sadness)” described in Ayurved. Following ethical code of conduct; avoiding physical, verbal & mental sins & control our mind towards worldly pleasures are the 3 important tips of treating & preventing Depression.
Tinnitus & Ayurvedby Vaidya Sukumar S. Sardeshmukh from the
Ayurveda College “Vishwa Shanti Dham”, Wagholi, Tal. Haveli, Pune, India on the occasion of the performance of a lecture in the “Yoga in Daily Life” - Centre Friday 12th June 2009 in Vienna, Austria.
What Is Tinnitus?Many people experience hearing loss as they grow older, but auditory nerve damage from noise can affect anyone, no matter what their age. From middle age and beyond, up to 30 percent of the American population is estimated to begin suffering from a ringing in their ears. Called Tinnitus, this condition is estimated to affect up to 50 million Americans. Tinnitus affects most sufferers temporarily, often immediately after exposure to loud noise, like after attending a rock concert. That muffled hearing with an underlying hum or buzz is tinnitus. Fortunately for most of us, the hearing loss and noise passes in a few hours or minutes, but for many tinnitus sufferers it is a way of life. Some people suffering from tinnitus say they hear a noise in the background all the time, but only if they listen for it. However, other sufferers report hearing incessant humming, chirping, clicking, rustling and a variety of other noises all of the time. For some people tinnitus can be simply an annoyance. For those suffering the most severe symptoms, the condition can lead to chronic sleeplessness, depression and even thoughts of suicide. Loud noise exposure is just one of a wide range of health and environmental issues that cause tinnitus. One of the biggest misconceptions about tinnitus is that nothing can be done about it. The lack of hope that their condition can ever improve often worsens not only the outlook, but the symptoms, of the tinnitus sufferer. The reality is that most causes of tinnitus CAN be treated. The key is determining where in the hearing process the tinnitus is coming from, or if it stems from an underlying medical problem. Although in some cases this is impossible, it helps to determine what treatments might be the most effective. We hope that this e-book and CD series will help those plagued by these bothersome, sometimes debilitating. By finding the right medical professionals and conjuring up the ability to change some habits, the vast majority of tinnitus patients can experience significant relief. Some of the most effective treatments can be as simple as making some lifestyle changes. Others require medication, homeopathic treatment, hearing aids or surgery. The key to finding relief for tinnitus is often related to finding a medical professional capable of ruling out issues that could be causing the symptoms to pinpoint an effective treatment. If you are like the majority of people, you do not have to simply learn to live with tinnitus, whether you find it simply annoying or incredibly maddening. We hope this series will help you find the treatment that works for you. The Hearing Process It helps to be informed about how we hear to understand why tinnitus is often so difficult to pinpoint and treat. The breakdown can occur anywhere in the auditory pathway. We hear because of a complicated series of events that allows the ear to convert sound waves into electrical signals and to send nerve impulses to the brain to be interpreted as sound. The ear is made up of three areas: the outer, middle, and inner ear. Sound waves enter through the outer ear and travel to the middle ear where they cause the ear drum to vibrate. The vibrations are transmitted through three tiny bones in the middle ear called the ossicles. These three bones are commonly known as the hammer, anvil and stirrup. In medicine, they are called the malleus, incus, and stapes. The ear drum and ossicles carry the vibrations to the inner ear. The stirrup transmits the vibrations through the oval window and into the fluid that fills the inner ear. The vibrations move through fluid in the snail-shaped hearing part of the inner ear, which is called the cochlea. The cochlea also contains hair cells. The fluid in the cochlea moves the top of the hair cells, which causes the production of nerve impulses. The nerve impulses produced in the inner ear are carried to the brain where they are interpreted as sound. Different sounds stimulate different parts of the inner ear, allowing the brain to distinguish among various sounds, for example, different vowel and consonant sounds. Tinnitus can be caused be a problem in the middle ear, the inner ear, the auditory nerve or even in the brain. The problem may not be in the head at all – tinnitus may be caused by a general health problem like a low thyroid level or high blood pressure. It's important to find a health practitioner who is willing to take the time to at least rule out some of the many causes of tinnitus to help you find a solution to decrease or end the constant noise. That positive reassurance is key to recovering from tinnitus.
What Causes Tinnitus?One of the most frustrating aspects of tinnitus is that it can be caused by a host of things ranging from age and environment to general health to hearing loss. One physician describes a patient with very bothersome tinnitus who actually had a hair rubbing against his ear drum that caused the problem. The noise immediately went away completely once the hair was removed from the ear canal. There are so many different factors, conditions and triggers for subjective tinnitus that many times physicians can't pinpoint a specific cause even after exhaustive examination and testing. However, here are some of the more likely causes: Exposure to loud noise. Loud music, engines, equipments, music and gunfire can lead to noise-induced tinnitus as well as hearing loss. Age-related hearing loss. Becoming hard of hearing also results in tinnitus. Because many people lose hearing as they age, tinnitus is more common in older people. Age-related hearing loss usually begins around age 60. Medication. The American Tinnitus Association states that more than 200 medications can cause or contribute to tinnitus. It's important to rule out medication as a factor. Some drugs are toxic to the ear while others produce tinnitus as a side affect. Be sure to tell your doctor if you are taking aspirin or any medication with aspirin or a high-dose diuretic. Some intravenous antibiotics also can damage the ear. Medication-induced tinnitus may be temporary or permanent. General health problems. Problems with the neck, jaw and head cause tinnitus. So can heart and vascular problems, allergies and tumors. Earwax buildup. Sometimes a buildup of wax in the ear canal can cause tinnitus. It should be removed by a medical professional. Infections. Both sinus and ear infections can cause tinnitus. Often the disturbance will go away once the infection is cured. TMJ and other jaw problems. Jaw muscle spasms can cause problems that cause a noise of jaw joints or muscles. Fibromyalgia. This debilitating, chronic inflammation of the muscles, tendons and ligaments frequently includes TMJ, which often includes tinnitus as a symptom. Head and neck trauma. After a concussion or other head or neck injury, patients can experience tinnitus and dizziness. Inner ear problems. Sometimes structures in the inner ear are diseased or malformed. Other times something as simple as the hairs inside the inner ear become broken and cause the auditory cells to report electrical impulses to your brain as sound. Ear infection. An undiagnosed ear infection can cause tinnitus. Blood vessel problems. With age, sometimes the blood vessels close to the ear lose elasticity. This causes blood flow to be more forceful. The result can sometimes be pulsatile tinnitus. Malformed capillaries, which are tiny blood vessels, sometimes cause tinnitus as well. Lyme Disease. This tick-borne disease has been known to cause tinnitus in some patients. Who Gets Tinnitus?Most tinnitus occurs as part of the aging process, often over the age of 60. People who suffer head trauma, specific birth defects and diseases can also suffer from the condition. Anybody of any age who suffers from hearing loss tends to experience tinnitus. Children who have the condition often are less bothered by it than adults because they have often experienced the constant noise, along with the hearing loss, their entire lives. Anyone can develop tinnitus if they are exposed to loud noises. Although one or two incidences are not as likely to be harmful, hearing sensitivity varies widely from person to person. Prolonged exposure to loud noises at either work or play can put you at risk. Medication that poisons ear, and problems with ear structures can cause hearing loss and tinnitus. Although researchers haven't determined whether tinnitus is hereditary, they have discovered that some of the conditions that have tinnitus as symptoms may have a genetic predisposition. They include some forms of rare kinds of hearing loss, TMJ, Ménière's disease and a benign tumor in the ear called acoustic neuroma. Tinnitus SymptomsAccording to the American Tinnitus Association (ATA), at least 12 million Americans hear an ongoing or frequent ringing, roaring, clicking or hissing sound in their ears. Some estimates say that perhaps one in five people have some degree of tinnitus and that 30 percent of the population will suffer from it at least once in their lifetime. ATA estimates that at least 1 million tinnitus sufferers experience the symptoms to a point that it interferes with their daily activities. People with severe cases of tinnitus often find it difficult to hear, work or sleep. They describe the symptoms of ringing or chirping in their ears as incessant, loud and distracting. The word "tinnitus" comes from Latin and means "to tinkle or to ring like a bell." It is generally pronounced "tin NITE us" in the United States, but "TIN it us" is an acceptable pronunciation as well. The condition is divided into two types – objective and subjective. Objective tinnitus is the less common form of the disorder. Diagnosing TinnitusIn addition to getting a very detailed medical history to rule out other health factors, medical professionals can run several simple tests to determine hearing loss often associated with tinnitus. The tonal quality of tinnitus is often important in rendering a potential cause as well as a treatment plan. Lower-toned noises are often associated with Ménière's disease, one of the most common causes of subjective tinnitus. High-pitched tinnitus is more common in people with either high-frequency hearing loss or hearing loss associated with middle ear problems. It is important for the physician to determine whether the hearing loss associated with your tinnitus is related to nerve damage or some other problem. They can do that by figuring out what kind of hearing loss you have. There are three different types of hearing loss, conductive, sensor neural and mixed. Conductive Hearing Loss Conductive hearing loss occurs when sound is not conducted properly through the outer ear, the eardrum and the ossciles, the bones of the middle ear. It usually involves a reduction in sound level, or the ability to hear faint sounds. Conductive hearing loss can often be medically or surgically corrected. In some cases the tinnitus will decrease with treatment. Conditions that cause conductive hearing loss can include anything from allergies and earwax to a foreign body or tumor. Most causes of objective tinnitus also can cause this type of hearing loss. Sensorineural Hearing Loss Sensor neural hearing loss happens when there is damage to the inner ear or to the nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain. This type of hearing loss cannot be medically or surgically corrected. It is a permanent. The tinnitus associated with it, however, may be treated. This type of hearing loss not only involves a reduction in sound level, or the ability to hear faint sounds, but also affects understanding speech and the ability to hear clearly. Sensor neural hearing loss can be caused by diseases, injury during the birth process, drugs that are toxic to the auditory system, and genetic factors. It may also occur as a result of noise exposure, viruses, head trauma, aging and tumors. Mixed Hearing Loss Sometimes a conductive hearing loss occurs in combination with a sensor neural hearing loss. In this case, there may be damage to the middle ear as well as the inner ear or auditory nerve. Depending on the circumstances, hearing loss and tinnitus may be improved with treatment.
By using several types of hearing tests, medical practitioners can further characterize hearing loss as being sensory, arising from the inner ear, or neural, arising from the auditory nerve. Narrowing down where the hearing process breaks down can help you and your health care provider find a treatment or cure that will work for the ringing in your ears. If your physician believes you have objective tinnitus, you may be sent for further testing. Most doctors order an examination and some imaging, either an MRI or an MR Angiogram, which is an MRI with a specific blood vessel study. Sometimes they'll also order a CAT scan, which looks at bony architecture, and sometimes you ever have to proceed with an arteriogram of the blood vessels and the brain blood vessels in skull. Tinnitus TreatmentIf you have objective tinnitus, you are lucky. Most likely you can be successfully treated. The treatment can be as a simple as removing wax from your ear, or in the case of pulsate tinnitus, surgically removing a malformed blood vessel or embolism. Subjective tinnitus is virtually always more difficult to treat. Part of the reason treatment is so challenging is because it takes some commitment on the medical professional's part to conduct a wide range of tests and a thorough personal history to at least narrow down, if not definitely discover, where the problem arises in the hearing process. Another reason tinnitus sufferers get insufficient treatment is because a lot of the responsibility falls on them. They may be required to change their diet to avoid trigger foods or live a healthier lifestyle to help them overcome physical conditions that have caused tinnitus. Most medical professionals say there's a significant psychological component to tinnitus treatment as well. Especially in severe cases, where tinnitus sufferers are depressed and experiencing high anxiety and sleeplessness, a positive attitude can make a huge difference. It's important that the medical professional who you choose to treat your tinnitus knows that their support and your outlook is important.
Tinnitus treatment options and Tinnitus relief:
What is too loud? Damage occurs to the inner ear after people experience one single, extremely loud noise, like a gunshot close to their ear, or a loud noise over a long period of time. It's a combination of both threshold and duration. Just one 140-decibel noise for a second is very injurious. A 100-decibel noise for a second is not injurious, but over a period of several hours, days, weeks, months or years it is. TINITUS (KARNAKSHWEDA)
According to Ayurvedic point of view
Causative factors: a) Shrama (Excessive physical stress) b) Kshaya (Malnutrition, weakness) c) Ruksha Bhojana (Excessive dry diet) d) Kashaya Bhojana (Excessive astringent taste diet) e) Viriktashirashya sheetasevana (cold things after med. nasal drops) f) Sheeta Rutu (Cold Climate)
Symptoms:
Specific sound like “Venughosha” means sound which generates due to wind through Bamboo Shoot.
Etiology: Causative factors
⇩ Vata Prakopa (Increases Vata Dosha)
⇩ Affects the ear by creating ringing sound
⇩ Karnashweda (Tinnitus)
Treatment:
1) Ghrutapana: Consumption of Medicated Ghee. 2) Rasayana (Rejuvenation): Cow’s milk + Cow’s Ghee 3) Karnapoorana (explained later): Medicated ear drops. 4) Snehavirechana: Purgation with the help of medicated ghee.
Things to be avoided:
1) Excessive talking. 2) Head bath. 3) Excessive Exercise 4) Excessive sexual intercourse. |