Reasons for constipation

Constipation is a worldwide complaint and it is experienced in all ages and both the sexes. Market for new laxatives and purgatives is always there. New products are always launched. New formulas are introduced but really speaking, do we help the person or weaken the person? Do we ever give any thought to this question? Addressing to a basic problem like constipation properly is very much necessary. Chronic constipation causes acidity, headache, piles and disturbances in normal routine. Taking laxatives and purgatives weaken the muscles of large intestine and using strong purgatives becomes a habit. Finally nothing works. It is the most difficult condition to treat.

There was patient in the clinic and with complaint of lost taste sensation. Naturally he was investigated for many conditions and all reports were normal. Feeling no taste is one of the effects of chronic constipation. He was treated for constipation and after he was relieved of this long standing complaint. Large intestines have a large capacity to store garbage for a long time. But it is also overloaded sometimes.

As I said in last post it is a lifestyle disorder. One of the commonest cause is we do not respond to the natural call of nature. We try to postpone it to our convenient time. When we suppress the natural urge for evacuation of bowels we neglect it for some reason. Intestinal muscles and sphincter muscles get used to this when it becomes a habit. Then there is beginning of problem. Cleanliness of a toilet, unfamiliar place, travel, attending important meeting, engrossed in some work, etc. can be the commonest reasons to avoid or postponing the evacuation. If it is not a common condition, it streamlines easily. But if it is a habit or a regular feature then one day it becomes a problem.

When we suppress this urge hard, the movements of the large intestine change and they are reversed. Because of that material is pulled inside. Because of the fecal matter remains inside for longer time then the liquid content is reabsorbed more. Then it becomes dry and hard then it becomes an additional problem.

Some drugs reduce secretions in the gut and constipation may be the result. Sometimes you get constipation during fever or immediately after fever. 

Ayurveda clearly instructs that hunger, thirst, sleep, urge for evacuation of bladder and bowels, yawn, vomiting, sneeze, cough and breathlessness after heavy work etc. should never be suppressed.

We will continue the same topic in next post...

Preventive Ayurveda - Constipation

Z‘m{‘ YÝdVÝVar‘m{XXod gwamgwa¡… dpÝXV nmXÙ‘² & 

bmoHo$ OaméH²$ ^¶ ‘¥Ë¶w ZmeZ‘² XmVma‘re§ {d{dYm¡fYrZm‘² &&

constipation

We are discussing about constipation in this post which is a common complaint in the society. It has no discrimination of country, age, sex, etc. of any sort. Every body including an infant to elderly can have this condition. 

We are thinking in terms of prevention. treatment of constipation in Ayurveda is a separate entity by itself. It is a beginning of most of the conditions. However indigestion or low digestive power is the main cause behind the condition but generally it goes unnoticed and what we first experience is constipation. It can be of two types; it may be with hard stools or may be with sticky stools. Both conditions are the results of irregularities in digestive power. 

If one has constipation he feels sick. He feels down, does not get good appetite. Lack of enthusiasm is there. When this becomes a habit he may complain abdominal pain, acidity, gas, occasional headache etc..Many a times these complaints are treated individually and underlying constipation remains untreated. Generally prescribing laxative is the treatment given to the person. Ayurveda has different way to handle it. But it is always better to get treated at earliest as many a times old complaint is followed by many other complaints like pain in chest (not related to heart), piles or hemorrhoids or fissure due to habit of straining. Sometimes constipation is a cause for burning urination. In short constipation becomes a base for many complaints. 

This condition is a gift of the lifestyle we have. Very rarely there is a problem with the organs involved. We will not discuss any medication here but we will see if it can be prevented.
To be continued in the next post.... preventive measures and some ways out ....

Prevention of Disease: Obey the bioclock

Ayurveda is not limited to the land of India. It is a science of life. It is for all. Many a times we misuse or overuse our potential and we contract some disease. Disease is a disturbed ease-ness of the body and mind. It is very rare to have reason other than what we discussed in earlier posts. Even infections are due to overuse wrong use of the physical and mental capacity. Some strong infections or accidents can still attack the body but it is not very easy if we are following preventive guidelines.

We are writing mainly on preventive aspects of Ayurveda. In future we will discuss the diseases also. All the discussion will be with respect to prevent the disease. When body is disturbed and disease takes over then it is a need of a treatment to reset the system. It is one to one relationship. Certain home remedies can help us in mild situations which we will discuss whenever possible. 

Let me start with a query posted to me by Mr. Noel. His words are, "As far as I know Honey & Lime with warm water if taken daily in the morning will increase ones immunity in the long run. Some comments please"

In Ayurveda very important principle we follow is 'not to heat honey'. So putting honey in warm water is not acceptable as a principle. Lime water in long run gives immunity. Honey may be added when it is at room temperature. So lime in water at room temperature can be taken with honey.

This particular combination may not suit all in all seasons. It can be taken who finds it suitable. We know lemon contains Vit C. It helps in raising immunity. Honey can help in reducing allergic complaints. So one may be helped by this property. I would like to add some (1 teaspoonful) fresh ginger juice, in the combination with many added benefits.

Important suggestion: Take with 25 to 50 ml of water.

One basic principle why we fall sick is, we do not eat what is suitable for the time. It means that we do not eat as per climate of the day. In Ayurveda we follow certain daily natural routine. Let me explain it in details. In early morning say from 3.30 onward up to 7.30 the time is for evacuation of the waste. If we spend this time in bed we may be missing the important natural phenomenon of elimination. In this period, taking warm water helps some people to evacuate easily. If the elimination does not take place in this period then you may get one more opportunity after breakfast. If one holds this too, it is likely to get constipation with a habit. No laxative can cure this condition. You may change doctors or medicines but constipation will persist. 

Waking up late after 7 in morning may not be very good idea if you want to have your routine to be natural. Then indigestion is followed by this forced constipation. Then your appetite is reduced and you start getting different problems.. The daily routine which starts after 7.30 - 8 are likely to have digestion problem in long run. It will be beginning of disturbing the health.

Reflection is the key to a healthy life

Reflection is the key

The reason we are looking in to are the results of reflection. Though it has reference of the past it is a useful stuff for a better future. If we are not learning from the experiences we deserve misery. It may be physical, mental, social, economical, political also. We are mainly concerned about health. but the health is a reflection of social well being along with being disease-less. Similarly healthy individuals create healthy social platform.
Nowadays we look food ingredients, microorganisms, etc. as reasons for disease. It is not wrong but it is not all.

Guidelines provided by the seers like Charaka, Uddlaka or by Lao Tzu take us to the core of the problem. This thinking can change the life. It changes the the meaning of the life for us. It again reflects in actions influencing others life.

Illness especially when it is a small and comparatively limited, we do have time to reflect or introspect. Where I was wrong, what made me sick and for most of the times we know its true answer and we decide that we will not commit the same mistake again. But as soon as the life is back to normalcy we indulge the same mistakes. If those are the occupational problems or they related to age or personal lifestyle, do we ever think, whether we have prepared ourselves for those problems?

If root of illness is occupation then there are some safety measures to be followed. Do we need some exercises to keep us fit or some tool? There is a story, a true story of a saint Ramdas in Maharastra state. He lived in 16th century. He had his abode in a fort about 5000ft above msl. There was a pond as source of water there. But when it was noticed that the concentration of the minerals in the water caused problem for him, it was matter of concern. His disciple Kalyanaswamy used to go down the mountain and bring water from a river. But Ramdas Swamy knew this. He called him and asked him to take food which was more nutritious and his daily work out raised two folds. Then this routine was set which was uninterrupted. Those two brass pots are there in the museum on Sajjangadh near Satara.

In other words If over or no use of sense or motor organs is a part of your job, our body must be prepared that way. Vijay one of my patients expert and a good artist in artificial jewelry succumbed to tuberculosis  at the age 31. He never exercised or took safety measure suggested in the trade. All sports are excessive use of motor organs. But they take enough time and pains for preparing themselves for the sport. One who do not spare time to prepare themselves they are automatically kept out because of unfitness. All good players in various sports pay enough attention to their workouts, food and routine life.

In this world we can not always learn from our own mistakes. These scriptures are written for a common people to understand the deep meaning of the science. If we decide to learn from our own experience then for a doctor, it will be too costly!!

Time factor - A reason for illness

Time is the vital factor

We are looking in to most fundamental reasons of disease. These are the reasons everyone can understand. Ayuerveda is a science for everyone. It is for common people and for scholars also.  Most of the literature is for prevention of a disease.

Till now we looked in to two fundamental reasons: over, no or wrong use of sense and motor organs and deliberate mistake. One more thing we will discuss briefly in this post is ‘time factor’.

Time factor has some sub-factors:

Age:    Age is related to the existence of the body.  There are many changes taking place in the body which are according to age.

            In early age of life disease are due to weak immune system, weak body and vulnerability for infections. In this age degenerative changes are not seen.

            There are certain conditions seen in young age only.  Similarly there is a condition like puberty. In these years boys and girls face different ups and downs mentally and physically. Acne, anorexia nervosa, etc such conditions are seen in peculiar age only. Obesity, PCOD, are the condition which make impact on life, start in young age only.

            There are many conditions which are related to aging. Menopause may be one of the important conditions which affect life very badly. One may say, it is not a disease but some people do need support of doctors and need really an effective management. There are various other conditions in men and women which are old age related.

Season: Season and climatic changes cause changes in the system. These changes induce or trigger some unrest.

            This is the condition which we see commonly in a routine life. Hey fever, Asthma in certain person is seasonal due to pollens and various allergens. But there are seasonal eruptions of diseases. When there is a change in season some get cough, cold, malaise, acidity and disturbances in appetite. Healthy people come out quickly but some people require treatment from a doctor. So the change in climate is an effective cause of disease.

Daily:  Changes in climate in a day also induce changes and some conditions in the body. There are changes in daily climate which may provoke certain disturbances in the body which may affect weak people. They may get cold in morning, burning in afternoon and dry or productive cough at night or early in morning.

            This is how the time factor affects normal body and mind producing diseases which are seen or experience in a time-frame. 
         It is necessary to know how to prevent sickness. Now we will elaborate on, how to use these factors discussed so far to prevent sickness.

Cause of diseases - Deliberate mistake!

Can mistake be deliberate?

Of course yes! We commit such mistakes very regularly. 

The science of life that is Ayurveda mentioned it as an important cause of disease. As we know by now; over, no or wrong utilization of senses, leads to a disturbance in the mind and body.

Many a times we know that certain habits or food produces disturbance in the body leading to disease, still we indulge in; those are known as deliberate mistakes. 

For example, working till late night leads to headache and acidity. Or say, fried food produces acidity. But we are forced to work till late hours and we are, sooner or later a patient of acidity and headache. Night shift workers are regular patients for headaches and acidity. In modern life, working as per timing of other countries, leads to headache. But need of money and a sense of responsibility make you work like that leading to an ailment.

We have fried food because we like the taste. After that we need to consume medicine for acidity. Sometimes we are allergic to certain item or food and we avoid it. But when we feel that a bite will not harm me and we eat it deliberately, resulting in an allergic reaction. 

All occupational hazards are deliberate mistakes only.

These all are the examples of deliberate mistakes, we commit them every day in life. We never reckon them as cause of the unrest in our body.  

We have not trained ourselves to look these conditions as causes of disease. We need look keenly in our life to pick up such mistakes to eradicate them. We can definitely live life without suffering by learning from our own mistakes.

For example, if you are in a party and your friend comes with a perfume which you are allergic to.  Immediately you may start sneezing, running nose and it can trigger even breathlessness. 

Writing ingredients on a wrapper of food articles, knowing contents of a recipe is like avoiding deliberate mistake. Egg proteins trigger allergic reaction in some individuals. But if they read on the wrapper of cake, mistake may be avoided. But when he consumes even after reading or without reading it, is again a mistake for which one has to suffer.  

Such mistakes are committed because of carelessness and greed. To avoid this we have to practice discipline and proper guidelines. This also is known as failure of intellect in Ayurveda.

Health tip: Combining milk or yogurt with fruits and having it regularly can lead to allergic manifestation in a long run. 

Causes of Disease - Sense Organs-Perception and Response

Mind-intelligence-memory- the cause for disease 1.

Sense organs and motor organs are the instruments. Sense organs collect the sensory impulses and the main sense centres in the brain, process the information and issue stimuli to the motor organs to take necessary actions. The order is issued in the brain itself at first place then, the action is ordered to the body part for the implementation. All organs present in the body have their main centres located in the brain. The central nervous system is the main centre, as we know, to organise all actions and perceptions. The mind intelligence complex is a part of this system. Without this nothing works. Function of mind is still a matter of mystery to the science.

Now we will take an example: Ocular function received a sight of a food. Smell sensation sent impulse and mind intelligence complex collects the information. Memory is a part of this system and it recognises the information. Then accordingly stimulates the relevant organ to get the food or to reject the food. Motor system is activated as per need. Again there may be a stimulus for more food or there could be an instruction to stop taking food. But if sensory perception dominates the scene and one keeps demanding more food leading to overeating. This becomes a cause for a disease. Abdominal distention, pain, all are symptoms, may be following after overeating.  In most of the cases overeating on regular basis is the most common cause of diseases.

This is the example for the taste leading to overeating producing indigestion and series of diseases if not controlled in time. 

There may be a situation, other way round. People do not like taste or the sight of the food and they eat less or do not eat at all. This situation also leads to wrong utilisation of sensory-memory-motor complex.

Still there is one more situation which we see in lower socio-economical class. No enough food or food with no nutritive value can be another reason for illness. It is under utilization leading to another class of diseases which may be of degenerative type.

Ayurveda the old and time tested science of life gives two more reasons. They are namely ‘deliberate mistakes’ and the ‘time’.

Can the mistake be deliberate? How time can be a factor to produce disease?

There are simple and useful measures which are useful to maintain the health perfectly. 

Health tip:

Do not have distractions while having food. Chatting, watching TV or movie, listening to a loud music can take away the interest in the food.  You may over eat or eat less than required. Be with yourself while having food.