Treatment by Diet and Lifestyle
According to Ayurveda being healthy and happy is a birthright of each and every human being and Ayurveda has talked a lot about how a fellow can remain healthy for the whole life. Most of the diseases which affect humankind are the result of the wrong dietary habits and following a wrong lifestyle. So it becomes obvious for Ayurveda to discuss healthy Dietary and lifestyle management. If a fellow is taking proper care about what to eat, how to eat and what to do what not to do; surely he can prevent most of the diseases. Healthy Dietary habits and lifestyle changes are similarly beneficial for a diseases fellow also. These will help in recreating harmony among the different parts of the body and calm down the aggravated Doshas which are the root cause for all the diseases.
In many conditions like- Ayurveda treatment for IBS, diet helps in all cases.
The Role of Diet in Health
Dietary and lifestyle interventions are initiated according to the aggravated Doshas and the physical and psychological constitution of a person; these interventions are accompanied by spiritual nurturing, removing the cause of the health problem (most of the times it is stress and worry – as per Ayurveda each and every health problem has a psychological element involved with it), exercise, and yoga practice. Diet and lifestyle both are helpful to establish balance in one’s constitution. It also regularizes a person’s biological clock
As far as the dietary modifications are concerned, the diet would include oils, butter, and sweet food when there is an aggravation of the Vata Dosha. These foods will alleviate the inherent dryness and roughness associated with the Vata Dosha. When there is Kapha dominance in the bio constitution of the fellow or the disease is because of the Kapha aggravation, the diet would include bitter, sour, vinegary, spicy, dry food. These foods are opposite to the Kapha Dosha. These will ignite the digestive power and improve digestion. If Pitta disturbs, the diet would include mild-tasting food, grains, lentils, and moderate amounts of sweets and oils.
How to Plan a diet
Besides planning for diet in this way; at a certain time (especially when the digestive fire is low) the concerned fellow should not to eat and drink anything.
It is something like that the fire will suppress due to too much of the ashes over the burning woods.
When we blow the air over it the fire will again aggravate. In the same way when an Ayurveda physician advises for fast, actually he is asking to remove the toxins which are suppressing the digestive fire.
By fasting, we are giving a rest to the digestive system and as a result, it can rebuild itself. This is the reason Ayurveda always recommends taking the meal only when the previous meal digests well.
Along with a proper diet a healthy lifestyle is also very important to maintain health and also to enhance the effect of treatment. Ayurveda strongly recommends that everyone should have a regular sleeping schedule, about 8 hours of sleep each night, rising early in the morning; do regular exercise, and eat breakfast and engage in other dietary recommendations according to seasons.
When we treat Asthma with Ayurveda, we take care that your diet should not increase the phelgm (Kapha). But it never means that we will aggravate the Pitta and Vata. This applies in all diseases.
Besides proper sleep exercise especially yoga and breathing exercises; and sunbathing are also necessary for a healthy life. It is important that some appropriate form of Yoga should be practised regularly according to one’s Dosha constitution. The concept behind Yoga Asanas and Pranayama according to your Doshas is simply to re create harmony among your Doshas physically as well as psychologically. So Dietary Management and healthy lifestyle will benefit you maintaining in complete health – which is the aim of Ayurveda.
