The human body is a marvel in itself. Our bodies can protect themselves from the most serious of diseases and viruses. During the covid pandemic, many people were able to survive covid thanks to a healthy functioning immune system. This gatekeeper of the human body kills foreign cells however sometimes it can attack the healthy cells instead. What results is an auto-immune disease.
Institutes such as MAMC take care in educating students on the different ways to build up a strong immune system. Students at these BAMS colleges in Bhopal also learn about auto-immune diseases, their symptoms, and how to treat them using Ayurveda. Some of their learnings have been stated, in brief, below.
Auto-Immune Diseases
Auto-immune diseases occur when the immune system of an individual starts attacking the body. In the normal state, the immune system protects the body against bacteria and unknown viruses. The immune system with cells destroys these viruses before they can cause any more harm.
Individuals who suffer from autoimmune diseases have the opposite process occurring in the body. The immune system mistakes the body’s healthy cells for foreign agents and starts attacking them. Some areas that are affected, as a result, are the skin and the joints. In some patients, the immune system also affects just specific organs.
There are over 80 different types of auto-immune diseases. Alopecia where patients suffer excessive hair loss, hepatitis of the liver, and type 1 diabetes where the immune system attacks the pancreas are some common examples.
What Causes Auto-Immune Diseases?
There is no known reason that doctors and scientists know of as to why auto-immune diseases occur. However, some people are pre-disposed to getting the disease. Certain ethnicities also witness greater occurrences of auto-immune diseases. Other reasons such as environmental pollution can also trigger the auto-immune disease. Stated below are some other reasons for auto-immune disease.
- Certain medications like blood pressure and antibiotics can cause side effects that activate such diseases.
- Smokers have a higher chance to get auto-immune diseases at certain points in their lives.
- If a patient has already suffered from an auto-immune disease in the past, there is a higher risk of contracting it again.
- Individuals who are exposed to toxins due to work or otherwise stand to get an auto-immune disease.
- Numerous studies have also shown more females than males can get an auto-immune disease.
- People with weight issues particularly those who are obese can also get auto-immune diseases.
Symptoms of Auto-Immune Disease
The symptoms of auto-immune disease differ greatly from the type of disease and part of the body that is affected. There is also a period of remission where the symptoms do not show up and start again after some time. There are, however, some common symptoms one must keep an eye out for-
- Fatigue
- Hair Loss
- Skin Rash
- Fever Of Low Temperature
- Concentration Difficulty
- Muscle Ache
- Numbness In Feet And Arm
Ayurveda and Auto-Immune Diseases
Ayurveda is a holistic medication and health system in practice for decades in India. Ayurveda considers all aspects of an individual to cure different diseases and illnesses. From diet, exercise, meditation and also yoga, a complete Ayurveda plan can include it all. It considers all human beings to be a combination of five elements namely, Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Space. When combined they make up three doshas, Vata, Kapha and Pitta. The dosha of a human being determines that mental disposition and the physical state and must be considered for any kind of treatment.
Ayurveda’s view of autoimmune diseases is slightly different from the medical view. Ayurveda says that if the immune system is attacking the healthy cells, there must be an underlying reason for it. It must be doing so to defend itself from harmful metabolites. Other external reasons such as heavy pollutants, chemicals, poor digestive fire and drugs made with harmful ingredients could be some reasons for this attack. Therefore, it is necessary to go the root cause of the disease and treat it.
How Ayurveda Treats Auto-Immune Diseases
Ayurveda has several recommendations that can lead to preventing and curing auto-immune diseases. Stated below are some of the chief recommendations that most Ayurvedic professionals at Ayurvedic college in Bhopal recommend to their patients.
- Toxins: Toxins, also called Ama, must be avoided at all costs in Ayurveda. These toxins build up within us and can cause blockages and cause other detrimental effects. The toxins play a major role in blocking the Agni or metabolic fire in our bellies. Soon after indigestion occurs and other diseases. For these reasons and more, Ayurveda has many detoxifying treatments such as massages and also panchakarma. Additionally, consuming herbs like maricha, hingu, haritaki, pippali and shunthi help in removing toxins too.
- Fermented Foods: Ayurveda recommends avoiding fermented dishes. It believes that regular consumption of fermented foods can lead to the accumulation of toxins. These dishes also lead to the blockage of different channels in our bodies and prevent them from functioning at full capacity. However, depending on one’s dosha, certain fermented foods could be recommended for consumption such as yoghurt. To be safe, one must always consult an expert at an Ayurvedic college and hospital for a personalized health care plan.
- Taking Care of Metabolism: The next step to correcting auto-immune diseases is to correct the metabolism. Poor diets, hectic lifestyles, and lack of proper sleep and of exercise can lead to poor metabolism in human beings. Ayurvedic suggestions for optimum metabolism will not just lead to weight loss but also ensure all body processes are working properly. To boost metabolism, try to include ginger, triphala and pepper in dishes. Drinking warm water over cold water and maintaining healthy sleep timings will also help.
- Ojus: Ojus is a concept that is unique only to Ayurveda. It is described as the meeting point of physical, mental and spiritual health. Ayurveda states that ojus is a liquid in our bodies that is quantifiable. The ojus is responsible for good health and liveliness. People are healthy and there is less chance of contracting diseases with good ojus. Increasing ojus production is a major step toward correcting auto-immune diseases. This can be done through a proper diet. Eating rich foods like ghee and milk along with the regular practice of yoga and prayers is a must.
- Correcting the Immune System: Last but not least is the heart of our article, the immune system and how to correct it using Ayurveda. All the measures stated above would go to waste if there is not a strong immune system to support them. These treatments also contribute to a healthy immune system. Including amalakhai, bahera, ghriya, haritaki and dadim are some household items that aid the immune system in functioning as it should.
Auto-immune diseases are a difficult journey for patients. Not only is the diagnosis hard so is its treatment. Before venturing out on the Ayurveda journey to treat auto-immune diseases one should keep in mind to not expect miracles. Instead, be positive regardless of the outcome and always consult certified Ayurvedic practitioners only.
