Thursday, September 14, 2006

Ayurveda Approach To Genital Herpes

Dosha theory which help in diagnosis of the diseases

According to ayurveda three doshas or three energetic forces control the activities of the body. These doshas are 1. Vata 2. Pitta 3. Kapha

VATA: The Vata dosha is the most important of the three doshas. It has been said in ayurveda classic books that “ pitta , Kapha and all other body tissues are considered lame without assistance of VATA .” Vata dominates the lower part of the body, which is below umbilicus. The movements of body fluid, metabolism, elimination of waste products, semen ejaculation, pushing the fetus out of body, relaying stimulus to brain and response to organs and tissues, heart beat, respiration, body movements etc are assisted by VATA.

Vata dominated regions are intestines, lumbar region, ears, bones and skin.

Vata gets vitiated due to following reasons. 1. Controlling natural urges like urination, defecation, hunger, thirst, etc. 2. Late nights. 3. Irregular food habits. 4. Talking in a high pitch. 5. Over physical and mental exertion. 6. Consumption of spicy, dry, bitter foods. 7. Exposure to severe dry and cold climate.

The opposites of above-mentioned reason normalize the vitiated vata.

PITTA: The pitta dosha assists the body fire or Agni, which plays a major role in body’s metabolic activities. The locations where pitta dominates are digestive system, skin, eyes, brain, and blood. Pitta maintains body temperature. The secretions like digestive juices pigments like melanin (bhrajaka pitta), hemoglobin (ranjaka pitta) are all types of pitta.

Pitta is dominant in regions of Umbilicus, stomach, sweat, lymph, blood, eyes and skin.

Vata gets vitiated due to following reasons. 1. Excess consumption of spicy, sour, salty foods. 2. Consuming alcohol in excess. 3. Over exposure to hot sunny climate. 4. Short temperedness. 5. Using dried vegetables. 6. Indigestion of food.

The opposites of above-mentioned reason normalize the vitiated pitta.



KAPHA: Kapha provides bulk to body, lubrications, moistness, fertility, stability, strength, and memory. Helps in binding process wherever necessary. This is heaviest of all doshas.

Kapha dominated regions are chest, neck, head, stomach, body fat, nose and tongue

Kapha gets vitiated due to following reasons. 1. Sleeping in daytime. 2. Consuming sweets , chilled food, in excess. 3. Consuming fish, sesame, sugarcane, milk and milk products.

The opposites of above-mentioned reason normalize the vitiated kapha.

When these doshas are in balanced condition the body remains healthy. If these doshas get imbalanced the body succumbs to diseases. Doshas get imbalanced frequently due to change in climate, seasons, lifestyles, diet etc. The treatment is to bring back the doshas to normalcy and expel the toxin or ama produced during the imbalanced condition.

Causes of Genital Herpes Herpes is caused by a virus the herpes simplex virus (HSV), which belongs to the same family of viruses that cause chickenpox. There are two types of herpes simplex viruses 1. Herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) and mostly causes oral herpes 2. Herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2). And mostly causes genital herpes However, both type-1 and type-2 can occur in the genitals, oral area or both. Due to unhealthy life styles and diet the delicate balance between doshas get disturbed. This disturbs the body fire or Agni. (Agni is the body fire, which is responsible for transformation of one substance to another. It breaks down the food substances, eliminates toxins and wastes, maintains body temperature, and resists the invasion of microbes by maintaining strong body immunity. The body fire, which is assisted by balanced doshas, digests the food completely to form Pakwa Anna rasa (the liquid form of food which is completely digested by digestive enzymes), which is ready to get absorbed by body tissues. According to ayurveda Pakwa Anna Rasa nourishes the body and its components to keep the body devoid of diseases. But when body fire is impaired there will be an incomplete digestion of food forming Apakwa Rasa (indigested food). The indigested food fails to nourish the body components leading to lowered body resistance.)