medicine

Dosha Kapha, Pitta and Vata

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DOSHA KAPHA

So as we already know, Dosha Kapha is the “mucus” in our body. The Human Body relies on this Dosha for the material part of the body, for the adhesion of the molecules and giving them a specific form. This principle/Dosha, works on the levels of cell, molecule, organ and the body as a whole.

Because “mucus” is compound of the elements – Water and Earth, it is cold and slimy formation. The excessive increase of this Dosha leads to accumulation of cold mucus in the body, in the beginning from the top of the body to the diaphragm. The ancient Tibetan recorded that when this Dosha increases excessively in the body the following symptoms will display:

1.The urine will be colorless, with negligible vapor and odor.

2. The tongue and gums white, insipid taste in the mouth.

3. Snot and phlegm in the head and chest, depression, tightness in the chest.

4. Aggravation of mucosal disorders, (in cold, damp weather).

5. Swollen eyelids, eyes whitish.

6. Disturbed appetite, impaired digestion.

7. There is no heat, the body swells, pustules appear on the skin.

8. The kidneys hurt, lower back, joints are inactive, itchy skin.

9. Poor memory, drowsiness, weakness.

DOSHA PITTA

This is the Dosha compound from the elements Water and Fire. It is responsible for the maintenance of the temperature in our body, as well as all the physiological reactions- digestion, metabolism, immunity. e.x. This is “the fire of our own body”, not from an outside source.

The excessive increase of this Dosha in the body leads to accumulation of “heat” in the body. Body temperature rises, the digestion is upset. The symptoms of the excessive increase of Dosha Pitta a

1.The urine is yellow-reddish, with a strong vapor and odor.

2. The tongue is covered with thick coating, sour taste in the mouth.

3. Red-yellow sputum, brackish; thirst

4. Exacerbation of bile disorders

5. Headaches,body burns, dry in the nostrils.

6. Yellow-red clouds in the eyes, sudden cramps.

7. Insomnia at night and during the day can not fall asleep.

8. Sweating, smell

DOSHA VATA

This Dosha is responsible for the circulation in our body. It includes all the multiple paths of movement: airflow during inhalation and exhalation,the quickness of thought processes, the circulation of the blood (sanguimotion), lymph and other liquids, the speed of chemical reactions in the cell and the biological process in general,the removal of feces, urine, mucus and e.x. The best way to express this principle is the abstract concept of movement,”the wind” in our body. We think of a movement when we can see something change location in space, but we don’t see “the moving power” behind it. Because this Dosha is compound of Ether and Air, it has “dry” and “cold” properties. If this Dosha increases excessively in the body:

1. The urine is clear as water, foams, after settling remains clean.

2.The tongue is red, dry and rough, astringent taste in the mouth.

3. Cough with muddy phlegm, constipation.

4. Pain in the lower back, sacrum and the acetabulum, as well as in many other joints pain is observed as from “beating”.

5. Weight loss, dry skin, stabbing pain in the neck, chest and jaw

6. Desire to move, the breath is haltingly, the consciousness is excited.

7. The head goes numb and dizzy, tinnitus, insomnia, tremor and twitching.

So now we know the basic symptoms when the three Doshas are out of balance. Next we will dive into more detailed description of each Constitution and will do a quick quiz to find out our individual constitution.

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What is Dosha and how it is important for The Human Body

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VIJÑĀNA- translated to English as Consciousness, Mind, Life Force, Discernment.

From our own Soul appears vijñāna of the organs.

From Earth – the meat, bones, nose and smell

from Water-blood, the tongue, the sense of taste and moisture

from Fire – the warmth, color, eyes and vision

from Air – the breath, skin and touch

from Space – the openings, ears, the voice, from previous habits-ability for actions. The concourse of these conditions and cause and effect ties, forms the Body.

Chzud-Shi

The ancient Ayurvedic healers, Tibetan, Central Asians, even the Europeans – never started the treatment without determining first the Individual Constitution of the patient. All of them unanimously claim that the Physical Human’s Body is build from 5 elements :

1. Ether (Space)

2. Air

3. Fire

4. Water

5. Earth

So according to the ancient healers and the hypotheses of the modern scientist :

The Element Ether or Space is introduced in the body in the nose, the space in the mouth, in the gastrointestinal tract, in the respiratory ways, the rib cage, capillaries and e.x. The Ether gives the body space for development.

Everything that moves inside the body is governed by the second Element – Air-the movement of the muscles, pulsation of the heart, the expansion and contraction of lungs, the movement of the gastrointestinal tract and the stomach, the nerve impulses, the mental activity.

The Element of Fire inside the Human Body is the metabolism. This Element acts in the digestive system, shows like intellect in the gray matter of the brain cells, is active in the eye’s retina, perceiving the light. The stability of your immune system depends of this Element as well as the activity of the enzymes ( which are responsible for transforming one substances to others).

The Element Water shows in the secretion of the stomach juice, the salivary glands, the blood plasma, the cytoplasm of cells.

The Element of Earth represents the “hard” bodily structures — bones, joints, nails, hair, tendons, muscles and skin.

All 5 Elements are represented in 5 human senses, and through the organs they are connected to the 5 activities:

1.The Ether is associated with the function of hearing. The ear, as the organ of hearing, expresses action through the organ of speech, which gives meaning to human language.

2. Air is related to the sense of touch. The organ is the skin. The hand is transmitting the sense of touch.

3. Fire manifests as heat, light and color — it is connected to the vision. The eye, as the organ of vision, is ruling the walking and its connected to the feet.

4. Water is associated with the organs of taste. The tongue is closely related to the functions of the genitalia (penis, clitoris). In Ayurveda the penis/clitoris is believed to be the “lower tongue,” and the tongue in the mouth — “the higher tongue”. The man in control of his “higher tongue” naturally controls his “lower tongue” or his sexual behavior.

5. Earth is associated with the sense of smell. The nose, the organ of smell, is functionally connected with the work of the anus, the organ of elimination. It is clearly visible in a person that suffers from constipation — his breath is unpleasant as a result, his sense of smell is blunted.

Naturally, the Human Body, as a live organism, can exist only as mutually equilibrated system of 5 Elements. The ancient wise man, explain the phenomena of life by dividing all vital expressions in the organism in three basic vital principles.

– The Elements of Ether and Air, connecting, create “the wind inside your body”-the Ayurvedic term is Dosha Vata.

– The Elements water and Fire create in our body “the bile” or ” the fire in our body” – In Ayurveda – Dosha Pitta.

– The Elements of Earth and Water when connect create in the body “mucus” – Dosha Kapha.

Using only this concepts it is simple to describe the Individual Constitution of the man. Those three Most Important Vital Principles : Dosha Vata, Dosha Pitta and Dosha Kapha –  give us  clear localization of ” The Wind, The Bile and The Mucus” in Human Body.

 

Meditation or Medication?

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meditation

Answering a question depends on the point of view we would like to choose. For a long time the society has been rewarded for living unreflectively – for living an unexamined, inauthentic and superficial life. The ideal of a person as promoted in the media was self-centered, materialistic, anti-intellectual and often driven by sensuality or greed. Today we witness how beneath the distorted value system, the eternal human qualities are being remembered, strengthened, and given the freedom to evolve. We are regaining the power of human relationships, discovering the harmony with our physical environment, colleagues, friends, family, our inner-self and our spirituality.

The knowledge of the realms of mind and body has been wrongly separated for centuries. We were created with a capacity to experience pain, with a certain level of discomfort or “healthy” anxiety. This is our continuing fear of moving through life towards death. Our symptoms have important meaning. The pain is a response to a situation or person that unsettles us. The feeling of being depressed or anxious provides us with a chance to reflect upon ourselves and to change the behavior that brought these emotions to us. If we choose to mask these feelings with medications, we evade the search for the reason behind our unsettledness. We avoid taking responsibility for our relationship with our selves and life.

However, the designer of the Universe felt that our pain is instructive.  It is our gift if we accept it as a loving part of who we are. It is the most invaluable lesson that lies deep inside of each of us.  Everyone discovers the message in his own time, the message of how fragile life is and how brief is our time.

Meditation is a system of practices, that helps people take responsibility for the quality of their thoughts. Meditation practices can help you enter the center of your stillness and serenity, to reach a “zero point”. From this point, you can observe apart the flow of your changing emotions, thoughts and intentions and gradually understand their origin and meaning.

 

In the past, meditation was viewed as spiritual or religious practice. Today more and more people turn to meditation to receive the benefits of deep relaxation, and to handle successfully the psychological and psychosomatic challenges, releasing the accumulated stress in the body.

 

Some psychotherapists believe that meditation and hypnosis are similar states of mind and that the first one is just a part of the second. Electroencephalography or EEG shows that meditation is a more structured state of the consciousness. Hypnosis has different indicators. If it is a quite hypnotic sleep, we will see decreasing or complete disappearance of alpha rhythmic brain activity, reducing the frequency and amplitude of beta rhythm and appearance of delta like slow waves. The recording of the brain’s electrical activity during hypnosis can be like the normal activity when you are awake. The person who is meditating is in a state of a focused concentration and the electrical activity in his brain is as he is ready to fall asleep. These facts are leading us with great curiosity and increasing attention to study the teachings of Yogis. During meditation, they report that their whole body is in a state of deep sleep, and their mind is in a state of a special type of wake.

 

The word “meditation” is from the Latin – meditatio,” is moving to the center”. There is also a version that meditatio comes from meditor– “to think, to contemplate, device, ponder”.  Exactly this is what happens during meditation. Without strain, without applying any kind of effort, you are appearing in the center of yourself.  You are experiencing the feeling of being on a high elevation and observing from it everything that is happening. You can see clearly and distinctly what is important to you and undoubtedly realize it. From this elevated point, you can find out a lot about the person you thought you are or were. You will begin to understand this person’s life scenario, the plot of his destiny. Did his parents reject him?  If this happened, did he allow this situation to influence his life? On the other hand, maybe the mother loved more his older sibling. If that was so, does the youngest continue to compete in order to be the first in the eyes of his mother? Does this person live in fear that life is passing him by? … All this begins to seem to you like a script written for someone else. You notice how old emotional “wounds” start t to heal.

 

Now let us go back to the pharmacology. In the past, the business interests of managed care and the paradigm of biological psychiatry have challenged our society. Today the facts speak for themselves. The power of human mind and consciousness over the human body is not any longer denied. It is common knowledge that the only reason medicines work is because they mimic the natural processes of the body, after the mind gives its permission and faith.

 

How would you answer the question now, from the perspective of knowing that your body has all the recourses to heal and overcome any discomfort? What would you do, knowing that the depression you experience is a gift to show you that you are missing something in your relationships? Your relationship with the physical world, your relationship with others, and your relationship with yourself, with the spiritual world – do you feel any unsettledness there? If yes, smile, because you are alive and given the courage to see a possibility of a greater fulfillment of Life.