Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional GI disorder characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel habits in the absence of specific and unique organic pathology. In ayurveda the disease is called Grahini as it occurs due to dysfunction of Grahini kala. The main function of the grahini kala is to retain food until digestion. Due to improper dietary habits and lifestyle, over anxiety, depression and other psychological behaviours digestive fire decreases leading to indigestion. The undigested food leads to toxin formation which disturbs the function of grahini kala. Thus leading to passage of digested as well as undigested faecal matter. The feacal matter may be loose or constipated.
According to Ayurveda, psyche and physical fitness are interdependent. Stress causes GI disturbance or vice versa or it coexists, breaking the vicious cycle Stressà GI disturbanceàStressà GI disturbance is the treatment
Symptoms of IBS
1. alternative constipation and diarrhea
2. thirst, anorexia, excessive salivation,
3. joint pain , heaviness in body
4. fever, vomiting
5. eructations with metallic and foul smell
6. burning sensations during defeacation
Four bowel patterns may be seen with irritable bowel syndrome. These patterns include the following:
- IBS-D (diarrhea predominant)
- IBS-A(alternative diarrhea and constipation)
- IBS-C (constipation predominant)
- IBS-M (mixed diarrhea and constipation)
Management of IBS at SukhAyurveda
1) Detoxify
IBS starts when accumulated toxins begin to disrupt functions of digestive system. We at SukhAyurveda provide natural recommendations to remove and help prevent toxin accumulation from:
- Hard-to-digest food
- Poor digestion
- Poor elimination
- Mental and physical stress
SukhAyurveda Detox Therapies for IBS
The most powerful treatments for removing toxins are the SukhAyurveda Detox Therapies. These treatment programs may include Abhyangam massage, Herbal bun (pottali) massage, purgation and mild herbal enema. These treatments are given in combination according to the patients’ constitution and disease. These create the ideal internal physical environment for healing.
SukhAyurveda Detox Therapies address the problem of toxin accumulation by systematically:
- Loosening impurities that have become embedded in tissues and helping liquiefy them for easy absorption into the circulation and eventual elimination.
- Softening and opening the channels of circulation and elimination so proper nourishment can reach the tissues and impurities can be more easily eliminated from them.
- Activating the elimination process for the most thorough cleansing of the entire physiology.
2) Proper Nutrition
SukhAyurveda Consultant provides detailed understanding of which foods to favor and avoid for your condition. Avoid foods that are hard-to-digest (like milk, caffeine, pulses like kidney bean, etc) clogging to the physiology and aggravating to the doshas(functioning modes) that are already imbalanced in you. Favor foods that are easy-to-digest, nourishing, cleanse the physiology, strengthen digestion and balance your body's inner intelligence. Buttermilk should be used instead of milk with added salt, black pepper, and roasted cumin seeds to improve digestion.
3) Creating Strong Digestion
Our ability to properly digest food is as important as what specific food we eat. Incompletely digested foods create toxins and impurities that are eventually absorbed, travel throughout the physiology, localize in tissues and disrupt their functioning. This process plays a major role in IBS
SukhAyurveda Consultant provides recommendations for strengthening digestion including information in the following areas:
- Proper use of spices and cooking oils.
- Herbal preparations for improving digestion.
- Important differences between breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- A simple system to determine a balanced diet.
- Digestion-enhancing foods to favor.
- Digestion-depressing foods to reduce.
- Eating behavior for maximum digestion.
- Proper food combinations to avoid indigestion.
- Non-dietary regiments to improve digestive strength including exercise, specific Yoga asanas and breathing techniques.
Ayurveda herbs
Their purpose is to restore balance to the doshas(specific functioning modes) whose malfunctioning is causing your condition. SukhAyurveda Consultant selects the appropriate herbal formulas for improving the function of grahini kala, strengthening digestion and helping the body purify itself of toxins.
Traditional Ayurveda theory says that herbs are most effective after a person completes a Detox program. The cleansing and rejuvenation treatments are the main focus at SukhAyurveda. Once cleansing program is finished, maximum benefits are achieved from herbal program.
5) Stress Management
Excessive mental, emotional and physical stress can worsen the symptoms of IBS. This is due to hormonal changes and other biochemical responses to stress that can imbalance the nervous system and depress the healing ability of the body.
Enhancing the body's ability to recover from stress is an integral part of our approach to health and well-being. The following programs help reverse the body's response to stress:
- Destress Ayurvedic Massges like shirodhara, takardhara, Ksheeradhara, Abhyangam or pizhichil
- Yoga asana, Pranayam, Meditation
6) Lifestyle and Daily Routine
One of the most important factors for maintaining healthy functioning is to have a lifestyle that does not disturb natural bodily rhythms. When we eat, sleep and exercise in constantly fluctuating and disturbing patterns, the body loses its natural balancing cycles and cannot cleanse or heal itself as effectively. Therefore, regularity in our daily routine can be extremely effective in reducing physiological imbalance at the basis of IBS.
SukhAyurveda Consultants reviews daily routine and creates a daily schedule that will increase balance in physiology and aid in healing of the body.
7) Yoga
SukhAyurveda considers Yoga as a non-dietary regiment to improve digestive strength, circulation, nervous system function, the body's healing response.
We offer Yoga classes every day and teach simple but profound set of postures that you can practice daily. For IBS we recommend
1. Vajarasana
2. Supta-veerasana
3. Pitta-vardhak mudra
Pranayam & Meditation are also advised for their psychosomatic benefits of restful alertness in mind and body.
8) Strengthening the Body's Natural Healing and Self-Repair Mechanisms
Ultimately every treatment approach must depend on the body's natural healing ability for a real cure of the condition. SukhAyurveda approach is not to attack the disorder with something from the outside, like drugs or surgery, but to attempt to enliven the innate healing response of the body.
The healing response is one of the most complex and coordinated activities within the human physiology and often cannot be strengthened significantly without a comprehensive natural approach.
Taken together, all the SukhAyurveda programs described above aim to create the ideal mental, physical and behavioral environment for healing.
Happy Ayurveda!
