What Triggers Diseases in Ayurveda?

Have you ever wondered why we fall sick? What triggers ailments and other major diseases in our body? In our previous articles, we studied about the Doshas in our body – Vata, Pitta and Kapha. We enlightened you about the destruction that can be caused when these doshas are imbalanced. We also told you how different seasons effects the doshas, and in turn, the body and mind. But according to Ayurveda, the basic reason behind any sort of imbalance in our system is because we are not in harmony with ourselves.

The ancient Ayurvedic text, Charaka Samhita, which is one of the early texts of Ayurveda, lists the reasons why we accumulate “Ama” or toxins. It states that the reason diseases are triggered could be either external or internal.

Our body is made up of the same Doshas that is prevalent in the cosmos; hence our body is in sync with our external environment. Our body gives out specific signals when out of balance and when we go against the signals given out by our body and misinterpret our environment, that’s when we fall weak and deal with mental and physical imbalance.

Ayurveda believes that disharmony at any level among the Doshas - Agni, Dhatus, Malas, sense organs or mind, could result to severe diseases and ailments. Our body is naturally capable of recouping from minor disturbances, but when we abuse our body by disobeying the external and internal signals, we give rise to major diseases like heart attacks, kidney failure, obesity, cholesterol or other psychological disorders.

Ayurveda talks about three universal reasons for ailments and diseases:

• Praganya Aparadham: “Apradham” or mistake that is committed in spite of knowing the consequences is something Ayurveda disapproves of and believes to be the cause of any severe disease.

For example: We know that consumption of alcohol is injurious to health and can affect our body in many ways, but we still consume it anyway.

• Asadhme Indriyartha Samyoga: We all know that we 5 senses - touch, smell, sight, taste and the ability to hear. It is these senses that help us stay connected to the external environment. But if these senses are exposed wrongly, it can cause weaknesses or diseases. This generally affects the vision.

For example: When we read under dim light, we tend to strain our eyes. Similarly, when we watch TV or stare at the computer screen for too long, we are overexposed to light which again affects our eyesight.

• Parinama: Parinama means evolution. It refers to the diseases or ailments that are caused due to ageing. As we age, the efficiency of our metabolism is lost and our power to recoup from minor diseases is also minimal, which gives rise to severe ailments.

So now, we know the three main triggers in Ayurveda that can cause diseases, hence we should make sure that we do not ignore the internal and external signals. A healthy lifestyle and diet helps us prevent diseases, but the diseases caused due to ageing are external and seldom be controlled. So in our next post, we will talk about how we can cure or prevent these diseases… till then, keep following us!