Six Stages of Disease, Part 2
In this series, we are examining the insidious and progressive nature of poor health. Most of us know that, in order to have good health, we must eat right, have proper digestion and elimination, and receive appropriate rest.
In this article we’ll see how our bodies are able to transform what we take in via our senses into the precious tissues that make up our body-mind. It’s surprising how, even when we eat a very unhealthy diet, the heart keeps beating, the lungs breath, the muscles move our bones, and the organs continue their tasks.
Let’s dive into Ayurveda a bit more to see how some of the subtle shifts we barely notice can contribute to our health’s decline. Then we’ll be more prepared to understand and implement some shifts to move toward health and vitality.
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Attaining Good Health: More than just a healthy diet
We last left off in Part 1 with a brief description of the doshas Vata, Pitta, Kapha. Agni was introduced as a positive digestive fire and Ama as the toxic residue left over from unprocessed food and experience.
As discussed in Part 1, Ayurvedic principles are applicable to more than just a good diet as a way to experience health. It’s true that undigested food may result in a stomachache or acid reflux, undigested emotions can lead to problems in our work life or in relationships with others.
We may accumulate more possessions than we need or can use. This leads to clutter and creates stress and overwhelm in our environment and minds, both unhealthy states. Collectively, these undigested, unprocessed, and accumulated substances or events leave us with a sticky residue is called ama.
It is apparent through these examples, Ayurveda addresses much more than just a way of eating to attain good health. Like the sister science of Yoga, Ayurveda addresses the mind and the spirit as well as the physical functions of the body.
Next we’ll examine the seemingly magical way a properly functioning body-mind develops healthy tissues.
Properly Balanced Tissues - Dhatus
Proper nourishment of tissues or dhatus as addressed in the Ayurvedic texts, are essential for optimal health.
The tissues that make up our body develop from and are influenced by digestion and metabolism. Sensory impressions received from our five senses along with whatever we consume all contribute to the development of healthy or unhealthy tissues.
The concept of mindfulness is important to consider as we examine how and what we take into our bodies to satisfy our hunger, both literally and figuratively.
The Seven Tissues
Both science and Ayurveda speak of the regeneration of cells. Cellular regeneration is important because in this process we can repair damaged tissue after an injury, for example. Studies in regeneration to restore human function and potentially extend the life of the human body are hopeful.
Regenerative medicine is not a new concept. Long before Ponce de Leon's fabled search for the fountain of youth, interest in the body's innate ability of restoration has held attention in healing traditions. Ancient civilizations cultivated the foundation of medicine rooted in spiritual practices as well as observation and experimentation, and the practices continue to evolve.
According to Ayurveda, there are seven tissues, each formed successively from the food we consume. The seven tissues are plasma (rasa), blood (rakta), muscle (mamsa), adipose (meda), bone (asthi), marrow/nerve (majja), and lastly, reproductive (shukra).
Digestion and metabolism of our intake progressively moves through each of the stages of development of our tissues leading up to the most important tissue that allows for procreation of the next generation of humans.
If our tissues are blocked from natural flow due to excess waste products, our systems have to work double and triple time to metabolize properly. Can you see how taxing this could be on our systems? Eventually, this may lead to early symptoms that something is just not right in the body.
But poor diet is not the only influence on health.
What else is needed for health?
Last but by no means least, health is attained by ensuring the soul, senses, and mind (atma, indriya, and mana) are blissful and peaceful. Only then is health revealed. In the time of the rishis (sages, wise men) the causes of stress and dis-ease were much different but the result is the same.
According to the ancient text, the Sushruta Samhita on which (in part) Ayurveda is based, a well person will have a balanced nature, good digestive abilities, healthy tissues, good elimination, proper functioning body processes, and happiness in mind, soul, and senses.
Continual exposure to stress without the ability to process it causes poor health, chronic disease, and suffering. The Mayo Clinic confirms that unrelenting stress without allowing the body time to reset to the rest and relaxation state will, without a doubt, cause anxiety, depression, digestive disturbance, heart disease, sleep problems, weight gain, and/or memory and concentration impairment (Mayo, 2015).
Hopefully, you can see the importance of ensuring your food intake, the experience of emotions, and our living/working environment are health-promoting – even more so now than before you began to consider the effect of diet and lifestyle from an Ayurvedic perspective.
In the next article in this series, find out more about the Ayurvedic Model of Health and Ayurvedic Therapy.
Ready to learn more? Enroll in the Wisdom of Ayurveda Course.
