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Ulcerative Colitis Management with Ayurveda Treatment
If you are experiencing painful digestive issues, the culprit may be ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease. Perhaps you have already been diagnosed and now you’re looking for relief beyond what conventional medicine offers?
Relief may come from something called Ayurveda treatment. What is it and how can Ayurveda treatment help you take back your life? Here is our overview.
What is Ulcerative Colitis?
As we explained briefly, ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes painful swelling (inflammation) in the digestive tract. If you suffer from UC, you probably experience intense abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
Inflammation is normally not a problem. In fact, it is your body’s way of fighting off infections and disease. With most people, the inflammation goes away once the infection has been defeated. With UC, the inflammation stays in the digestive tract, which ultimately damages the walls of the intestine.
Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis
How can you know if you might have UC? There are a number of symptoms, although they can vary by person.
- Blood in the stool
- Diarrhoea
- Abdominal cramping
- Fatigue
- Reduced appetite
- Weight loss
These symptoms may come and go, with flare-ups and easing as the disease progresses.
What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is defined as a state of balance between the mind, body, and environment. It is a way to become healthier and combat disease by choosing treatment related to specific Ayurvedic body types also called “doshas”.
There are three basic doshas: Vata, Pita, and Kapha. An imbalance of your dosha leads to chronic illnesses like ulcerative colitis. Once you identify and understand your Ayurveda body type, you can take steps to heal chronic health issues.
Your Ayurveda Body Type
If you want to maintain health or combat health issues like ulcerative colitis, you need to become aware of your body type (dosha). Most people have one predominant dosha, with secondary traits of another.
The key to maintaining good health is keeping your doshas in the correct balance. An imbalance leads to illnesses like ulcerative colitis.
Because of the combinations that can occur, there are seven body types, known as prakritis:
- Vata prakriti
- Pitta prakriti
- Kapha prakriti
- Vata Pitta prakriti
- Pitta Kaha prakriti
- Kapha Vata prakriti
- Tridoshaja prakriti
Once you determine your body type, you can better understand what your body needs to stay healthy.
How Ayurveda Can Help Manage Ulcerative Colitis
Ayurvedic medicine uses ancient knowledge and understanding of your unique body composition and dosha (body type) to maintain good health. It can also help you manage even severe conditions such as ulcerative colitis.
Ayurveda offers a holistic approach to determine the cause of disease and recommends methods of achieving balance. Once the balance has been restored, your good health can be restored.
As you learn more about your Ayurvedic body type, you will be equipped for intelligent living by balancing the five components that make up all living things in the universe:
- Akasa = Space
- Vayu = Air
- Teja or Agni = Fire
- Jala or Apa = Water
- Prithvi = Earth
Through intense investigation and understanding, you can detox your body and bring back the balance in order to maintain or regain health. It is not just about determining symptoms and giving you pills to mask them. It is a whole-body experience that can lead to a healthier body, mind, and spirit.
Natural Ayurveda Treatments for Ulcerative Colitis
Ayurveda treatment focuses on natural remedies, detox treatments, healing herbs, and helping your dosha get back into balance in order to promote better health and find relief from ulcerative colitis.
Panchakarma Detox
Panchakarma is one of the most well known Ayurveda treatments. It consists of a five-step detoxification process that incorporates herbal oil massage, cleansing enemas, diet and lifestyle regulations.
The goal is to eliminate toxins, control inflammation, and stabilize your immune system. Ultimately, the treatment will help rebalance your doshas to promote healing of ulcerative colitis (and other health conditions.)
Panchakarma Therapies
Let’s go over the main elements of Panchakarma and explain how they can help you regain your health.
Vasti or Basti Enema is designed to restore the Vata dosha. Vata is the force that eliminates waste from your body via the large intestine or colon. The goal of Vasti is to “reset” your colon so you have normal bowel movements again.
Virechana or Herbal Purgation helps cleanse the small intestine and Pitta organs like the liver, gall bladder, and pancreas. It eliminates toxins and excess acidic and inflammatory secretions. This helps restore normal bowel movements.
Sirodhara helps provide mental and emotional support. The treatment involves pouring liquids such as oil or buttermilk with herbal decoctions over the forehead. This promotes relaxation and improves mental stress and anxiety.
Diet and Lifestyle Changes
Another element of your healing will incorporate diet and lifestyle changes that will bring your body back into balance. The Ayurvedic diet is highly personalized as it is based on your body type.
Specifically, it recommends certain foods you should eat or avoid in order to promote better health.
For example:
- Pitta dosha – Focuses on cooling, energizing foods while limiting spices, nuts, and seeds
- Vata dosha – Focuses on warm, moist foods while limiting dried fruit, bitter herbs, and raw vegetables
- Kapha dosha – Focuses on fruits, vegetables, and legumes while limiting nuts, seeds, and oils
All three “plans” limit red meat, artificial sweeteners, and processed foods or ingredients. Above all, Ayruredic diets stress the importance of eating whole foods.
Treating Your Ulcerative Colitis the Ayurvedic Way
We can help you uncover your Ayurveda body type and examine your lifestyle in order to solve issues like ulcerative colitis and other chronic health conditions.
We offer the following Ayurvedic treatments in Melbourne:
- Individualized consultations
- Dosha (body type) assessment
- Prescriptions of Ayurvedic herbs
- Lifestyle and health improvement advice
- Diet management to help boost your immune system
- Yoga practice
- Panchakarma detoxification treatments
Be sure to look at our other treatment services related to women’s, hair/skin, mental, respiratory, and orthopedic/rheumatoid health. Make an appointment for a consultation today so you can regain balance and return to good health.