As I have mentioned in the past, our body is highly intelligent and has a natural ability to heal itself but the problem is we come in its way.

Our minds and body are connected. As soon as we experience feelings of stress or threat in our mind, our body feels adrenaline rush, levels of stress hormones rise and blood rushes to large muscle groups putting us in flight or fight mode. This proves that there is constant communication between our bodies and our mind. Also, all our cells and organs communicate internally by sending and receiving signals. Hence it is highly important while treating any disease that we look into all the aspects like mind, body, spirit, and environment to identify the causes of disruption.

Modern medicine has answers to some of our problems like acute inflammation caused due to any infection or broken bone or injuries due to an accident to name a few but it has failed us in many cases where the disease is due to chronic inflammation. There is a huge difference between acute inflammation and chronic inflammation. Acute inflammation is for a short period, its purpose is to heal the part of the body and it subsides once the job is done. It is good for our body but when our body is in a constant state of stress at the cellular level, we experience chronic inflammation which is not good for our health.

Don’t get me wrong but modern medicine does not have answers to diseases related to chronic inflammation or diseases occurring due to poor lifestyle choices. Whenever I see an advertisement for any prescription drug, it has more side effects than benefits. The height of insanity is that the side effect of an antidepressant drug is an increase in suicidal thoughts. It is highly saddening that modern medicine has no knowledge about the food industry while the food industry does not care about our health. There is a huge disconnection between the two. Medical colleges do not teach about the role of proper nutrition or the role of our environment in maintaining our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

As modern medicine has failed us in several ways, several doctors are turning to functional medicine or integrative medicine for answers. Ayurveda is an important component of integrative medicine. Ayurveda is the world’s most sophisticated mind-body health system developed thousands of years prior to modern medicine by the sages of India. Ayurveda is the science of life and instead of just treating symptoms of any illness, it addresses the root cause of the illness. It focuses on improving the health of mind, body, spirit, and environment so that we can experience our fullest potential by achieving a state of optimal well-being.

Our immune system a sophisticated intelligent mechanism and is our body’s defense mechanism towards any harmful invaders. In a natural state of wellbeing, it does not constantly remain in overdrive mode. A response from our immune system is only triggered when it senses a threat by harmful invaders. An autoimmune disorder occurs when our immune system does not see the difference between a harmful foreign body and our own cells. According to Ayurveda, the majority of autoimmune disorders are the result of chronic inflammation which is caused due to accumulation of toxins in our body produced by our poor lifestyle choices. If we have a healthy metabolism, our body will produce vital energy (Ojas) from whatever we consume through our five senses. When our body is not able to properly metabolize the food we eat, liquids we intake and the experiences we encounter it produces toxins ( Ama). Toxins are created in our body due to several reasons like poor diet, consumption of junk food full of artificial colors, preservatives, artificial flavors and chemicals, consumption of sugar and unhealthy fats, consumption of processed food, lack of sleep, synthetic chemicals, poorly digested food, environmental stress and fatigue, pollution, anxiety, negativity, etc. ( Click here to learn more about how to have a healthy metabolism.)

No matter how careful we are, our body will produce some toxins on a daily basis which we eliminate as waste through sweat, urine, and stool but when these toxins are produced in access, they start blocking the channels of elimination. When don’t change our habits, we are producing toxins at a faster rate than our body can eliminate. Slowly and slowly they find a weak spot in our body and start accumulating there. Our immune system views these toxins as a threat and gets activated. These toxins also weaken our immune system and as these toxins have accumulated in our tissues and organs our immune system attacks that part of our body. As prevention is better than cure, the best way to deal with this problem is to prevent by making a lifestyle change but if someone already has started experiencing this problem, it is important that they keep their immune system calm. ( Click here to learn more about how to have a healthy immune system)

The issue has to be addressed at all levels and the person must work on their physical well-being, emotional well-being, and spiritual well-being. One can work on their physical well-being by eating foods to balance their Dosha (Click here to learn more about Ayurvedic diet and balancing Dosha),  by doing a detox, changing their diet, incorporating gentle exercises, abhyanga ( message), dry brushing to remove toxins, etc. and at the same time incorporate meditation, practice self-love to achieve emotional wellbeing and efficiently manage stress. On a spiritual level, autoimmune diseases are similar to self-criticism. A perfectionist is prone to Self-criticism. It is important to understand that no human being is perfect. Yes, we should strive to get better every day but we will never become perfect. Here meditation and learning to love and accept yourself as well as others the way we/they are will help a lot. Feel free to read previous blogs on self-love and meditation.

Wishing you all a long healthy, happy and happening life. Feel free to contact, if you want to improve your wellbeing.