Ayurveda - Unraveling the mystery of Fibromyalgia
By Dr Partap Chauhan
An excerpt from Dr Chauhan's lecture:
The term, 'Fibromyalgia', is an amalgamation of connective tissues ('fibro'), muscles ('my') and pain ('algia'). As the very name suggests, this chronic disorder is characterized by musculoskeletal pain and localized tenderness in the neck, spine, shoulder and hip region.
The associated symptoms include, fatigue, disturbed sleep patterns, morning stiffness, sensitivity to light, noise and cold, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), premenstrual tension syndrome, restless leg syndrome and what is known as 'fibrofog'—a psychological condition comprising anxiety, depression, memory loss and mental haziness.
According to the National Fibromyalgia Research Association, it is estimated that some seven to 10 million Americans are afflicted with this disorder—of which women, primarily of childbearing age, are 20 times more susceptible! Fibromyalgia also affects children, the elderly and men.
Conventional medicine does not have any definitive pathogenesis to offer for this mysterious medical condition. However, theories based on recent research suggest that in all cases, some 'triggering incident'—such as physical or emotional trauma, or overexertion, repetitive stress, sleep deprivation or a combination of all these—have tended to throw the body system off track. With no clear pathogenesis,
conventional medical treatment is focused on alleviation of symptoms of pain and sleeplessness, rather than on the disorder as a whole.
Ayurveda, on the other hand, makes use of five tools, known as the nidan panchak, to identify this disease. These five are:
1. Nidan (Etiology)
2. Purvarupa (Presymptoms)
3. Rupa (Symptoms)
4. Upshaya (Diagnosis) and
5. Samprapti (Pathogenesis)
The root cause of fibromyalgia, according to Ayurveda, is an increase in the mental qualities of rajas and tamas in the mind. The reasons for increase in rajas and tamas are several. They are primarily mental but can be physical as well. These include:
• Work, family, social pressures, stress of a modern lifestyle, emotional trauma
• Disturbance in sleep patterns. Sleep is considered the diet of the soul.
• Improper diet (preservatives/chemicals in food, junk food, leftovers).
• Physical trauma, repetitive stress, over exertion can also be factors.
Note that all these are very similar to the researched 'trigger events' of conventional medicine. Etiology is primarily to do with the mind. In Ayurvedic terms, these symptoms correspond to an increase in the Ayurvedic body energy of vata dosha, which is caused by an increase in rajas and tamas.
Having established that fibromyalgia is basically a vata disease, Ayurvedic treatment focuses on the following points:
• Increasing sattva,
• Pacifying vata dosha and balancing other doshas,
• Enhancing jathargani or the body's digestive fire, and
• Increasing ojas, which is the body's defense mechanism.
For more information on Ayurveda and it benefits please contact:
Kaviraj Partap S. Chauhan (Cyber Vaidya)
Director, Jiva Ayurvedic Research Institute