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Ayurvedic approach to Acne

Ayurvedic Understanding of Acne



Increasing levels of pollution, erratic schedules, and unhealthy eating habits have given rise to a host of issues for us humans. And, as our skin functions as a mirror of our inner health, bad health does reflect out on our face. It is said that healthy and lustrous skin that is slightly oily indicates good immunity. Discoloured, dry, or inflamed skin signifies poor resistance to diseases.

Plasma is a pigment that the skin reflects. Ayurveda describes plasma as Rasa Dhatu. This is the first tissue produced from the food we digest, and it mirrors the overall nutrition and health.

These factors make it important for individuals to take good care of their skin ensuring lasting good health.

Acne is one of the most common skin diseases that is first indicated by the presence of pimples on the skin. To improve this condition, it is vital to first understand what acne is.

The sebaceous gland in the skin is responsible for the oily substance - sebum - which lubricates the skin. Acne is a condition that affects these oil glands and skin follicles.

These glands are concentrated towards the face, upper neck, and chest areas which are most affected by acne.

Like with other diseases, Ayurveda takes a holistic approach to treating Acne. It does not just treat the superficial symptoms but goes to the root and treats it there.

Heal Your Acne From The Inside-out With Ayurveda


Acne is an all too common yet unpredictable skin problem. The typical response that a person has to acne is despair at its unsightly appearance. The next response is to treat acne with topical ointments. Ayurveda looks at all health issues holistically. The whole body is involved in any manifestation of a health issue and Ayurveda treats it as such. So, instead of treating only the acne site, ayurvedic treatment for acne goes right to the root cause of the problem.

Ayurveda defines each human as a unique balance of the elements. The five elements or Pancha Maha Bhootas are earth, fire, water, air, and space. Each human body is composed of these elements in a unique balance. Ayurveda also defines three Doshas; Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Every person has these three factors in a unique balance too. The excess or deficiency of these Doshas causes different health issues. Ideally, a healthy person has these Doshas in balance.

Another important factor that affects health according to Ayurveda is the Agni or digestive fire in a person. When digestion and metabolism are good, there is no metabolic waste generated. The metabolic waste formed when the Agni is weak is called Ama. This Ama penetrates all the Dhatus or tissues of the body. Rasa (plasma), Rakta (blood), Lasika (lymph), and Mamsa (muscle) Dhatus are all closely linked to skin issues. The more severe the problem the more Dhatus are involved.

Ayurvedic doctors study the skin of a person in order to ascertain their health. When a person has all the Doshas in good balance and is healthy the skin will indicate it. A healthy person has a glow of good health on their skin. Similarly, the imbalance of the Doshas can also be studied by looking at the nature of the blemishes on the skin. These factors are then linked with the definition of the nature of each Dosha.

Vata Dosha is a dry and airy Dosha and when it is imbalanced the skin may get dry and there is pain or prickling in any blemishes. Pitta is hot and fiery in nature. When acne is caused by Pitta it is visibly coppery and red in color. It is also oozing in severe cases. This red inflamed acne is one of the most common types of acne problems. Kapha is a cold and heavy Doshs that causes skin problems that are both itchy and oily.

The metabolic waste Ama affecting the skin causes acne and skin discoloration. ayurvedic medicine for pimples and marks helps treat the problem from within the body. Ayurveda recommends that a person keep the digestive fire at its optimum levels to support digestion. Food and diet habits to avoid the formation of Ama and balance the Doshas are essential to avoid inflammation and irritation of the skin. A has essential herbal ingredients that aid in the detoxification of the body and removing Ama. Ayurvedic medicine is to be taken internally as well as applied externally. Topically applied Ayurveda pimple treatment helps fight the inflammation and infection at the site and improve the appearance of the skin.

Ayurveda is an ancient medicine system of the Indian subcontinent. It is said to have originated in India about 5000 years back. The word Ayurveda is a conjugation of two Sanskrit words ‘ayu’, meaning 'life' and ‘veda’, meaning 'science', thus Ayurveda literally means the 'science of life'. Unlike other medicinal systems, Ayurveda focuses more on healthy living than the treatment of diseases. The main concept of Ayurveda is that it personalizes the healing process. We treat the individual and not the disease.


According to Ayurveda, the human being is composed of 4 Components - The Physical Body, The Meta Physical Mind, The 5 Sense organs and the Eternal Soul. The 5 Sense organs connect the Physical Body with Mind.





What Makes Ayurveda unique?


  • It respects the uniqueness of the individual (Our Fingerprints are not same)

  • It considers all the levels of the individual – body, mind, and spirit.

  • It offers natural ways of promoting health.

  • It emphasizes prevention (True Prevention - Not Just Routine yearly tests)

  • It empowers everyone to take responsibility for their own well-being (We are what we eat)

  • It is time-tested (No change in our Concepts (or) Theory (or) Approach last 2000 years)

Pancha maha bhutas (5 Elements)

Modern Medicine is based on Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology. Ayurveda is Based on Indian Sankhya Philosophy - the theory of Macrocosm and Microcosm. Man is the Epitome of the Greater Universe. According to Ayurveda all objects in the universe including “human body” are composed of five basic elements (Pancha maha bhutas) namely, Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space (Ether). We are a Small particle in this Universe. We are Microcosm in this Macrocosm of the Universe.

There is a balanced condensation of these elements in different proportions to suit the needs and requirements of different structures and functions of the body Structures and its parts. The growth and development of the body Structures depends on its nutrition, i.e. on food. The food, in turn, is composed of the above five elements, which replenish (or) nourish the like elements of the body after the action of AGNI (Digestive Fire). The tissues (Dhatus) of the body are structural whereas humours are physiological entities, derived from different combinations and permutations of Pancha maha bhutas


Dosha (Functional Element of the Body)


The three functional elements of the body are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, which together regulate and control the catabolic and anabolic metabolism. Vata is made of Air & Space. Pitta - Fire + water. Kapha - Earth + Water. The main function of the three doshas is to carry the byproduct of digested foods throughout the body, which helps in building up the body tissues. Any imbalances in these doshas cause disease.


Dhatu (Structure of the Body) - 7 Dhatus

Dhatu can be defined as one, which supports the body (Structure). There are seven tissue systems in the body. They are as Rasa, Rakta, Mamsa, Meda, Asthi, Majja and Shukrawhich represent the plasma, blood, muscle, fat tissue, bone, bone marrow and semen respectively. Dhatus provide stability to the body and the main aim of Ayurveda is to nourish and protect the structural elements of the body.


Mala (waste material of the Body)

Mala means waste products. It is third in the trinity of the body i.e. doshas and dhatu. There are three main types of malas, e.g. stool, urine and sweat. Malas are mainly the waste products of the body so their proper excretion from the body is essential to maintain the proper health of the individual.


Agni (Digestive Fire)

All kinds of metabolic and digestive activity of the body takes place with the help of the biological fire of the body called Agni. Agni can be termed as the various enzymes present in the alimentary canal, liver and the tissue cells. Charaka (One of the Best Ayurveda Physician in Ancient Times) says “Kayo Agnihi”. Which means the Agni is their all over the Body. Even though the Jataragni is their in Kosta (Alimentary System), the Reflection of Agni is there all over the Human Body.

Health and Sickness

Health or sickness depends on the presence or absence of a balanced state of the total body matrix including the balance between its different constituents. Both the intrinsic and extrinsic factors can cause disturbance in the natural equilibrium giving rise to disease. This loss of equilibrium can happen by dietary indiscrimination, undesirable habits and non-observance of rules of healthy living. Seasonal abnormalities, improper exercise or erratic application of sense organs and incompatible actions of the body and mind can also result in creating disturbance of the existing normal balance. The treatment consists of restoring the balance of disturbed body-mind matrix through 2 kinds of Approach.

  • Shamana (Correcting the Imbalances with Lifestyle changes, Diet and Herbs)

  • Shodhana (Cleansing Procedures) - If the Imbalances of 3 Doshas are Beyond the treatment with Herbs, then Pancha Karma procedure are required to Eliminate Toxins.

Diagnosis


In Ayurveda, the diagnosis is always done of the patient as a whole. We understand the Body as a Single Unit. That's why we don't have any Confusion in Understanding and treating Many Chronic Diseases. The physician takes careful note of the patient's internal physiological characteristics and mental disposition. S/He also studies such other factors as the affected bodily tissues, humours, the site at which the disease is located, patient's resistance and vitality, his/her daily routine, dietary habits, the gravity of clinical conditions, condition of digestion and details of personal, social, economic and environmental situation of the patient. The diagnosis is done through 8 Methods - By asking questions, By Physical appearance, Pulse, Urine, Feces, Tongue, etc


Introduction to Acne

Acne can be highly stubborn and distressing. The pimples can not only be painful but also leave behind ugly scars. It is very important to make smart choices especially when Facial skin is concerned.

Ayurveda provides abundant holistic and natural ways to fight various skin problems and keep your skin healthy. The age-old methodologies of Ayurveda goes beyond conventional approaches to find an answer to the disorder and treat it away from its roots.

Picture this. You are all excited for a party at the weekend, you have zeroed in your dress, you have decided how you are going to do your hair, and suddenly you spot a red bump on your left cheek. While you are just wondering you would cover it through your makeup, there's another nasty pimple-popping near your nose. Acne can be unpredictable and pretty annoying, but the truth is that it is one of the most common skin condition in adolescents across the globe. Acne is caused due to excess production of oil from the sebaceous glands leading to the blockage of hair follicles. Ayurveda has many several natural approaches that may help control acne.

Acne is a skin condition in which there is excess production of Sebum (oil) from the sebaceous glands leading to the blockage of hair follicles. It is the most common problem of adolescents, and is therefore known as Yauvanapidika in Ayurveda; yauvan means ‘adolescence’ and pidika means ‘pustules or papules’. Acne usually affects the face, back and shoulders and other areas that are densely populated with sebaceous glands. Acne presents either as blackheads, whiteheads, pimples or nodules. Ayurveda provides effective root-cause Solutions to Acne and Most of the Skin Problems.

Causes

The primary cause is impairment of Agni which leads to Imbalance of all the three doshas, predominantly the Pitta dosha, which further vitiates the rakta and meda dhatus (blood and fat tissues). Vitiated doshas produce toxins that block the Srotas (Microscopic channels) of the affected areas leading to pimple formation. The condition of acne can also be aggravated by excessive intake of oily, spicy, salty and sour foods, Constipation and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Even if the Scalp has more Oil and that can lead to Acne and Pimples.

Symptoms

  • Whiteheads

  • Blackheads

  • Pimples


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