Hemorrhoids are swollen veins in your anus and rectum that are common, especially among adults age 50 or older. Half of this population cope with the itching, bleeding and discomfort hemorrhoids cause. Depending on the severity of this condition, lifestyle treatments may be the answer, but for some, medications and minor surgical procedures are necessary. Another option exists -- Ayurveda, a holistic approach to healing. Check with your doctor before using this method.
Ayurveda and Digestion
Ayurveda is one of the world's oldest medical systems -- 5,000 years old to be exact. More common to the Eastern world than the Western, practitioners believe you can heal the body of disease by purifying your body, mind and soul, beginning with your digestive system. John Douillard, Ph.D., author of "The Yoga Body Diet," explains diseases often begin with improper digestion. Undigested food, ama, stick to the tissues of your digestive tract, much like excess cholesterol clogs your arteries. Eating the wrong foods can lead to elimination problems like constipation.
Hemorrhoids
Mayo Clinic explains that when under pressure, the veins in your anus have a tendency to stretch, causing them to swell and bulge. As pressure increases in your lower rectum, the more your veins swell, resulting in hemorrhoids. Numerous factors contribute to the development of hemorrhoids, including straining during bowel movements and constipation.
Constipation
Constipation is defined as having a bowel movement less than three times a week. A symptom rather than a disease, it is one of the most common gastrointestinal complaints in the United States, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. Straining and pain result when attempting to move your bowels, and poor eating habits is the most common cause.
The Vata Dosha
In Ayurvedic beliefs, every person has a dosha, or energy source. There are three: vata, pitta and kapha. Each contributes to your emotional, physical and mental characteristics, controlling specific functions in your body. Although you have qualities of all three, one is particularly dominant. The vata dosha is responsible for motion within the body. Keeping your dosha in balance ensures good physical and mental health. A vata imbalance opens you up to sickness. Douillard explains that a common complaint of vatas that are out of balance is constipation.
Restoring Vata Balance
Each dosha has a specific diet that enables it to remain in balance. It ensures optimal physical and mental well being. Following a vata diet helps clear your digestive system of unwanted ama, which allows proper digestion of food. The nature of a vata is air and winter. To restore balance, you require warm foods to offset the cold, and oils to restore moisture in your body.
Your Food List
Vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, garlic, winter squash, sweet potatoes and tomatoes are your super foods and have the greatest impact on your body. You can also enjoy artichokes, carrots, cooked eggplant okra, onions, parsley, potatoes and beets. Fruits such as dates, figs, grapefruit, grapes, lemons, limes, mangoes, oranges and tangerines should be your first choice, but you can also reach for apricots, blueberries, cantaloupes, guava, nectarines, peaches and pineapples. Cook with spices such as anise, basil, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, saffron and turmeric. Nuts and seeds such as raw almonds, flax seeds, pine nuts, poppy and sunflower seeds give you the oil your body requires. Choose chicken, fresh and saltwater fish as your main entrees. Cook with chili peppers, canola oil, coconut oil and olive oil. Opt for rice and soy milk over cow's milk, enjoy yogurt for dessert and add cottage cheese to your lunch menu. Drinking warm water through the day keeps you hydrated and helps clear unwanted residue from your digestive tract, explains Douillard.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Ayurveda; September 2009
- Mayo Clinic; Hemmorhoids Causes; December 2010
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse; Constipation; July 2007
- Ayurveda Health Care: Constipation Natural Cure Ayurveda Approach
- "The Yoga Body Diet"; John Douillard, DC, Ph.D., et al.; 2010
