Why Do We Get Sick?

What is sickness? What is health? Why do we fall ill? Is it because of the lifestyle that we lead? The environment we live in? The bacteria and viruses we get exposed to? The food we eat? Our mental state of mind? The answer is that it could be any of these. Ayurvedic medicine, which is over five thousand years old have considered these questions in depth.

Let us begin by understanding Ayurvedic concept of health. According to Ayurveda, being healthy just does not simply mean absence of disease. Health is when your mind, body and consciousness is in perfect harmony and balance. It is said that our health is upto us. Every day of our lives, every hour of every day, we can and do, choose either health or illness.

We already know that each body is made up of different constitution types. They can have Vata, Pitta or Kapha tendencies or sometimes, if they are imbalanced, a body can exhibit a varying degree of 2 constitution types, for eg: Vata & Pitta. So, a Vata person could have thin, dry and clear skin but may get a random bout of breakouts or flare-ups when Vata is out of balance.  Our health is optimum when the doshas, dhatus (the seven tissues), malas (excretory waste products) and agni (gastric fire) are in balance. This also includes balance and clarity of mind, senses and spirit. To understand these factors further, the explanation is given below.

Doshas are biological principles that govern all activities in our body. Vata is the energy or principle of movement, Pitta is the energy of digestion and metabolism and Kapha is the principle of lubrication and structure. When these are balanced, we maintain health but when they are out of balance, it leads to disease or illness.

Dhatus are basic bodily tissues, which are responsible for entire structure of the body and the functioning of the different organs and systems. There are 7 dhatus, which include, Rasa (plasma or cytoplasm), Rakta (blood), Mamsa (muscle), Meda (fat), Asthi (bones and cartilage), Majja (bone marrow and nerves) and Shukra & Artava (male and female reproductive tissues). Each dhatu is dependent on the previous one. So, if the digestion is poor or the diet is not well balanced/lacks nutrition or if there is any problem at any stage, the successive dhatu will get affected and will not receive the nourishment it needs, and the respective tissues or organ systems will subsequently suffer.

Malas include the 3 forms of waste products that include feces, urine and sweat. The body should be able to produce these in appropriate amount and dispose them through their respective channels.   

Agni is the biological fire or heat energy that governs metabolism, just like how the digestive enzymes and metabolic processes help in breaking down, digesting, absorbing and assimilating our food. This biological fire helps sustain life and vitality. A person with strong agni lives long and has excellent health. But when the agni becomes weak or is compromised because of an imbalance in doshas, metabolism is adversely affected. The body’s resistance and immunity are impaired and the individual will begin to feel unwell. If not taken care of, the fire will be extinguished which can lead to demise.

Along with these physiological functions, the mind, senses and spirit also play a very important role in maintaining good health and mental well-being. When all these conditions/factors are balanced, we achieve a state called swastha, which means ‘being healthy and totally happy within onself’. When we choose wisely, nature rewards us with health and happiness. When we persistently choose unwisely, nature in her wisdom eventually sets us straight. She makes us sick and gives us a chance to rest and rethink our choices                                                                                                        

(Source: The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies by Vasant Lad)